Brining a frozen turkey?

[Greenenvey]

I read that brining  a turkey that has been previously  frozen and has been injected with a solution, will make it to salty. Is this true? If so  can I make a brine that just adds some more flavor  with less salt, or no salt?

 

[SuperDave]

I do this all the time and never had a bad result.  Some of us cut the salt by half but I think Divot says he uses full salt and doesn't think that it is too salty. 

 

[Greenenvey]

Well that's good to know, how many hours do you  recommend?

 

[SconnieQ]

I hear this all the time. I think this is a rumor created by someone who has never actually brined an pre-injected bird, and who is speaking theoretically. I've been brining pre-injected birds for 20 years. Use the regular brine recipe and brine for the recommended time. It will not be too salty. The amount of salt that is injected is not that much, and equilibrium with your brine will prevent it from being overly salty.

 

[SconnieQ]

Well that's good to know, how many hours do you  recommend?

Usually about an 3/4 to 1 hour per pound.

 

[prudentsmoker]

I have never had a problem and the Butterball website says it's OK. Here is a brine recipe I did a couple of days ago and it was great- http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/my-favorite-turkey-brine-recipe.html
However, I did not smoke it due to too much snow on the deck. If you do try it out please let me know what you think.

 

[SconnieQ]

I have never had a problem and the Butterball website says it's OK. Here is a brine recipe I did a couple of days ago and it was great- http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/my-favorite-turkey-brine-recipe.html
However, I did not smoke it due to too much snow on the deck. If you do try it out please let me know what you think.

That is more of a "flavor" brine than a true salt brine. Only 3/4 cup of salt for 2 gallons of water. A standard brine is 1 cup salt per 1 gallon of water. Although... the instructions say to brine the turkey up to 24 hours, which does compensate somewhat for the lack of salt in the brine. (Standard turkey brining would be about 12 hours.) So it sounds like a decent recipe to try if someone is unsure about brining a pre-injected bird, but wants the benefits of a flavor brine. I still think the flavor of turkey benefits from salt more than anything.

 

[prudentsmoker]

I never cease to learn on this site. Anyway, I baked it at 200 for several hours and then turned it up to 225. It was really juicy.

 

[SuperDave]

Well that's good to know, how many hours do you  recommend?

Usually about an 3/4 to 1 hour per pound.

I don't get anal about time but aim for 1 hour per pound.  Don't stress over whether it is a total of an hour or two more or less.