How long is too long?

[StMey]

When using an equilibrium brine for turkey from Digging Dog Farms, what is the maximum time you should leave the bird in the brine? What consequences are possible if you leave it in too long?

 

[Walt]

My response would be wrt the Pinking salt. The quantities used (@153ppm) are going to be safe regardless of cureing time. However, the cure will change the flavors (that's why bacon tastes different than a non cured pork belly) as well as the texture of the meat. The longer the cure is allowed to penetrate the meat, more change occurs. I have experimented with duration, mostly with brisket & pork shoulder, covering between 1 day and 2 weeks. There is a substantial difference if allowed to cure that long. I didn't find the flavor differences as extreme as the textural differences. In the pork, the muscle groups contract and become odd nuggets of a reddish/purpleish hue. Tastey but very different than the norm. None were bad but I tend to prefer the 1-4 day cures for both beef and pork. I have never tried prolonged cureing periods for chicken.  I tend to brine poultry & fish overnight, rinse in the morning and allow to air dry in the fridge until time to cook. I hope this helps, although, I know I probably didn't directly answer your question.

 

[StMey]

I ended up leaving the turkeys in for three days. Basically defrosted it in the brine. Turkeys turned out "very" moist and not salty at all.

 

[JSRFrench]

I always defrost the turkey in the brine sitting 48 hours. Rub & inject every time.