How Much Brine?

[LarryD]

How do you determine how much brine is necessary?  For instance...  just picked up a 14 lb turkey that I want to brine.  How much brine is required?  Would the answer change if it were a 14 lb brisket?

I'm sure you'd want the brine to cover all surfaces, but is there a minimum coverage all around?  For instance...  if you drop a turkey into a (food safe) bucket and it nearly or lightly touches in some spots is that going to be a problem?

 

[SuperDave]

No problem, Larry.  I use a small 12 pack cooler for brining my turkeys and it is snug enough that I have very little space around the edges.  In my case, it allows me to cover a 14 lbs. bird with a gallon of brine. 

 

[SconnieQ]

If your turkey is touching the edges of your brining container, that is not a problem. You don't want it jammed in there super tight though. I mix up 2 gallons of brine for turkey. Homemade brine is cheap. I never buy the pre-mixed brines. Some of them are more money than I paid for the turkey! How much brine you need is going to be determined by the size and shape of your vessel, and how much space there is around your meat. If you find you need a little more brine, just mix up a bit extra of just the salt/sugar/water mixture. No need to worry about any additional flavorings you added to your original brine. The salt/sugar/water mixture will dissolve at room temperature with a little mixing, no need to heat.

A 14 pound turkey is going to take a lot more brine than a 14 pound brisket, because turkey has that big open cavity in the middle. So more brine is needed to cover a turkey, than you would need for a solid piece of meat of the same weight.

 

[es1025]

I start with gallon of water, 1 cup of kosher salt and 1 cup of brown sugar.  If I need more I add in the same increments.  Usually go 1 hour per pound.