To Brine or Not To Brine?

[coachB]

I've got a thawed out 9 lb turkey breast to smoke.  I am planning on smoking to 145 in the SI then blasting it in a hot oven to finish at 165 with hopefully a crispy skin.  The label says "injected with (assorted chemicals) approximately 15%"...  The chemicals mean nothing to me--by injecting are they just doing this to maintain moisture and should I go ahead and brine but not inject?

Inquiring minds need to know.  Any help is greatly appreciated.  I am trying to work out the times for 16 lbs of pork butt, 10 lbs of ham, and the turkey breast.  Not to mention the moinks,  ABT's, Neely's cole slaw, Pioneer Lady's baked beans, and Famous Dave's cornbread.  (Bye the bye, being a Southerner by choice and not by birth,  do you do anything to the cornbread? Kinda like nobody eats grits plain.)

This is all for the wedding where I get to give away the bride.  So needless to say I have to have this all down cold. 

 

[DivotMaker]

Bill, if your breast has a 15% solution, you'll be fine without brining; keep it simple.  Brining is a great benefit to all-natural birds, or those with 5%, but that's a pretty good concentration.  Personally, I'd smoke it "as is."

Can't help a great deal with timing of enough food to feed a small army.  But, if it were me, I'd smoke the 2 butts in advance, and vacuum pack in the double-wrap foil to preserve the whole butts for pulling when warmed.  Baked beans, and cold slaw - you're on your own!  I will add that putting your cornbread batter in a pre-heated cast iron skillet, in the oven, is the only "true" southern way to do cornbread!  Wipe the pan with Crisco, put in the oven while pre-heating, then dump the batter in and cook.  Mmm, mmm!

 

[coachB]

Tony, the cole slaw is already done, the potato salad is done, the moinks are done, the baked beans will be finished in another hour, the ABT's get done while the butt is brining, and the cornbread will be made sometime tomorrow (unfortunately I don't have a cast iron skillet).  Not having to brine the bird frees up some time fortunately.  I figure I will put the butts in the SI and look at about 17-18 hrs, the turkey can go into the Brinkman until it gets the smoke needed and then into the oven, and the ham can then go in the Brinkman for smoke and warmup.  I am lousy at multi-tasking but I think I have it figured out now.  But I will then probably forget to pack and end up leaving the tux in the closet.  I've got more lists for this event than I can believe.  My mother was a Murphy so I know how this will play out.

Thanks for the fast advice Tony.

 

[DivotMaker]

I know it will all work out, Bill!  Sounds like you have a helluva plan to deal with the chaos!