I promise this entire blog will not be on brining/or not brining a turkey, I just liked the title. I will however approach the brining subject. When I was young and Thanksgiving was cooked by the generation before me, the turkey was cooked till leathery and never brined. I think my family wanted to cook anything that you could get ill from out of the bird, but along with the chance of illness went any chance of taste and flavor! Please don’t get me wrong the trimmings were fine, but the star was wrinkly and dry.
When I finally had my own kitchen I zealously took over the holiday cooking. In fact it has become a tradition to have two Thanksgivings, one on Thursday, like most of the United States, and the other Friday, the day after Thanksgiving.
Back to the subject at hand. I do brine and truly believe it makes a giant difference. It is a little bit of extra work for a whole lot of taste, besides the refrigerator does most of the work.
I know it looks like herbs and citrus fruit, which it is, plus salt, sugar, apple cider, fresh orange juice, a little soy sauce, water, and of course the turkey. This large pot of aromatics, juice, and fruit, gives to the turkey nestled inside an immeasurable amount of flavor, brining turns your turkey from so/so to tender and juicy.
DF and poultry, I promise he is just trying to get a laugh
Normally there is no need to a hold turkey up straight (DF loves to make us laugh while we cook), prior to brining rinse the turkey clean making sure to rinse the inside of the bird too (reserve the neck for turkey stock). I have found it is easier to place half of the herbs and fruit on the bottom of the brining bag inside a pot with just enough liquid to dissolve sugars and salt, then place the bird on top ,the rest of the aromatics, fruit , and liquids. Place the pot with the brining bag holding the turkey, tie the top of bag (no one wants to wake up to raw poultry juices that have leaked all over the refrigerator) in the refrigerator over night. About two hours prior to cooking your bird remove the turkey from its wet resting place, pat the bird dry and allow it to come to room temperature.
Hold your breath, I massage my turkey with 454 grams/1 pound of butter, softened and divided (Sydney is in charge of the butter). Leave 227 grams/1/2 of a pound mashed and plain, mix 227 grams/ 1/2 pound butter with herb and zest. I like to use blood orange, navel orange, and lemon zest with a “Scarborough Fair melody” of herbs. Now my bird gets a spa treatment: I carefully loosen the skin from the flesh ( be careful not to tear the skin) evenly distribute the butter mixture all through out the inside of the skin, massage the outside of the skin with butter. I really give my bird full massage ( too bad I cannot charge him for my services.)
In a large roasting pot I pour about 1/4 cup of dry white wine, so the bottom of pan won’t burn and there is nothing wrong with extra flavor, place the seasoned massaged bird on the roasting rack breast side down in the roasting pan. The bird goes into a cozy 163 degree C/ 325 degree F oven for 60 minutes, resisting opening the oven door.
After the 60 minutes have past WE (DF & I) turn the bird over, baste it with the turkey stock I have cooking and yes more butter. This ritual is done about every 15- 20 minutes till the bird reaches an internal temperature of 74 degrees C/ 165 degrees F. I tent the turkey when its nicely tanned and brown with foil while I prepare the gravy with pan juices, flour, white wine, baby portabella, and 3 to 4 cups turkey stock.
In our family Brioche stuffing is traditional, Sydney and I generally start making the brioche dough the Sunday prior to Thanksgiving; four loafs total, three loafs for the actually stuffing and one Brioche Tete for the table. We bake three of four loafs on Wednesday, that way the bread is a little hard, nobody likes soggy stuffing. The next morning the brioche is cubed and toasted for about 7 minutes in the oven. Mushroom, apples,onions, celery, “Scarborough Fair melody” of herbs, white wine/1 2 turkey stock and 1/2 chicken stock for moister is added and placed in a warm oven for 30 or so minutes.
This year we decided to bake up fat free yams in orange cups; using meringue, Calvados,oranges, orange zest, nutmeg, cinnamon, brown sugar, and a pinch of salt. (Okay I know it is like ordering a diet coke with a super size cheese burger and super size fries, but I feel better anyway)!
The first year I prepared Thanksgiving dinner for my husband, DF had all the fixings out and the turkey was laid out on the table. DF was looking worried and perplexed, because he could not find the cranberries. I pointed to my traditional cranberry preserves, he thought they were not the “real cranberries;” he claimed his mother always made cranberries with lines on the sides. It took me about 15 minutes to figure out what he was referring to… the canned cranberries. Laughing, I explained those were manufactured and mass produced. He cautiously took a spoon of the homemade cranberries, slowly put the small spoonful in his mouth, with wide eyes he finally proclaimed the traditional cranberries were better!
With the Thanksgiving table just about completely set, I realize I forgot to mention there is always a lasagna served with our Thanksgiving on both nights every year, DF would not think Thanksgiving was complete without Lasagna and Noto Sauce
This year we had the opportunity to become apart of the Daring Baker’s challenge and decided to bake the challenge tart for one of the desserts; A Caramelized Pear with Frangipane Tart.
I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with warmth and love.
I began this blog debating to brine or not to brine, but as promised it was not the only subject I talked about. Since Thanksgiving has past and we are looking forward to more holidays this December I hope this blog brought a smile to your face!
I have been searching for a time for just a reasonable study dealing with this kind of subject matter . Checking out in Aol I now uncovered this website. Reading this post I’m just happy to enunciate that I’ve got a great impression I discovered precisely what I was looking for. For certain i will be sure to don’t forget this blog and go here on a constant basis.
I want to thank you for the efforts you have made in writing this post. I am hoping the same top-grade blogpost from you in the future as well. In fact your creative writing skill has inspired me to get my own blog now. Really the blogging is spreading its wings rapidly. Your write up is a fine model of it.
Gday, I was looking around this page using my Blackberry and it seems unable to show the entire post Guessed you know why. It is the excellent post nevertheless, didnt mess that up.
my husband saved your site for me to have a look at. Must say you have some awesome stuff here. will definately come back to see more
What a post!! Very informative and easy to understand. Looking for more such posts!! Do you have a myspace?
very important information and facts, I acquired a great deals. Thanks for constructing the resource web.
Thank you so much for this direction amazing analysis; this is a kind of step that holds me although out the day.I have forever lengthy been wanting around for your web-site appropriate right after I observed about these from a close buddy and was pleased when I was in a place to discover it perfect just after trying out for a while. Becoming a experienced blogger, I’m grateful to identify out other people taking gumption and adding in the direction of the community. I just preferred to evaluation to show my understanding on your publish as it’s fairly pushing, and tons of world wide web writers will not get the credit they will need to have. I’m optimistic I’ll be back and will send out a several of my associates.
Great!This page is high-quality and so is how the subject was written about. This was a excellent piece of writing. I have been looking for this for quite a while. Thanks for your contribution and sharing.
I Like to read about thanksgiving yams with marshmallows.Got your page on Friday.Your Post To Brine or not Brine is really Nice.Thanks.
Appreciate your inforamtion. It is just too greeeeat!
How is it that I did not find this site till after the holidays? Oh well I know what to do for next year.
Glad to find this information. I have been searching in Google for long time.
Can I just say what a relief to find somebody who actually knows what theyre talking about on the internet. You undoubtedly know the right way to convey a difficulty to light and make it important. Extra people need to read this and understand this facet of the story. I cant believe youre no more fashionable since you undoubtedly have the gift.
Very efficiently written article. It will be helpful to everyone who usess it, including me. Keep up the good work – i will definitely read more posts.
Thank you for an informative and funny post. Your husband is a good sport
THANK YOU for actually using proper grammar. Almost all sites were complete nonsense.
I think this is among the most important information for me. And i am glad reading your article. But want to remark on some general things, The website style is wonderful, the articles is really excellent : Darn Good job, cheers
By any chance does brining save calories?
Im glad that I found it, Very well post here.
Wow, thanks for actually using proper grammar. I looked at a couple before this and it appeared as though a 5th grader wrote it.
I had to refresh the page 2 times to view this page for some reason, however, the information here was worth the wait.
Me and my wife bake together, the first site we go to for information is bobbiesbaking.com. You site is so inspirational!
Howdy, I want to thank you for posting this as I have been scouring the web this for a lot of time and ultimately located it on your website. I am an everyday visitor of your blog and that I must say that the blog quality is professional! I have recommended your blog to a lot of my buddies and today in return for this excellent content, I’ve linked to your blog on my site beneath “Recommended Websites” to let my visitors take a look at your site too. Keep publishing such content. 😉
I love this blog. Very well written.
I have recently started a site, the information you offer on this site has helped me greatly
Greatings, ¡Gracias! Ahora me iré en este blog cada día!
Hi, I would love to make a american style pizza, could you write an article on pizza dough?
Took me time to learn all the comments, but I actually loved the article. It proved to be very helpful to me and I’m positive to all of the commenters here!
What an inventive idea that you have asked your readers for comments and responses in your blog posts. I’ll bet engaged readers tend to visit more often. Good job!
Great article!
I intended to send you this little bit of observation to finally say thanks as before for your pretty knowledge you have featured here. It has been certainly strangely open-handed with you in giving unhampered all that many of us could have offered for an electronic book in making some money for themselves, even more so seeing that you could have tried it if you ever considered necessary. The principles likewise served as a fantastic way to fully grasp the rest have the identical fervor just as mine to grasp whole lot more on the subject of this matter. Certainly there are thousands of more pleasurable sessions up front for those who browse through your blog post.
hi I am wondering if I can use this post in one of my blogs if I link back to you? Thanks
types of learning methods, how generous of you to share family traditions and secrets. Thank you.
Good Morning to you
You have asked if you may use my blog post information, how would this be done? I am comfortable with you putting a link onto your site. However any other uses I would need to approve.
Please contact me at your earliest convince.
Thank you, I have recently been searching for info about this subject for ages and yours is the greatest I have discovered so far.
I am totally amused, Thanks
Greatly fun post!
Hello, I first would like to congratulate you on making such a great, I definitely found your information very interesting and useful. I myself have a site, I will be revisiting your site thanks.
man you can write
I have come to this post over and over again the photos of your husband make me laugh, besides great information here 🙂
When I see a really good blog post I usually do three things:1.Show it to my relevant friends.2.Bookmark it in some of the popular bookmarking websites.3.Make sure to come back to the same blog where I read the article.After reading this post I’m really concidering going ahead and doing all 3.
I was searching for bacca and I found this blog. Keep blogging! I like it 😉
Great writing and awesome pic, will be grabbing rss feed
You guys really seem to know your stuff this blog of information was very useful.:)
Great site, found on google search! Love all your recipes and the writing is so above the norm!
what a wonderful and passionate post, I’m a surviver and any helpful attention is good for the cause .Thank you
I was in a google search and found your site, what a special site and so honest. The recipe seem real and understandable.
I was more than happy to find this internet-site.I needed to thanks to your time for this wonderful learn!! I positively having fun with every little bit of it and I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you blog post.
Looking forward to more brilliant recipes and beautiful photos
I love all this information, how did get you husband pose for the photo of him and the chicken?