Questions...Turkey 101 & Brining 101

Hey Mark!,

1st let me start by saying,I've never marinade a turkey, but I've brined a few this year.

I'll quote from Smokin' in his Turkey 101 update for 2010," The main difference between brining and marinating is simple. Brine are salty solutions and marinades are acidic solutions. The acid in the marinade helps break down the meat."

Both will add flavor, but my thoughts are that properly brined turkeys will have a deep flavor. I personally would recommend you try Smokin's holiday brine. There is a reason most of us call him the MASTER of brining.

If you can't find one of them low solution enhanced birds, I'd recommend going to Wal-mart and see if you can find a 8% enhanced bird and brine it for 48hrs. It works for me!

So I think we learned that marinating tenderizes the bird when adding flavor, while brining adds a "deep flavor" and moisture,buffer to keep from drying out the breast if you over cook.

Thanks Cal. This will be my first turkey smoking (going to use Smokin Okie Holiday Brine) My wife usually takes care of this. I'm assuming all turkeys are labeled as to how much they have been enhanced. (read about the types on turkey 101, interesting!) I still don't see why anyone would not choose to brine rather than marinate

I think a brine takes the moisture and flavor deep into the meat whereas a marinade only flavors the surface of the meat. Without the salt osmosis doesn't take affect with a marinade. While only affecting the first 1/4" or so, a marinade can impart a strong flavor to meat and works well with smaller cuts. Brining is affective with larger cuts like pork loin and turkey. Brining adds a more suddle flavor than a marinade, which is fine. Since a brine penetrates the meat so much, a real strong flavor would be overpowering.

Thanks Pags. I see the difference now. Much Thanks.

I know this is an older thread, but reading it brings up a question:

What would be the result of first brining, and then marinading? I ask because I bought a Honeysuckle White breast only, which I believe is somewhat brined, correct? I rinsed it well, and then put it in a marinade of Italian dressing.

My smoke is either tomorrow or Saturday. Any idea what the outcome might be?

I would rather call them enhanced instead of brined. It should tell you what % of salt water/juices they pumped in the breast and you paid for. My main reason for brining is to add flavors/spices to the inside of the breast.

The oil that you put on the breast will help keep it from drying out and may add a little flavor to the surface. It will turn out okay, make sure you keep good notes on the cook.