Submerge in Brine or garbage bag?

Whether you use a large container or plastic bags, make sure your turkey is completely submerged in the brine. I've used 5 gallon pales in the past and am switching to oven roast bag for turkey day.

Dark meat is done at 175* and white is done at 160*. Make sure you hit both. With brining, your turkey will still be moist at these temperatures. Enjoy.

quote:

Originally posted by Pags:...Dark meat is done at 175* and white is done at 160*. Make sure you hit both...

On a whole turkey, can you hit 175* in thighs w/o overcooking breast meat?

If you're brining, you should be OK. Those aren't my numbers. I got them from Turkey 101.

Thanks guys! I just will double probe the Turkey. Seems that getting 2 diff. readings of temp from same bird and 2 areas may be a challange. I am also going to use the garbage bag technique with the brine. Double wrap and place in fridge over night. I just bought the AQ! I have used the smaller one from my buddy several times. Did my first brisket in it. Came out awesome. I am going to write about the exp.

Key is to get all the air out. Putting them in bags is okay, but they can still leak, I'd put them in a pan also incase they do.

Boss,
I have used one of the turkey size oven roaster bags and this seems to work fine.

Another approach is,put turkey and brine in the double bags,put in medium cooler,cover with bag of ice.

The bride likes having an empty refrig,on holidays.

I have mine in a double heavy bag, full of brine, 22.40# turkey in a cooler with bags of ice on it!! Worked fined all the other times.

Make sure those bags are not the scented ones. That would spell disaster!

I've got 200 8# bone-in breasts soaking in six 55gal trash cans right now, with another 126 breasts waiting to take a bath when these come out tomorrow. Somehow I didn't think bags would work.

Here's Smokin's Holiday brine adjusted for 200 gallons:
200 gallons water, 100# salt, 10 gal soy, 45# white sugar, 45# brown sugar, 6 gal honey, 6 gal apple cider vinegar, 6 quarts black pepper, 6 quarts chopped garlic, 1# allspice, 4# Tenderquick.

With some adjustments, this could make an interesting start to some distilled spirits.

Todd, whats up with the 2009 Turkey Fest. You need shirts,hats n posters.LOL! Thats a killer amount of bird. I only have two 10lbs Turkeys. I always fry them. This is my first smoke out. I really hope its better or at least as worthy.I thank all you guys for the input. This forum is bad ass! This was my first post and it was great to get all this help. I really mean it!

quote:

Originally posted by Boss10man:
Todd, whats up with the 2009 Turkey Fest. You need shirts,hats n posters.LOL! Thats a killer amount of bird. I only have two 10lbs Turkeys.

The Boy Scouts sold some birds this year! I've also got about 100 pork loins brining too. They come out great with the Holiday brine.

Good luck with your turkeys. I think smoked turkeys equal fried turkeys, but after I finish smoking Wednesday, it's frying for me on Thursday. I don't want to see anything smoked for at least a week.

Yep,Sam's had a great sale on whole boneless pork loins.

I've converted them all over to Smokin's Holiday Brine,over the years.

Definetly the only way to deal with these new leaner loins.

quote:

Originally posted by Todd G.:
Here's Smokin's Holiday brine adjusted for 200 gallons:
200 gallons water, 100# salt, 10 gal soy, 45# white sugar, 45# brown sugar, 6 gal honey, 6 gal apple cider vinegar, 6 quarts black pepper, 6 quarts chopped garlic, 1# allspice, 4# Tenderquick.

Well I'm honored, just don't tell all the Local's it's from an Okie. Well, actually the Family DOES come from that region, we're cherokee and came over on the Trail of Tears.

Glad it works for you, tell them the recipe is from two local boys

I have a stupid question and have not been able to fine the answer. Do you cook the brining solution at all or do you just mix all the ingredients?

No,do not cook the brine. Make sure when place in bag or container that it completely in brine. If your puting in a bag, twist and push air out. Wash the meat after you pull it out of brine.

Oh yea, use a whisk to mix the brine. It works best.

Sorry,I meant to say YES cook the brine. Let it get to room temp before you put it in container.

So yes cook the brine? Do you just heat it so everything disolves? Then let it cool to room temp before putting in container.

Thanks for the help

Yes. Cook to dissolve ingredients. Slow boil then cool. I do it the day before I need it, let it come to room temp, put in fridge overnight to get it cold before I put the bird in it.

Guys as usual you are very helpful. You guys rock, I am not sure what I would do without this site.

Thanks a bunch

Just remember that if you are using honey in your brine and you are warming the brine first, let the brine cool down to below 160 before you add the honey. Above 160*F and it will break down the honey content beyond what you want. I learned this from Shake at Shake's Shack in KS.

Good memory John.

Shake got it from U of Indiana.

We must be gettin' old.

quote:

I've got 200 8# bone-in breasts soaking in six 55gal trash cans right now, with another 126 breasts waiting to take a bath when these come out tomorrow. Somehow I didn't think bags would work.

Todd how do you keep the trash cans cooled to below 40 degrees?

quote:

Originally posted by DMassey:

quote:

I've got 200 8# bone-in breasts soaking in six 55gal trash cans right now, with another 126 breasts waiting to take a bath when these come out tomorrow. Somehow I didn't think bags would work.

Todd how do you keep the trash cans cooled to below 40 degrees?

I rented a walk in cooler. I was going to rent a refer truck, but I noticed a roadside produce stand near my house had a permanent walk in. They were closing at the end of October for the season, so I was able to rent it cheap.

My turkey's came out really good. Next time I will make the brine outside in giant pot, like in turkey fryer. The garbage bag trick worked like a champ! Easy clean up and easy to manage.I still dont really know the effect of maple syrup on outside of turkey. The skin, I knew would be crap. The brine did the trick. Next time I will cut slits in it and put slivers of Garlic clove in it. I cooked the Turkey to 175 and like I said it came out great.

Hi, I put plastic-bags in a turkey deep fry pot then Turkey & brine and cover in ref.

The perfect brining bags I've found are the Ziplock Big Bags (10 gallon size) that Walmart carries. I place these in a pan , conyainer, or usually one of the slideout clear plastic fridge drawers (for storing lettuce & veggies), and they work perfectly. I use these same type bags to marinate briskets. Cleanup is easy - no messy pots to clean & bags are thick enough not to leak. Ziplocks are suitable for food contact & storage, whereas garbage bags are not. To get the stretch properties of trash bags companies much more plastcisers to give bags their stretching properties, not to mention the color agents needed to make the bags opaque. Ziplock bags provide a cleaner surface and thus more hygienic surface - trash bags do not.

What is the largest size turkey that will fit in a 10gal bag?

A 12 lb turkey will fit in a 2 gal Ziploc

I don't think the growers have a trukey big enough to fill a 10 gal bag

quote:

Originally posted by PAPA BEAR:
What is the largest size turkey that will fit in a 10gal bag?

No prob with 20 pounder. In fact, just did a 12 pounder & I could easily have put 2 X 12 pounders in the bag.

When using trash bags, be sure to get the NON Scented ones. We use those really cheap commercial ones that are "milkey" in color and come like 500 to 1000 to a box. No scent or other stuff.
Ya don't have to wash them at the end!