Brine your turkey for moist white meat

By Times wires, files

© St. Petersburg Times,
published November 14, 2001

A beautiful bird Roasting a turkey and doing it well is a challenge, but even the occasional cook can do it with knowledge, strategy and the right tools. Here are some tips. Roasting times The following roasting times are for unstuffed turkeys cooked at 325 degrees: Brine your turkey for moist white meat The age-old problem with cooking a turkey is that the white meat is often dry compared with the moist, tasty dark meat. Thank goodness for gravy. Good gravy! There seem to be so many pitfalls to making smooth, robust gravy that many of us have turned to store-bought versions. dish explanations from the inside out: yams vs. sweet potatoes We'll be thankful for your holiday mishaps Thanksgiving is a special family time. By "special" we mean, of course, weird, comical and often fraught with complications.

The age-old problem with cooking a turkey is that the white meat is often dry compared with the moist, tasty dark meat. Thank goodness for gravy.

White meat cooks more quickly than dark meat, which is attached to bone. To roast perfect turkey meat, you would have to cut up a whole bird and cook the pieces for varying amounts of time. That is cumbersome and sort of silly. We don't recommend it.

Many cooks have turned to brining as a way to ensure moist and tender breast meat. The bird is submerged in a saltwater bath for up to 24 hours, and the absorption of the water keeps the meat moist. The mixture, whether it be plain salt or other seasonings, flavors the meat.

"The salt is the key element," explained an article in Gourmet magazine. "Its electrically charged ions make the muscle fibers plump up and absorb more water. The structure of the protein changes as well, preventing water from escaping during cooking."

Many brining recipes suggest using a fresh turkey only. Self-basting, frozen and kosher turkeys have already been salted. If you are using one of these turkeys, reduce the amount of salt called for in the recipe by half.

Here's how to do it:

Find a container large enough to submerge your turkey. A 6-gallon stockpot will hold a 15- to 18-pound bird.

Put the bird in the container and cover it with water. Remove the turkey. Measure how much water is in the pot. For every 2 quarts of water, add 1/2 cup of kosher or 1/4 cup of table salt. Kosher salt is preferable because it's not as strong as table salt.

Heat the water and salt solution until the salt dissolves. Let cool completely.

Submerge turkey and refrigerate overnight. Before roasting, remove the turkey from the brine, rinse thoroughly and pat dry. Do not salt again.

It's not a good idea to make gravy from the pan juices of a brined turkey; the gravy will be much too salty. Use a gravy mix or make it with canned stock.

Turkey Brine

• 2 gallons water
• 2 cups kosher salt or 1 cup table salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup dried tarragon
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 15-20 pound fresh turkey

Boil water and then add all other ingredients. Mix thoroughly and let cool completely. Place 15- to 20-pound turkey in pot and cover with mixture. Let sit in refrigerator for 24 hours or overnight. Remove turkey from brine, rinse and pat dry. Coat with olive oil before roasting or smoking.

Note: If using a frozen or self-basting turkey, reduce salt by half. Those turkeys are injected with a moistening solution that contains salt.

Source: Adapted from a recipe from www.about.com.

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