Turkey is a tale of two meats, dark and white. And when you’re cooking a whole bird, ending up with both equally as juicy and tasty is a challenge. But one that you can handle like a pro in the kitchen with a turkey brine.
Why a Brine is Beneficial
The challenge is this.
Meat is muscle and the color of the meat reflects how those muscles are used.
More active muscles use more myoglobin, an oxygen-binding protein. Large, flightless birds, like turkeys, are constantly moving their legs and thighs, which means more myoglobin is in those muscles, hence darker meat.
The breast muscle is not as active, so that means less myoglobin and whiter meat.
The myoglobin-rich, darker muscles take longer to cook.
So cooking the dark meat thoroughly while not overcooking and drying out the white meat is the challenge.
To tackle this, consider brining your turkey.
Why a Turkey Brine Means Moist Meat
For centuries salt has been used as a preservative and a part of food preparation.
Brining, or soaking the bird overnight in a salt solution, ensures moist results.
The salt solution uncoils the tightly wound meat proteins and the meat absorbs some of the liquid.
The end result is a tasty, tender, and juicy turkey.
My brine recipe is super simple and with the addition of bay leaves, allspice, and pepper it’s an aromatic precursor of what’s to come.
Give it a try this holiday season.
In addition, here are some tips on how to brine your Thanksgiving turkey.
Tips on How to Brine Your Thanksgiving Turkey
1. Most brines require heating to dissolve the salt. Make sure the brine is completely cool before immersing your turkey.
2. Place the turkey breast side down in the brine solution. The white meat is the most likely to dry out. You want to make sure this part of the turkey is submerged securely in the brine.
3. You’ll need a container large enough to hold the brine and the turkey. I use double layers of unscented trash bags for this purpose. Place the turkey in the trash bags, pour in the brine, and then placed the trash bagged turkey into a large bowl or other container for added security.
4. Refrigerate the turkey during brining. When brining is complete, pull the bird out, dry the surface and prepare it for oven cooking.
That’s it!
While a moist bird is the centerpiece of this holiday’s meal the best part of Thanksgiving is the shared time together at the table.
Looking for some sides to go with that beautiful turkey? Try these:
Cornbread Dressing
Sweet and Sour Green Beans
Garlic and Sage Gravy
