Three Day Brine?

  • Some of the links on this forum allow SMF, at no cost to you, to earn a small commission when you click through and make a purchase. Let me know if you have any questions about this.
SMF is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

xutfuzzy

Meat Mopper
Original poster
OTBS Member
Sep 14, 2006
232
43
Cincinnati, Ohio
I was reading the most recent issue of Food Network Magazine, and came upon a recipe for Thanksgiving turkey that intrigued me.  Chef Anne Burrell (often seen on the American Iron Chef show as a sous chef and many other shows) has a recipe where she brines her turkey for 3 days!  She said that she has been doing this for years, so I guess it's been tested.

Any thoughts out there on this?
 
I brine my turkeys for 24 to 36 hours depending on whats easier on my schedule..
a three day brine isnt un heard of.. and maybe Chef Anns recipe has her taste of saltiness to her liking.. and cut back salt amount in the brine for the purpose of a longer brine..
 
i'd second what Mike said about being careful about the salt in the brine. The only recipe I've made of Anne Burrell's (Braised Pork Belly) was terribly oversalted as written in the recipe. If I had followed the recipe as written in regards to salt, my husband and I would have found it inedible.
 
I have brined bacon for 10-12 days....   Turkey legs for 7 days I think ???  Depends on what you want to achieve and the process you are using....   Complete equilibrium, you may have to wait 20 days, depending on the thickness....   that's why injection of meat over 2" thick is recommended......  Commercial establishments use a "needle injection system" which is almost instantaneous.....

The first day, the brine penetrates the meat about 1/4"....   etc....

Dave
 
Many of these quick brine recipes, 4-8 hours, are loaded with salt to get the job done in a short amount of time. I usually use 1/2 cup Kosher salt per gallon of water and have gone 3-4 days with no issue. In one restaurant we had 28Lb Birdzillas for a Thanksgiving Dinner Special. I brined those giants 7 days and they were great. I just looked at one of Anne's Brine recipes and she uses 3/4 Cup Kosher for 2 Gallons liquid. That is a pretty weak brine and the reason she recommends 2-3 days...JJ
 
My problem with a long brine is it always changes the density of the meat. Maybe if I was more experienced like Dave or ChefJJ, I wouldn't change the texture of the meat so much. But a overnight brine is about all I can handle.
 
Thanks for the responses.  I just checked the recipe, and only has 3/4 cup salt for 2 gallons of water. 

I guess I was more worried about texture of the meat than anything else, but I'll go off the expertise here.  Thanks again!
 
I stick with the 1-1-1.  Gallon of water cup of salt and sugar.  I boil the water with whatever herbs are available in our garden.  95% of the time - rosemary and sage.  After about a 5 minute boil I remove the water from the burner and add the salt and sugar.  Allow the brine to set overnight in the fridge once at room temp.  I then put the turkey or chicken in a cooler and cover with brine.  Turkeys are frozen.  I will brine for 3-5 days.  I add ice throughout the process if it is warm outside.  During the cooler months I set the cooler outside and ignore it.  Then I smoke it.  Boys - you will not regret it.  The sage and rosemary take it to another level.  I add garlic when I remember.
 
 
I stick with the 1-1-1.  Gallon of water cup of salt and sugar.  I boil the water with whatever herbs are available in our garden.  95% of the time - rosemary and sage.  After about a 5 minute boil I remove the water from the burner and add the salt and sugar.  Allow the brine to set overnight in the fridge once at room temp.   I then put the turkey or chicken in a cooler and cover with brine.  Turkeys are frozen.  I will brine for 3-5 days.  I add ice throughout the process if it is warm outside.  During the cooler months I set the cooler outside and ignore it.  Then I smoke it.  Boys - you will not regret it.  The sage and rosemary take it to another level.  I add garlic when I remember.
Even though you are putting the brine over frozen birds. It is important that the brine and the birds be below 40°F at all times. It is risky to to add room temp brine on poultry...JJ
 
JJ.. I think you misread his post.... he said he lets the brine set overnight in the fridge... I'm reading that he doesn't put it in the fridge until it gets to room temp after boiling...

Fuzzy... I am a lil confused on your technique tho... you say you put the bird in a cooler frozen ? (frozen meat will not absorb anything)... and then poor the brine over the frozen bird ? add ice as needed ? my questions are... is the bird in a separate container with brine in it and the ice on the outside of the container ? or you just keep adding ice straight into the brine and thus it keeps diluting the brine with more water ? which in turn weakens the salt/sugar/ water ratio ?...
 
Ooops! You are right. There is a Period after Room Temp, It looked like a Comma on my screen...JJ
 
Fuzzy... I am a lil confused on your technique tho... you say you put the bird in a cooler frozen ? (frozen meat will not absorb anything)... and then poor the brine over the frozen bird ? add ice as needed ? my questions are... is the bird in a separate container with brine in it and the ice on the outside of the container ? or you just keep adding ice straight into the brine and thus it keeps diluting the brine with more water ? which in turn weakens the salt/sugar/ water ratio ?...
Wasn't me...this is for Harves Tees Son.

Again, thanks for all the help, everyone.  Just to make things interesting, for my Thanksgiving I will be doing two separate turkey breasts and 1 drumstick.  I'm the only dark meat eater in the whole extended family.  Should this still merit a 3-day brine (with the weakened brine)?
 
The only dark meat eater? Then I would go with 2 thighs and 2 drumsticks! Great sandwichs and gumbo birds.... Besides If I was the only dark meat eater I'd walk around all day on Thanksgiving with one of those special smiles on my face..... You know, like the cat that just ate the canary?
 
Fuzzy... I am a lil confused on your technique tho... you say you put the bird in a cooler frozen ? (frozen meat will not absorb anything)... and then poor the brine over the frozen bird ? add ice as needed ? my questions are... is the bird in a separate container with brine in it and the ice on the outside of the container ? or you just keep adding ice straight into the brine and thus it keeps diluting the brine with more water ? which in turn weakens the salt/sugar/ water ratio ?...

Wasn't me...this is for Harves Tees Son.

Again, thanks for all the help, everyone.  Just to make things interesting, for my Thanksgiving I will be doing two separate turkey breasts and 1 drumstick.  I'm the only dark meat eater in the whole extended family.  Should this still merit a 3-day brine (with the weakened brine)?

oooops.... my bad.. your so right
 
SmokingMeatForums.com is reader supported and as an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases.

Hot Threads

Clicky