Brining a turkey

[DoubleMaduro]

I'm smoking a turkey and deep-frying one. I'm going to brine both with a solution ratio of 1 lb of kosher : 1 lb of brown sugar : 6 quarts of water - enough to cover.
Question:
If I add cajun seasoning to the brine, will the seasoning be absorbed/marinated into the meat or will I have to inject?

 

[14tokihorn]

1 lb. of kosher and suger !!!
Thats a bit much, isn't it?

 

[hornimal]

inject it and cake it on the skin before dunking it in the oil.

 

[UT TOPS]

I dont know about cajun spices but I add a quart of whisky to my brine and the flavor is most certainly absorbed by the turkey

 

[DoubleMaduro]

I think it's an Alton Brown "Good Eats" recipe.

 

[washparkhorn]

I always brine and would think you would need to add a lot of spice (or cook it perhaps to infuse the liquid with the flavor) for the turkey to pick up the flavor.

That ratio of salt/sugar is what I use. Just make sure to rinse the bird after removing it from the brine.

 

[miguelito]

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[random horn]

fyi - the good eats turkey frying episode was on today - i think it'll be on again sunday @ 5:30pm ET

 

[kellenarb]

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[idigTexas]

The Link

 

[DoubleMaduro]

Alright - thanks for all the ideas - Two 13ish lb turkeys sitting in an ice chest in a basic brine of brown sugar and kosher. going to leave them in over night.

Contemplating injecting a marinade....maybe cajun or italian
seasoning salad dressing....or maybe I should (as wife says) leave well-enough aolne.

Any suggestions on a marinade injection?

 

[JohnnyM]

I have a question about this...

Everything says to use a non-reactive container. First of all, why? Maybe I'm dumb for not knowing this.

My main question is - can I just place a trash bag inside my reactive container and place the bird and brine in that? I don't have another container big enough that isn't way too big.

 

[96 Buff]

You use a non-reactive container because of the amount of salt you're using in your brine.

As to the OP's question about cajun seasoning, save that for after your brining. Liberally add it to the turkey cavity as well as on/under the skin of the bird & then cook away. The cajun seasoning would be wasted in the brine.

 

[hullabelew]

I use some nonreactive containers in the fridge until this year. My basement/beer fridge went out yesterday, so as of yesterday, I now have a designated cooler to brine turkeys in. I have used trashbags one time. It seemed to come out OK, but I was pretty nervous about that much salt in a trashbag. Sure made cleanup easy.

 

[bularry]

dumb question, because I'm going to bring my turkey.

some define "reactive" for me. I may be in trouble.

 

[JohnnyM]

From what I can tell from the different brining google results:

Non-Reactive - plastic, ceramic, glass

Reactive - most metals, especially aluminum and cast iron

I've seen varying opinions on stainless steel, but most seem to think that's ok.

I still don't know what it does to the turkey. I know it reacts with the salt, but that's it.

 

[96 Buff]

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[bularry]

I've got a huge stainless gumbo pot I was going to use for brining. I hope that is okay. I'll have to see what else I have.

 

[Horn_Spanker]

Same reason you don’t brew beer in those big aluminum pots.