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angelfood 17 years, 1 month ago.
Thank you for the info on the salt. I’ve been brining my turkeys for a few years now, trying the different recipes, etc. I’m happiest with the basic kosher salt and sugar one: 2 cups salt, 1 cup sugar, two gallons water. My mom’s turkeys always have a sweet taste to them, but she uses a sweet dressing, puts the turkey in for an hour at @ 350, then turns it down to 200 or 220, something like that, and cooks it overnight. I’ve been told those low temps are not good, and I wanted to impart the sweeter taste to my bird. I suppose I could keep the salt the same and increase the sugar? I appreciate the responses I’ve gotten, thank you, and welcome more. Thanks again. [:)]
Bushie’s absolutely right. You need the salt to make the brining process work. I experimented with varying amounts of salt for Kosher pickles. Once I went below a certain amount, they were horrible, mushy, and sweet because proper fermentation did not take place. Err on the side of excess.
glsup2003, sorry no one has answered you. I’m not an experienced briner, but I’ve read on the subject, so here’s what I would offer:
The primary purpose of brining is to help the turkey absorb and retain moisture. The salt is a main catalyst in this process, so I would not cut down on the recommended amount of salt. Adding other flavors, including sugar, is fine, but keep the salt.
As for stuffing, the current thoughts are that it’s better to cook the "stuffing" separate, and to just put chunks of onion, apple, lemon, celery, etc. in the cavity when you cook.
As for the bacon wrap, I think you’d want to brown the skin before covering in bacon, and remove the bacon before the final finishing.
These are my "semi-educated" guesses, so hopefully we’ll get some of the better cooks on the site to chime in.
Good luck, and let us know how things turn out. [:)]
I’m a newbie, and I’m serious about the question. Just to let you know… .[:)]
What do you think would happen if I changed the amounts in a turkey brine so that the amounts of salt and sugar would be reversed? I’d like to try it, but don’t want to ruin my Christmas bird. Also, If I did that, then stuffed the bird, then wrapped it in bacon?
Sweet Turkey Brine
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