Brine Time

Media General News Service
Published: November 18, 2008

Most everyone wants the Norman Rockwell turkey perched for feasting on their Thanksgiving table.

You know the type: huge, plump with skin tanner than Charlie Crist.

Pretty as a picture is fine, but if the meat is dry, you’d be better off eating the image.

How best to ensure the bird will stay moist? Give it a bath.

Soaking your turkey overnight in a brine solution is a near-guarantee of succulent meat.

Andrew Schloss, co-author of the book “The Science of Good Food,“ describes brining as “somewhat like a marinade, only a little bit more effective.“

Although some hear the word “brine” and think their bird is going for a dip in the Dead Sea, the chemistry behind the technique is simple and not nearly as salt-laden as perceived, Schloss says.

First, understand that salt breaks down protein. When salt goes into a protein, it unravels its structure and opens it up. Because the amino acids in the protein are no longer bonding with each other as much, they have the potential to bond with other substances, including brine.

What that means is that meats can take on up to 10 percent of extra water during brining. That 10 percent is very significant in certain meats.

In beef, which is 68 percent moisture, another 10 percent doesn’t do all that much. In pork, where it’s only about 50 percent moisture, you’re going to get a lot of bang for your buck. “That extra 10 percent reads a lot more in your mouth,“ Schloss says.

Turkey is about 75 percent moisture. But it’s also low in fat, and that can make it seem dry when you eat it.

Our perception of succulence in meat comes from its amount of moisture. There is a secondary perception of moisture that comes from the amount of fat the meat has. Fat doesn’t add moisture, but it does trigger saliva flow in your mouth. When you eat meat with fat - or even when you get ready to eat meat with fat - you get juicier. Because of that, your perception of juiciness increases.

In the turkey, particularly in the breast, there isn’t enough fat for you to salivate. Because of that, it has a tendency to be moist when you put it into your mouth, but then it immediately goes dry. By adding 10 percent more moisture with a brine, you’re making up for that. (Both pork and poultry benefit a great deal from brining, but for different reasons since each has different fat compositions.)

The cool part: Your turkey won’t taste salty even after spending the night in a brine bath. Why? A brine is typically a tablespoon of salt for a cup of water, or 1/15 of the volume of the brine. Only about 10 percent of that 1/15th of salt is making its way into the meat.

“You need to have that volume of salt in the brine or the chemistry won’t happen,“ Schloss says. “You’re not going to get anywhere near that level of salt into the meat. Even if you’re on a low-sodium diet, you won’t get any more salt than you would by salting the exterior of the bird.“

Brining has increased in popularity in recent years as cooks have started experimenting with their holiday turkeys. (See fire department handbook for “Turkey Frying, Hazards Of”) The practice took off several years ago when Alton Brown featured brining on his “Good Eats” series on the Food Network. His recipe (below) is what some butchers refer their customers to for instructions.

Fire & Flavor, an Athens, Ga.-based company that produces grilling planks, rubs and seasoned skewers, started selling brining kits three years ago with a formula devised with the help of a University of Georgia expert. This year, the company introduced a new flavor, Apple & Sage, in its line of kits. It joins a growing marketplace for brine products, with such notables as retailer Williams-Sonoma and barbecue guru Steven Raichlen selling their own brands, usually for less than $20.

Fire & Flavor CEO Gena Knox, who loves to cook, started the company about five years ago when she couldn’t find cedar planks to use for grilling fish. It’s the same reason she started making the all-in-one brining kits, complete with herbs, salt and heavy-duty brining bag. The kits sell from about $6 to $7.99 at Publix, Whole Foods, Super Target and other retailers.

Word of mouth has been selling the kits, she says, as those who eat brined turkeys go out the following year to buy their own.

“Every year, it’s amazing how fast it sells,“ Knox says.

If you choose to make your own brining recipe, Schloss has a tip: Adding a little alcohol, such as bourbon, in your brine will help transfer flavor into the meat.

“I warn against doing that too much,“ Schloss says. “People say they want flavor deep into the meat, but they actually don’t. When you get too much flavor too deep, it starts to taste pickled.“

GOOD EATS ROAST TURKEY

1 (14 to 16 pound) frozen young turkey

For the brine:

1 cup kosher salt

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 gallon vegetable stock

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

1/2 tablespoon allspice berries

1/2 tablespoon candied ginger

1 gallon iced water

For the aromatics:

1 red apple, sliced

1/2 onion, sliced

1 cinnamon stick

1 cup water

4 sprigs rosemary

6 leaves sage

Canola oil

Combine all brine ingredients, except ice water, in a stockpot, and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve solids, then remove from heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

Early on the day of cooking (or late the night before), combine the brine and ice water in a clean 5-gallon bucket. Place thawed turkey breast side down in brine, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area (like a basement) for 6 hours. Turn turkey over once, halfway through brining.

A few minutes before roasting, heat oven to 500 degrees. Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick and cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes.

Remove bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard brine.

Place bird on roasting rack inside wide, low pan and pat dry with paper towels. Add steeped aromatics to cavity along with rosemary and sage. Tuck back wings and coat whole bird liberally with canola (or other neutral) oil.

Roast on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cover breast with double layer of aluminum foil, insert probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and return to oven, reducing temperature to 350 degrees. Set thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees. A 14- to 16-pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let turkey rest, loosely covered for 15 minutes before carving.