Its time to begin deciding how youre going to cook the infamous bird, at least I am. No question that I will be brining the bird the night before. Heres some tips: Brining Tips Brine the Right Bird Dont brine a kosher turkey. These have already been pre-salted, which is what makes them so tasty and tender. Along these same lines, never brine a turkey that has been enhanced or already treated with any type of seasoning or marinade. When selecting a turkey, read any fine print on the label. If it mentions water added or any percentage of sodium solution, dont brine it. Customize Your Brine Brine recipes (even those here) are best seen as guidelines. Any amount of salt will work its way into the protein and enhance the taste and texture, so if you are supersensitive to salt or on a sodium-restricted diet, you can certainly reduce the amount of salt. Of course, a weak brine will have a less dramatic effect. Skip the Stuffing, Make Gravy with Care Its best not to stuff a brined bird. The juices will concentrate in the cavity and overseason your stuffing. Instead, cook your stuffing in a baking dish alongside the turkey. See our Stuffing and Dressing Primer for tips on making this type of casserole-style stuffing. Also keep in mind that a brined turkeys pan drippings can be too salty to use as a gravy base. But theres an easy fix. Start by making a roasted turkey stock ahead of time—you can make it up to a month ahead and freeze it. After roasting the brined turkey, pour all the pan drippings into a glass measuring cup (or gravy separator) and make a roux using the fat that rises to the top of the drippings. Make the gravy (either directly in the roasting pan or in a saucepan) using the pre-made turkey stock and without adding any salt. Season the gravy by adding a few tablespoons of the degreased pan drippings instead of salt. Keep adding, tasting as you go, until the gravy is properly seasoned. See Mastering Gravy for recipes and more advice on making homemade gravy.
Posted on: Mon, 10 Nov 2014 02:00:42 +0000
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