How can I get brine flavour into turkey?
Since I started doing holiday dinners, I've always brined my birds. I love the result, but I find that while the turkey comes out nice and moist, it doesn't pick up much flavour from the brine. For Thanksgiving, I had a delicious smelling brine with some star anise, cinnamon, and a few other things. The turkey didn't seem to pick up any of this flavour.
Any tips on solving this problem? Would injecting the meat help?
Best Answer
Many aromatic compounds are oil soluble, or need to be heated to really come out and 'open up.' Since brines I use are all water based, I've had some luck with heating, even briefly boiling dried spice components first, then cooling, adding the other ingredients, then using. Especially, don't boil vinegar or alcohol components, as they will lose potency.
Anyway, I find brines to have a tough job imparting too much of a distinct flavor, so consider straining some of this out of your brine and using it to make a gravy or pan sauce to accompany the roast bird, the flavors will then be further accentuated.
Pictures about "How can I get brine flavour into turkey?"
Quick Answer about "How can I get brine flavour into turkey?"
You can wet brine a turkey by soaking it – or completely covering it – in a salt solution. Dry brine a turkey by rubbing salt all over it. With a dry brine, the salt will initially draw the moisture out of the turkey, then the salty liquid formed will be reabsorbed, taking some salty flavour with it.How do you add flavor to brine?
Flavoring the Brine To your basic brine mixture, you can add additional aromatics, spices or sugar. These aromatics would be in addition to the basic brine. If you wanted to add any aromatic liquids like bourbon, white wine or lemon juice, you would subtract the amount you added from the water.Does brining add flavor to turkey?
While there lots of ways to keep your turkey moist and succulent, brining is probably the best way. It adds flavor from the skin to the bone- no rub or injection offers that.How do you add flavor to turkey?
Season the outside with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and other seasonings that you enjoy. Baste the turkey with fresh beer, wine or juice every hour. The natural sugars will help caramelize the outside of your turkey, giving it a nice crispy and flavorful skin.Does brining add flavor?
Brining is the process of submerging a cut of meat into a solution of salt and water. It adds flavor, seasoning from the inside out, but it also changes the meat's physical nature. The salt in brine denatures the meat's proteins to allow the cells to retain more moisture.Brine Recipe for Moist Flavourful Turkey
More answers regarding how can I get brine flavour into turkey?
Answer 2
Try using the same spices that you are using in the brine in the stuffing of the turkey. This might create a 'double-whammy' and impart more of the 'exotic' flavor that you are looking for.
Answer 3
I guess you should increment the amount of flavor (more star anise, etc). You could also brine longer. What percentage of salt are you using 2-3% should do it (that's 20-30 grams per liter)?
Answer 4
Spices and herbs are fat soluble. This means that they need to have fat to release the flavours. You will not get large flavour profiles from a brine. The best you will get are hints or what is in the brine. Smaller peices of protein will pick up more flavour then large ones. Brine is meant to protect the muscle fibres from becoming to dry or tough.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: cottonbro, MART PRODUCTION, MART PRODUCTION, MART PRODUCTION