Christmas dinner is not your usual turkey feast in our house. My wife is not a big turkey fan and has had her quota by Thanksgiving. The girls eat very little meat and turkey is not usually one of them, so it’s crusted salmon for them and prime rib for my wife and I.
I do miss the turkey though, not the big feast but the great meals to be made with the leftovers. So this year I am going to brine and roast a turkey breast for sandwiches and pot pie.
If you complain about dry turkey, you have to try brining. It takes some planning but with minimal effort you will be rewarded with the moistest turkey ever!
Brining changes the meat’s protein structure allowing it to soak up the salt water solution. As the meat cooks the proteins tighten but will still hold a good amount of liquid giving you a very moist turkey.
I find brining a whole bird too much for us and it takes up quite a lot of space in the fridge. So this year it’s just the breast for us.
As a Butcher as well as a Chef, I tend to take my turkey apart and brine the pieces, it takes up less space and cooks faster but you do not get the showpiece turkey for the table. For a whole bird you can use a clean large cooler and replace some of the water with ice, be sure to keep the temperature below 40F. The general rule is one hour per pound of turkey but you can go longer if your salt solution is less salty and make sure that all of the turkey is submerged.
How much salt is enough? I have read that you should be able to float a raw egg in the solution. Brines can be sweet with maple syrup, honey or brown sugar. They can be fruity with apples and cinnamon, or spicy with chili peppers and cilantro.
This one is savory with flavoring vegetables (onion, carrot and celery), garlic, herbs and a chili pepper for a little spice. I hope that you’ll give it a try, you won’t be disappointed!
Brined Turkey Breast
Serves: 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Brining time: 2 hours
Rinsing time: 1 hour
Total time: 4 hours
1 Turkey Breast
4 cups (1 L) water
3 tbsp (45 mL) salt
3 tbsp (45 mL) brown sugar
1/2 Onion, peeled and cut into large pieces
1 Carrot, peeled and cut into large pieces
1 Celery, cut into large pieces
1 Clove garlic, smashed
2 sprigs savory, whole
2 sprigs sage, whole
6 sprigs thyme, whole
1 hot red pepper
1 tsp (5 mL) olive oil
1/4 tsp (1 mL) black pepper
- Pre heat oven to 350°F/180°C, and pre heat roasting pan with olive oil by placing it in hot oven.
- In a sauce pan bring 2 cups of the water to a boil, add salt, sugar and stir to dissolve then remove from the heat and add the rest of the ingredients. Let the mixture cool.
- Place turkey in a large Ziploc bag and place in a container as well (incase it leaks!) Let it soak for two hours, then rinse well and soak in fresh water for 1 hour. Rinse the vegetables and herbs with the turkey.
- Drain water and pat turkey dry. Place turkey skin side down in the roasting pan. After one minute turn over. Chop up the herbs that were in the mixture and place on top of turkey along with the black pepper. Add the vegetables to the pan and place into the oven. Cook for about 45 to 50 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 170°F/77°C. Let rest for five minutes before slicing.
Regards,
Chef Ian
