Loading…
10
Everyone says you gotta brine turkey for 24 hours, but my 14 lb bird dried out at hour 12
Cooked a test turkey last Tuesday for a small party of 8 at my place in Boise. Brined it in a basic salt and sugar mix for a full 12 hours like everyone says. Pulled it at 165 in the thigh. Breast was sawdust. My aunt said it was the driest bird she'd had in years.
I'm starting to think the whole brine thing is oversold for anything under 16 lbs. Smaller birds seem to just take on water and then dump it. Maybe dry salting overnight is the move instead. Anyone else run into this with smaller birds, or did I just botch the cook?
1 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In1 Comment
derek_lee21d ago
How long did you let it rest after pulling it? That part gets skipped a lot and it matters more than people think. If you cut into it too soon the juices run out and you end up with dry meat even if the brine worked. Also what temp was your oven running at and did you spatchcock it or leave it whole? A 14 lb bird cooked whole at high heat can dry out the breast before the thigh even hits temp. I'd be curious if your thighs hit 165 way before the breast was actually done, cause that would tell you it's a cooking issue not a brine issue.
5