Time’s getting away from me! We spent all last week on pies, and it occurred to me this morning that I needed to run through what happens after brining the turkey. In years past, I’ve experienced a little trial-and-error with brining. While it unquestionably injects a lot of flavor in the turkey and helps it to retain a lot of juiciness and moisture, it also can result in saltier drippings, which can cause problems with both the stuffing (if you stuff your bird, which I don’t generally do) and the gravy, since the gravy is made from turkey drippings.
There are several things you can do to decrease the “over-salty” quality of your brined turkeys. The more of these tips you follow, the more you’ll be able to control the saltiness that can result from brining.
Brining a turkey before roasting is a great way to help ensure moist, flavorful meat. But once your bird is brined, should you rinse it off before cooking? There are a few factors to consider when deciding whether or not to rinse a brined turkey.
What is Brining?
Brining is the process of soaking meat or poultry in a saltwater solution (known as a brine) before cooking. The brine is typically made by dissolving salt and sometimes sugar in water along with aromatics like herbs spices, and citrus.
Brining works by allowing the salt in the solution to penetrate deep into the meat, helping it retain more moisture during cooking The salt also enhances the flavor of the meat The end result is a juicy, well-seasoned turkey.
Brining does take some advance planning, as the turkey needs to soak in the brine solution for hours or even a day or two before roasting. Both wet brining (submerging the turkey in a brine) or dry brining (rubbing a salt mixture directly on the turkey) work well.
Should You Rinse After Wet Brining?
With traditional wet brining where the turkey is fully submerged, rinsing after brining is recommended. Here’s why:
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Removes excess salt from the surface Even after brining for a shorter time, there can still be a concentrated salt solution on the exterior of the meat. Rinsing helps rid the turkey of some of this excess salt.
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Prevents overly salty drippings: Salty drippings can make gravy too salty. Rinsing helps mitigate this issue.
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Improves skin crispiness: A thorough rinse can help dry out the skin so it crisps up better during roasting.
To rinse a wet brined turkey, place it under cold running water for a few minutes, gently rubbing the skin with your hands. Be sure to rinse inside the cavity as well. Then pat it very dry, inside and out, with paper towels.
Should You Rinse After Dry Brining?
With dry brining, where salt is rubbed directly onto the turkey, rinsing is not necessary. The salt has had time to work its way into the meat rather than just accumulating on the exterior. A good patting down with paper towels is sufficient.
How Long to Brine a Turkey
For a standard 12-14 lb turkey, brining time can range from 4-24 hours. Shorter brining like 6-12 hours still makes a difference. For ideal flavor and moisture, aim for 10-18 hours. Much beyond 24 hours runs the risk of making the turkey too salty.
Manage your brining time accordingly if using a frozen turkey, an already salt-injected turkey, or a smaller or larger bird. Err on the side of less time to avoid over-brining.
Controlling Saltiness After Brining
A properly brined turkey should not taste excessively salty. But if you want to take extra precautions against over-salting, here are some tips:
- Rinse a wet brined turkey as described above.
- Use a low-sodium chicken broth when making gravy.
- Simmer giblets in plain water and use the broth to thin the gravy.
- Mix the drippings with potatoes to absorb some salt.
- Use cream or milk to thin out the gravy instead of all broth.
- Balance strong flavored side dishes with lighter sides.
Benefits of Brining Turkey
While it does require some forethought, brining your Thanksgiving or holiday turkey can really pay off with delicious results:
- More flavorful, seasoned meat
- Greatly improved moisture and juiciness
- Helps prevent overcooking and drying out
- Allows for a nice crisp skin
- More leeway if turkey is cooked past ideal temp
So for the juiciest, most crowd-pleasing turkey, take the time to brine. Just be sure to rinse a wet brined turkey, and control saltiness with low-sodium broth and cream. With these simple steps, you’ll enjoy the ideal centerpiece to your holiday table.
Use a fresh (i.e. non-frozen) turkey.
The reason for this is that most frozen turkeys are typically injected with a sodium solution to help them freeze well, and brining an already-injected turkey can often result in an inedible bird (I’ve learned this the hard way.) Fresh turkeys are typically not preserved this way. Be sure to check the package before you buy the turkey, too; some frozen turkeys are thawed out before they’re sold, so they can give the impression of being “fresh.” But if they say “Injected With Sodium Solution” (or anything resembling this), you won’t want to brine them—or, if you do brine them, decrease the time.
I will say that my friend Julie found frozen turkeys at Whole Foods that were injected with a sodium solution, but on a very small scale. We just decreased the amount of time we brined them (around 12 hours instead of 16-24) and they turned out great!
To make it easy, just read the labels and/or ask the meat department or butcher. Just keep in mind that if you brine a frozen turkey, you’ll want to use one with injected with a lower sodium percentage than average.
After rinsing, fill the sink with cold water and soak the turkey for fifteen minutes.
This will “purge” the excess salt that has built up in the skin and surface meat and just decrease the intensity of the salt in the drippings.
How long do you rinse turkey after brining?
FAQ
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