Brining a 20 lb. plus turkey......need some advice?

wkahler · November 20, 2009, 10:52:48 AM

Well i found plenty of brining recipes online but wanted to see how to adjust for the extra size, because most of the recipes are for 10-12 lb. birds and i have a rather large fresh turkey left to cook. Also would not mind some advice on a good brine!!! E-mail me please it gets to me faster!!!! [email protected]

Pachanga · November 20, 2009, 11:05:40 AM

wkahler,

I have brined over fifty 20 - 24 pound turkeys using the brine and method in this post. It is a low salt, longer term brine. Three to four days. I have had very good results. This brine is very forgiving and always gets rave reviews from guests. Many have made this their standard brine now. It is in this section and was just recently posted. For a Thanksgiving turkey, I would start no later than Sunday. Also look at the spices and recipe by Habanero Smoker. The link is in my post.

Brine Pachanga
http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=12644.0

Let me know if you need any help or have questions.

Good Luck and slow brining,

Panchanga

FLBentRider · November 20, 2009, 11:08:57 AM

This does not pertain to the brining per se, but:

You might have trouble fitting that large a bird in a Bradley smoker.

You make need to get creative. Like some kind of verticle arrangement.

Seems like I remember an 18 pound bird was about all a Bradley rack will handle.

KevinG · November 20, 2009, 11:13:30 AM

If you've got a brine recipe you like, it's real easy to make more for a larger bird. First is to determine how much liquid you need. Place your bird in your brining bucket and fill with water so it is at least 1" covered. Remove the bird and measure the liquid. Say your recipe is for 1 gallon of brine and you measured 3 gallons, you just multiply all your ingredients by 3.

Ka Honu · November 20, 2009, 11:24:01 AM

Quote from: KevinG on November 20, 2009, 11:13:30 AMIf you've got a brine recipe you like, it's real easy to make more for a larger bird. First is to determine how much liquid you need. Place your bird in your brining bucket and fill with water so it is at least 1" covered. Remove the bird and measure the liquid. Say your recipe is for 1 gallon of brine and you measured 3 gallons, you just multiply all your ingredients by 3.

Geez, Kevin, you're catching on too fast and making the "old guys" look bad! That combination of logic, physics, and math is usually a Senior Member skill.

KevinG · November 20, 2009, 11:28:38 AM

What can I say, I've the the dragon scars on my arm. Ah grasshopper! :D

wkahler · November 20, 2009, 11:28:58 AM

WOW thanks for the quick reply guys!! I will not be smoking it because of the size it is going in the oven!!! Keep the suggestions coming!!!!

Pachanga · November 20, 2009, 12:33:28 PM

wkahler

My bining pot is 12 1/2 inches in diameter. The two gallon brine I describe in Brine Pachanga will cover a 24 pounder easily. I would guess the volume would be 12 or 13 inches up the column. As I mentioned before, I roast my turkeys that are this size.

Pachanga

Ka Honu · November 20, 2009, 05:05:34 PM

With a turkey that size, it's sometimes difficult to roast evenly (breast dries out while dark meat still underdone). Although brining, a high-temp start (to seal the breast), foil tenting, etc. all help, you might consider cutting it in quarters before cooking - that way you can better control the IT and, as an added benefit, you can often fit four pieces of a large bird where one won't go. Just a thought.