Aussie BBQ Forum

My wife loves those turkey breast rolls as well but we always get the Steggles, in fact we are having one today. Just checked, lists sodium but no phosphate.

They've always been pretty good, I tart it up a bit with crispy bacon. It's not as good as a whole bird but when cooking for two a whole one is just too much and I've yet to find fresh turkey portions that were any good at all.

I'm pretty new to brining but have been using sea salt and seems to work well, I do wonder if there is enough iodine in ordinary table salt to make any much difference though. Isn't it only there to keep the salt free running ? I just checked on the Black and Gold stuff we have around, says potassium iodate so not free iodine.

I can see how it might react with metals though under heat, even though it is the least reactive of the halogens.

Chemistry, after all salt is sodium chloride and chlorine is a MUCH more reactive halogen

Cheers

henry wrote:I'm brining for the first time today. Came across some Seppo Holiday Turkey Brine so I kind of copied it a little. Just made some cold stock from Vegeta Vegtable Stock and just under a cup of salt to about 4 litres of liquid. It's a bit more than suggested here in your article Chris. I figured that since the salt dissolved it should be ok.

By the way am I blind? I can't find these big ziplock bags big enough for a Turkey at the supermarket?

I'd hazard to say that's a bit strong. Four table spoons to four litres is the prescribed amount and then there is the salt in the stock.
You can use a stiff brine but for shorter times, I can't tell you how long to brine a whole turkey in your mix but if you did it at the prescribed mix you would brine 24 hours.
A brine should taste as salty as you want the meat to taste when doing 12-24 hour jobs.
You can brine a steak in 10 -45 minutes depending on its thickness, covered in pure salt. But you can't do that to a large turkey hence the minimum rate prescribed on the long brine time so it gets right through and reach equilibrium.
Also check your bird isn't already brined, most are and there is no point doing it twice.

You get the bags online or use a large plastic food grade bucket or a Tupperware container that's big enough.

Mick, would that right that most of the supermarket turkeys are already brined or enhanced??
I'll have to check next time.....is there anything on the packet In Australia to indicate this??
Cheers
Davo

I'd wondered about that Davo and asked the very good butcher at my supermarket.

He said if it's fresh it's fresh, if it's in a box then probably

There doesn't seem to be any real labeling indication though beyond the ingredients.

Cheers

Good question Davo, I don't have one on hand to check but Im positive there is a catch word on the frozen Turkeys from C & W.
From memory it's something like "marinated" , Won't take long before someone checks.
It should give it away on the ingredients ,,, Turkey, sodium etc.

I'm happy to be corrected but I Recall quite a few conversations about it and it stuck in my noggin.

My wife too, Likes the packed turkey loafs. I don't mind them as they are a simple and quick dinner and kind of tasty.
I don't fire up the Big Green Egg for them
Lots of glue in them though

Hmm.

Steggles doesn't say "marinaded" dunno with Ingham.

Steggles do list "Sodium" though, bottom of the list, I suppose they have to but at the amounts listed doesn't imply it's brined, just could be.

I only buy turkey a couple of times of the year anyway, when I had a full family table to feed I used to go pick up a fresh bird from a farmer not far from where I was living. Walked in once and he had the birds hanging and was giving them a quick sluice down with salt water. I would hardly call that brining but if he had to have provided an analysis I guess there would have been sodium

Short answer, dunno, but these boxed turkey breasts really don't get me too excited, cooking it in the oven, could not be bothered to light the bbq

Cheers

Heh.

Know that funny feeling when everyone thinks the meal was great and you are sitting there thinking, "huh?"

I don't think I'll be letting another of those boxed turkey things anywhere near my table, only saved by four or five day from scratch onion and mushroom gravy.

Bit of a challenge, where do I get a REAL chicken that has transited puberty or a pygmy turkey around here for the next family meal ???

Ah well, the guests are happy, the cook is not, typical

Cheers

Turkey turned out perfect. Only did it for 24 hours. Not too salty either. Wish i took a photo, skin was perfect too but had the fam over and we were hungry, shit form.


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Def want to always brine.


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henry wrote:Turkey turned out perfect. Only did it for 24 hours. Not too salty either. Wish i took a photo, skin was perfect too but had the fam over and we were hungry, shit form.


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You just have to get over the weird looks and questions about why your taking photos of your food.


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Davo wrote:Mick, would that right that most of the supermarket turkeys are already brined or enhanced??
I'll have to check next time.....is there anything on the packet In Australia to indicate this??
Cheers
Davo

Hi Davo, not the Turkey's I have seen here in Australia, no mention of brining & I think they would be required to say if they were by Australian Law ( which are SO tough )

When I visited the US, I noticed you can buy Brined or un-brined Turkeys.

My preference is to buy un-brined & brine myself, so I know what Im putting into it.

henry wrote:Def want to always brine.

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Agreed Henry, from my personal experience, I wouldn't even consider cooking poultry without brining! - its Night & Day difference in the finished result

Cheers, Dave

Dave wrote: Agreed Henry, from my personal experience, I wouldn't even consider cooking poultry without brining! - its Night & Day difference in the finished result

Cheers, Dave

Oh I dunno, I cooked some chicken drum sticks on the Weber performer the other day and they weren't brined coz I didn't have time for that and they turned out absolutely juicy and flavoursome as well as nicely charred on the outside using the Mad Hunky.
No doubt brining puts an added element into the meat of a chicken but if the meat is cooked right, there's not always the need.

cheers

Davo

Davo wrote:

Dave wrote: Agreed Henry, from my personal experience, I wouldn't even consider cooking poultry without brining! - its Night & Day difference in the finished result

Cheers, Dave

Oh I dunno, I cooked some chicken drum sticks on the Weber performer the other day and they weren't brined coz I didn't have time for that and they turned out absolutely juicy and flavoursome as well as nicely charred on the outside using the Mad Hunky.
No doubt brining puts an added element into the meat of a chicken but if the meat is cooked right, there's not always the need.

cheers

Davo

I figure if you got the time, Brine. I like those Mad Hunky Brines, very nice. I just find it's a flavour thing for me, texture could be repeated possibly.

Hey Henry,

Time to change your signature ...that link goes to a locked topic.

Chris

Davo wrote:Mick, would that right that most of the supermarket turkeys are already brined or enhanced??
I'll have to check next time.....is there anything on the packet In Australia to indicate this??
Cheers
Davo

I think the phrase they use is "self basting". Meaning it has already been pumped full of salty water. I found it hard to get a turkey which wasn't self basting, last time I did one.