Dick Wiegand wrote:
>
> RW wrote:
>
>>I smoke a turkey for Thanksgiving every year. But this brine thingie is new
>>to me. Does it help?
>>Does anybody have a good recipe for it?
>
> What you "experts" don't seem to about brining a "water added" or "already
> brined" turkey is a basic understanding of chemistry, specifically osmosis....
>
> If the brine you make has a higher specific gravity than the specific gravity
> of the "water" or "brine" already injected osmosis will cause your brine to
> migrate into the turkey, replacing the "factory" brine. The greater the
> difference between the specific gravity, the faster this will take place.

But if you make a brine saltier than the injected solution, you'll end
up with a saltier bird. Turkey ham anyone?

Theoretically, if you lessen the salt and use other water-soluble
flavorings like citrus juices, those flavors will enter the meat. But
IME, the pre-brined bird didn't take the Hound's brine as well as I had
hoped.

I stand by the recommendation to use a fresh bird as opposed to an
"enhanced" bird.

--
Aloha,

Nathan Lau
San Jose, CA

#include <std.disclaimer>