I brined & roasted a turkey this last weekend. It came out great, but
it started me wondering about something. Has anyone brined a fresh
bird, then froze it for later cooking? Seems like that could be a
convenient method, but wondering if it would make the meat
weird...Anyone ever try this?

"merryb" > wrote in message
...
>I brined & roasted a turkey this last weekend. It came out great, but
> it started me wondering about something. Has anyone brined a fresh
> bird, then froze it for later cooking? Seems like that could be a
> convenient method, but wondering if it would make the meat
> weird...Anyone ever try this?

Butterball does it all the time.

"merryb" > wrote in message
...
>I brined & roasted a turkey this last weekend. It came out great, but
> it started me wondering about something. Has anyone brined a fresh
> bird, then froze it for later cooking? Seems like that could be a
> convenient method, but wondering if it would make the meat
> weird...Anyone ever try this?

I would be concerned about the lack of freshness before you froze it. Plus,
home freezing methods are not the fastest. My point is that you but a fresh
turkey at the store, and it has been in the cooler for however many days.
You then brine it for 12 to 24 hours. Now you want to put it into a home
freezer that will take hours upon hours to freeze it. When it is defrosted
to be cooked, it will be a very old turkey that was slow frozen. Not the
best set up for quality meat. Yes, Butterball sort of does it all the time,
but they have large flash freezing systems to handle the birds.

Actually, defrosting and then brining a frozen turkey is not all that
inconvenient.

I would avoid your idea, but go ahead if you want. If done with temperature
control at all times, it would be safe.

DP

On Feb 18, 6:37*pm, "Edwin Pawlowski" > wrote:
> "merryb" > wrote in message
>
> ...
>
> >I brined & roasted a turkey this last weekend. It came out great, but
> > it started me wondering about something. Has anyone brined a fresh
> > bird, then froze it for later cooking? Seems like that could be a
> > convenient method, but wondering if it would make the meat
> > weird...Anyone ever try this?
>
> Butterball does it all the time.

Yeah, I know that I guess I should have been more specific. I was
mainly talking about whole chickens- sometimes I can get them on sale
for .59-.69 a #. I'll buy a bunch & put them in the freezer. I roast
most of them, so just wondered if anyone has done this themselves.

merryb > wrote:

>I guess I should have been more specific. I was
>mainly talking about whole chickens- sometimes I can get them on sale
>for .59-.69 a #. I'll buy a bunch & put them in the freezer.

Wouldn't you be better off buying frozen chickens?

Steve

On Feb 18, 11:10 pm, Sqwertz > wrote:
> On Tue, 19 Feb 2008 03:24:31 +0000 (UTC), Steve Pope wrote:
> > merryb > wrote:
>
> >>I guess I should have been more specific. I was
> >>mainly talking about whole chickens- sometimes I can get them on sale
> >>for .59-.69 a #. I'll buy a bunch & put them in the freezer.
>
> > Wouldn't you be better off buying frozen chickens?
>
> I can't even get frozen chickens except for capons. Well, at
> least not the USDA's definition of "frozen" poultry - which is
> below 28F. Much of it is indeed partially frozen but is allowed
> to be labeled "fresh".
>
> -sw
>
> --
> Wonder Bread was the first retail bread to be pre-sliced.

I've never tried this, but I'd be awful concerned about the texture of
the chicken.

When water freezes and turns into ice, it takes up more space than
liquid water does. Brining works because it does two things-- it
denatures proteins (causes proteins to unravel, thus trapping more
water so it doesn't come out during cooking) and, due to the chemistry
of cells, causes them to adsorb more water.

When these water saturated cells freeze--well, I'd imagine they'd tend
to rupture, leading to mushy meat (which would give up moisture faster
during cooking, thereby counteracting the very reason for brining in
the first place).

But all this is conjecture. I have two chicken cutlets in the freezer,
and I'm off to defrost them: one as a control, the other I will put
into brine, then refreeze both.

Stay tuned!

P.S. How much do you gain (time-wise) by brining then freezing? I know
that putting a frozen bird in brine is verboten for bacterial reasons,
but I've done it and really, if you cook to 160, what's the problem?

Sqwertz > wrote:

>> Wouldn't you be better off buying frozen chickens?

>I can't even get frozen chickens except for capons. Well, at
>least not the USDA's definition of "frozen" poultry - which is
>below 28F.

I've never bought a frozen chicken either, other than cornish game
hens.

I mainly ask because James Beard maintains frozen chickens are
superior ones that are refrigerated (although fresh-killed is
best). So frozen chickens must have been available in the
U.S. marketplace at that time ... decades ago.

Steve

In article >,
(Steve Pope) wrote:

> Sqwertz > wrote:
>
> >> Wouldn't you be better off buying frozen chickens?
>
> >I can't even get frozen chickens except for capons. Well, at
> >least not the USDA's definition of "frozen" poultry - which is
> >below 28F.
>
> I've never bought a frozen chicken either, other than cornish game
> hens.
>
> I mainly ask because James Beard maintains frozen chickens are
> superior ones that are refrigerated (although fresh-killed is
> best). So frozen chickens must have been available in the
> U.S. marketplace at that time ... decades ago.

I don't believe that if you have ever bought a Tyson or Foster Farms
chicken that it wasn't frozen and thawed before you bought it. I've
bought them in the supermarket that still had ice between the thigh and
carcass. It doesn't bother me at all to refreeze them. I'm OK so far.

leo

On Feb 18, 8:51*pm, Mortimer > wrote:
> On Feb 18, 11:10 pm, Sqwertz > wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > On Tue, 19 Feb 2008 03:24:31 +0000 (UTC), Steve Pope wrote:
> > > merryb > wrote:
>
> > >>I guess I should have been more specific. I was
> > >>mainly talking about whole chickens- sometimes I can get them on sale
> > >>for .59-.69 a #. I'll buy a bunch & put them in the freezer.
>
> > > Wouldn't you be better off buying frozen chickens?
>
> > I can't even get frozen chickens except for capons. *Well, at
> > least not the USDA's definition of "frozen" poultry - which is
> > below 28F. *Much of it is indeed partially frozen but is allowed
> > to be labeled "fresh".
>
> > -sw
>
> > --
> > Wonder Bread was the first retail bread to be pre-sliced.
>
> I've never tried this, but I'd be awful concerned about the texture of
> the chicken.
>
> When water freezes and turns into ice, it takes up more space than
> liquid water does. Brining works because it does two things-- it
> denatures proteins (causes proteins to unravel, thus trapping more
> water so it doesn't come out during cooking) and, due to the chemistry
> of cells, causes them to adsorb more water.
>
> When these water saturated cells freeze--well, I'd imagine they'd tend
> to rupture, leading to mushy meat (which would give up moisture faster
> during cooking, thereby counteracting the very reason for brining in
> the first place).
>
> But all this is conjecture. I have two chicken cutlets in the freezer,
> and I'm off to defrost them: one as a control, the other I will put
> into brine, then refreeze both.
>
> Stay tuned!
>
> P.S. How much do you gain (time-wise) by brining then freezing? I know
> that putting a frozen bird in brine is verboten for bacterial reasons,
> but I've done it and really, if you cook to 160, what's the problem?- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

You are understanding what I'm asking! Thanks for playing scientist. I
notice that when I buy chickens in the grocery, a lot of the time they
are semi frozen, and like another poster said, they seem to freeze
fine.

Leonard Blaisdell wrote:

> I don't believe that if you have ever bought a Tyson or Foster Farms
> chicken that it wasn't frozen and thawed before you bought it.

Those would have to labeled as such.

> I've
> bought them in the supermarket that still had ice between the thigh
> and carcass.

USDA regulations require that chickens labeled "fresh" have to never
been below 26F internal temperature. That means that a slight amount of
exterior freezing is possible.



Brian

--
If televison's a babysitter, the Internet is a drunk librarian who
won't shut up.
-- Dorothy Gambrell (http://catandgirl.com)

Default User > wrote:

>Leonard Blaisdell wrote:

>> I don't believe that if you have ever bought a Tyson or Foster Farms
>> chicken that it wasn't frozen and thawed before you bought it.

>Those would have to labeled as such.

>> I've
>> bought them in the supermarket that still had ice between the thigh
>> and carcass.

>USDA regulations require that chickens labeled "fresh" have to never
>been below 26F internal temperature. That means that a slight amount of
>exterior freezing is possible.

Yes, refrigerated chicken can have some icing due to the just-below-
freezing storage temperature. That is not the same as frozen
chicken, apparently unavailable these days.

While it may seem the case that freezing refrigerated chicken
works "just fine", if frozen chicken were available that should
work even better.

Steve