Welcome to Page Two of How To Cook Perfect Turkey. I was surprised that Gordon Ramsay did not mention brining which I do for at least 24 hours prior to cooking. He may have done so and just did not mention it since the video on the next page is focused on cooking the turkey.
How To Brine Your Turkey BEFORE You Cook It:
Brining is an important preparation step if you want tender moist turkey. Brining is used the way marinade is, it is a process of soaking the turkey in a water and salt solution. You can also add other flavors to suit your tastes.
For each gallon of cold water used in the brine, add the following:
3/4 cup coarse kosher salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup boiling water
1 gallon cold water
1 tablespoon black pepper
There are 2 methods you can use to brine your turkey.. BUT make SURE it stays below 40 degrees F. at all times.
Refrigerator – If storing the poultry in the refrigerator during brining, check to make sure that the container will fit in your refrigerator first! A container large enough to hold a whole turkey might be too big for your refrigerator.
Cooler – This is the method I use because there’s no getting a 25 pound turkey with brine into my refrigerator. First, choose a cooler that is large enough to keep the turkey completely submerged during the brining process. It is important to thoroughly clean and sanitize the cooler before and after use.
You must keep the poultry and brine cold without diluting the mixture when using a cooler. Put the meat and brine directly in the cooler, then place Ziploc bags filled with ice or reusable gel packs into the brine solution. Another approach is to put the turkey and brine into a turkey oven roasting bag or brining bags inside the cooler, and then pack ice or gel packs around the bag.
Monitor the temperature of the cooler using a Digital Thermometer to make sure it stays below 40 degrees F.
How Long To Brine Your Turkey:
I brine my whole turkey for at least 24-36 hours prior to cooking it.
Now it’s time to head to Page 3 to watch the video tutorial for how to cook perfect turkey.
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