Brined from Frozen & Roasted Whole Turkey — Jillian Rae Cooks (2024)

FAQs

Brined from Frozen & Roasted Whole Turkey — Jillian Rae Cooks? ›

Can I Brine a Frozen Turkey? Yes, you can brine a frozen turkey! Whether dry brining or wet brining, you'll want to start by defrosting the turkey enough to remove the giblets from the cavity. From there, you can prep the turkey as you please.

Can I Brine a Frozen Turkey? Yes, you can brine a frozen turkey! Whether dry brining or wet brining, you'll want to start by defrosting the turkey enough to remove the giblets from the cavity. From there, you can prep the turkey as you please.

Roast the turkey at 450° F for 30 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 325° F. Leave the turkey to roast and self-baste without lifting the lid (this helps promote browning and accurate cook time). Check the internal temperature after it has cooked 11 minutes per pound.

Pat It Dry

And if you're wondering, no—you don't need to rinse the bird, whether it's been dry-brined or wet-brined, before adding more seasoning and roasting. Again, the bird needs to be dry, and Youngman also notes "it's not particularly sanitary to wash meat in the sink."

Use a fresh (i.e. non-frozen) turkey.

The reason for this is that most frozen turkeys are typically injected with a sodium solution to help them freeze well, and brining an already-injected turkey can often result in an inedible bird (I've learned this the hard way.)

Brining Steps

Once you've selected your brine you'll need to: Purchase a fresh turkey to eliminate the need to thaw, or completely thaw a frozen turkey. The night before roasting, remove the giblets and turkey neck. Prepare your brine.

Dry brining takes longer than wet brining but requires less refrigerator space and results in browner and crispier skin. Before brining, some prep work needs to be done. If purchasing a frozen turkey, make sure it is thawed before brining.

3. You don't realize that many turkeys are pre-brined. That frozen Butterball "Contains up to 8% of a solution of Water, Salt, Spices, and Natural Flavor." That means Butterball did the brining already in order to extend the shelf life of the turkey.

No basting required. Thomas Keller's favorite roast turkey has you brine the bird for a day, then air-dry it for another day to achieve that dry skin before roasting. Once again, no basting, and ridiculously juicy, crispy results.

I would not brine a pre-brined bird- it may make it too salty. I would, though season the skin at least- some salt will make it crisper and more flavorful, and any seasonings will be tasty.

What happens if you don't rinse a brined turkey? ›

But a brined turkey that is not rinsed would be too salty to eat. Brining slows down the growth of bacteria but does not kill it, said Linda Harris, a microbiologist at the University of California, Davis. She and other food scientists have been trying to get Americans to stop rinsing poultry since the late 1990's.

While properly brining a turkey won't make it too salty, it does add salt to the meat. If you then add a salty rub or injection marinade you can end up with a turkey too salty to eat. For this reason, if you are brining your bird, make sure you rinse it thoroughly after it comes out of the brine.

If you brined too far in advance, don't fret: You don't have to cook your turkey immediately after it brines. In fact, it's sometimes best to let a wet-brined turkey sit in the refrigerator, uncovered, for an additional 24 hours to let the skin dry out.

The salty water and the frozen turkey will keep the temperature of the water low, allowing you to not have to continually switch out the water as the turkey thaws. Cover the vessel and let the turkey thaw and brine at the same time, 24-48 hours at room temperature, depending on the size of the turkey.

Q: Can I stuff a brined turkey? A: We do not recommend stuffing a brined bird because the drippings from the turkey can add too much salt to the stuffing. We prefer to cook our stuffing separately.

Both the bird soaked in brine and the bird soaked in water gained a significant amount of weight prior to roasting, but while the watered bird lost nearly all of that weight as it cooked, the brined bird retained a good deal more. This corresponded to a juicier texture on eating.

Remember it is best to use a fresh turkey. A frozen turkey has been injected with a sodium solution, that will prevent the turkey from fully absorbing the brine.

Both the bird soaked in brine and the bird soaked in water gained a significant amount of weight prior to roasting, but while the watered bird lost nearly all of that weight as it cooked, the brined bird retained a good deal more. This corresponded to a juicier texture on eating.

Thawing turkey in a sink of cold water is faster than thawing in the refrigerator, but it's not safe to leave it in the sink to thaw overnight.