To brine or not to brine....

Our holiday table...pristine...pre-food....

Not really a divine question, but more like something you should ponder if your bird is not extremely fresh. Mind you, it seems anyone can dry out a turkey. Our turkeys growing up were often killed the day we ate them, yet they would come out of the steam bath Mom cooked them in (note I did not say roast...) tough. It was likely that it was steamed/virtually boiled rather than roasted, and in a convection oven perfection is much easier. It could be argued though, that the wood stove we cooked them in would provide the most fantastic flavour...if only cooked right.

I generally brine, as I generally buy frozen. Yes I can hear the groans, but I hate spending big bucks on the birds. I just can't bring myself to it. I can splurge on beef tenderloin and prime rib, yet my poultry suffers. I am not sure why. maybe its because I gutted and plucked dozens of birds as a kid and secretly despise them? I don't think that is it really, but it makes a good story....

Either way, I usually do a wet brine and my birds are very, very juicy, savoury and crisp-skinned. i kid you not. However, the ritual night before boiled herbs in brine and submersing the bird after a few cocktails gets a bit old (we do margaritas Christmas eve, so, you get the picture). This year in one of my ever-growing stack of food mags I found a recipe for a dry brine that guaranteed a perfect bird. I figured it was worth a go. Since we weren't cooking it till New Years day, I was likely safe from over indulgence....

The brine was a rub of two parts brown sugar, 1 part kosher salt, and a mixture of sage, thyme, pepper, allspice. The bird should be dry, rubbed throughly inside and out then put in a bag or covered in a pan. After 24 hrs, rinse it, dry it, and prepare for roasting. I did as prescribed, and stuffed the cavity with fresh rosemary, sage, onion, carrot, celery. I must say, it crisped better than any bird I have done, and the kids raved about the juiciness. I was surprised as it looked a bit odd when I pulled it out after sitting in its marinade of sorts. However, the difference with the dry brine is that the meat retains a better texture, not so "spongy" as a wet brine. The denaturing effect that brining has on meat protein works in both wet and dry scenarios.

The bird was well seasoned but not as salty as the wet brining. I will never go back to the other method. Mom will be glad to hear this, as her wet brining attempts I coaxed her into since I am not there to cook for everyone this year, did not turn out well. I think she'll appreciate the simplicity of this method, and you can be creative with it too. Different herbs, flavoured salts, endless possibilities.

Did I mention I love turkey? Next thoughts....Cranberry sausage stuffing....