I worked at a restaurant where, for all meats that needed to be cooked above 145 deg f, we brined them and then just encouraged the cooks to go fast and hard and not worry about screaming past the temp to 170 or 180. It actually worked really well.
This is my favorite type of information. I don’t know how to classify it, but collecting certain tidbits like this really triggers my hunter-gatherer brain.
@Levacque In restaurant cooking, different cuts, bone in and out, are still relatively consistent in portion sizes. Pork responds especially well to brining and when cooked or "over cooked" still remains moist and tender. Also, in restaurant cooking it's common to use a heated cast iron weight (typically with a grill pattern), in home cooking a small cast iron pan will do the same job. It retains all the heat which rises and helps cook meats from both sides, retaining the shape and recirculating the steam/moisture. *Hard and fast*
If you don't have ice pack things and don't want to dilute the brine just freeze some brinecubes. They won't freeze quite as well as fresh water but 3% solution freezes at about -2.5C so it's definitely doable in a normal freezer. Then you can put a bunch of ice in to keep it cool with no worries about strength. Just don't accidentally put them in cocktails!
I did the brine & spatchcock thing last Thanksgiving, following the Samin Nosrat method for buttermilk chicken, and a 70 year old friend said it was the best turkey he'd ever had. That's a lot of turkeys. I think I did overcook it a bit and I'm doing this every year from now on.
Oh HELL yes, I love that buttermilk chicken recipe. We’ve got a combo instant pot/air fryer that we usually cook it in, and finishing it with the air fryer is fantastic. Did you brine the turkey in buttermilk as well? Full buttermilk or did you dilute it a bit to save $$$?
Adam, you mentioned something very important about the gravy, namely with regard to making the gravy out of stuff that wasn't brined. My mom pretty much always brines her turkeys, but she makes the gravy out of giblet stock. she then adds that to the drippings and just uses more roux so it can thicken everything (she ends up with like a quart of giblet stock. lots of gravy!), and it's perfect. Doesn't usually need salt, but it's never too salty.
Great video and explanations, as usual. You have become my replacement for Alton Brown. Ive been brining the holiday bird using Mr. Brown's method for over 10 years now. 24 hour brine 1st hour @ 375 f Last hours @ 250 f Always delicious. I think your "overcooking" is absolutely the best.
I just can't get behind a wet brine in this day and age. Dry brined turkey is consistently the tastiest turkey I've ever had AND it's easier to fit in the fridge so you don't have to get creative with keeping it cool.
@@dtemp132 I'd be concerned that a dry brine wouldn't carry the salt as deep into the meat as the wet brine, which would mean less of the dissolved protein gel would form, which would mean the overcooking would dry it out more than the wet brine. but I could be wrong, that's just my intuition
This was the first thing I thought when I saw one of Adam's turkey videos from years ago when it said one of the reasons to not do a brine is lack of space and a container big enough. The only reason I see to wet brine any poultry is if it's skinless, then the surface could get dry, but that can be solved by putting it in a lidded Tupperware.
@@joaopedroleite8998 What the heck kind of lidded tupperware do you have that could fit a whole turkey?! We've got one in the basement freezer that's about the size of a beach ball (a turkey, not a container).
I absolutely adore Lauren peaking in for the taste tests, especially the "Why? I will explain to the viewers!" part. I can tell that y'all have truly been through thick and thin as a couple, and I love that. I also love that, as a food tuber, you're not afraid to contradict yourself and your past beliefs about certain food techniques that you were once weary of once you find the way to use them that you like. For how elitist the culinary world can be, I consider that a virtue- and this is coming from someone who gave up on being a chef yet has been in the service industry for his entire work life. Don't stop doing you, mate.
Normally I'm a little hesitant about sponsored content. But this is genuinely transformative. You're taking a product as part of the sponsorship and demonstrating how to better use it. That's really fantastic and deserves praise and attention! This is the kind of stuff that other creators should be emulating.
Years ago I bought a pair of "monster" scissors off Amazon on a bit of a whim. There are bunches of designs at this point but they make Spatching turkey much easier because of the increased leverage. Cuts through chicken like warm butter as well. Honestly I almost never use my regular kitchen shears at this point except for really small things.
Will, I, an Australian cook a whole turkey probably ever? No, why on earth would I? I still watch every video about cooking turkey that comes up in my feed though.
I'm a huge fan of turkey, Particularly smoking them. It's such an underrated meat and I love how cheap it gets in November and fill my freezer up with them to have throughout the year. But the little bits of tlc you do like brining, seasoning, and using a meat thermometer really pay off. It can be less forgiving than chicken or pork. Some other things that help are spatchcocking big birds so they cook more evenly and have more surface area for seasoning. I also like to brine the turkey frozen in a cooler and thaw it in the brine for around 24 hours and this helps keep it safe during the brine while also saving time. Spraying a little cooking spray on the skin a couple times during the cook can help crisp it too. If you don't brine it be sure to pull it at 160. People wait on the temperature probe to pop and it's usually overdone and the breast is dry at that point but I'll definitely try cooking it to a higher temp next time with the brine.
Interesting strategy, let’s see if it plays out Oh, interesting, so that whole “brining alters the proteins and makes them retain moisture” actually has benefits in overcooking! Sweet! Amazing video as always, hope your holiday season will turn out great.
TIL we've been "overcooking" our Thanksgiving turkey for years. Glad you rediscovered it and approve. In addition to a brine a couple days before, I recommend an herb butter rub the day before. It's a bit of a pain getting it under the skin but worth it. Indeed, the main issue with a brined bird is the gravy (and stuffing) turns out overly salty, so we tend to use a lower salt content brine, use unsalted butter for the rub, base the gravy largely on other parts like the neck, and generally lower any additional salt (e.g., not adding it to the stuffing or herb butter rub).
This old bird learned a new trick. Last year, at age 61, I finally brined my first Turkey and omigosh, it was the best Turkey I’d ever made, the best Turkey I’ve ever eaten. I am fully converted!
Adam Loren and hey you guyssss. I always make my stocks without salt and always have salt free versions in the freezer (various birds, pork and veggie). perhaps some wine would cut down the salt. If I'm going to do a big holiday meal (which I really don't do anymore) I would be collecting stock and fats and pastry shells and raw cookies portioned out to make the cooking that last week and the very day as quick as possible. Enjoy the holidays everyone. Jim retired Mexico
Another excellent and educational video! I really appreciate all of your turkey content. I feel like your videos are my go-tos for Thanksgiving. I will be trying this method soon.
I'm really glad I happened upon this video before Thanksgiving this year. For the past several years I have dry brined my turkey, and it was definitely good but I too had been slightly bothered by the "lunch meat" texture that results from brining the appropriate length of time. Yesterday for Thanksgiving, I dry brined & cooked my white meat to ~175F & dark meat to ~200F and was pleasantly surprised that the meat was still juicy. The "lunch meat" squishiness was gone and the turkey was much closer to its traditional texture. Without a brine, I'll be staying at 150-155 in the breast, but dry brining I'll be going hotter from now on!
I've found that your turkey gravy method actually works really well with a brined turkey when you use a liquid with zero salt in it (in my case homemade stock). But I also like my food really salty so this might not work for normal people.
We brine our turkey every year for Thanksgiving. A few years back we totally lost track of time and thought we ruined everything by over cooking the turkey for at least an hour. To our surprise, it was perfectly fine without any issues!
Hey Adam, do you think you'd have the same results with a dry brine? Also, to avoid overcooking white vs dark, I break the bird all the way down and pull pieces as they come up to the right temp. Has that same "moveable pieces" benefit you talk about.
I am so glad that you're getting back into meat. It's best to eat sustainable, renewable meat over anything, really. Even if it is a sponsored segment, you chose this sponsor for a reason so it makes me happy :)
1:15 If you have a decent enough bread knife, you can perform basic poultry surgery almost as effectively, folks! I've been using mine for the last few turkeys because a spatchcocked turkey takes up way less space and time to cook!
The fact that I happily watch these videos that are entirely ads shows that TH-cam and advertisers could absolutely make ads that people don't want to skip.
Hey, Adam... In restaurant cooking we always brined our pork chops. Different cuts, bone in and out, are still relatively consistent in portion sizes and pork responds especially well to bringing. When cooked or "over cooked" it still remains moist and tender. Also, in restaurant cooking it's common to use a heated cast iron weight (typically with a grill pattern), in home cooking a small cast iron pan will do the same job. It retains all the heat which rises through the meat on the grill or stove and helps cook the meat from both sides, retaining the shape and recirculating the steam/moisture, and significantly reducing the cooking time. *Next advert, perhaps try this.
Hi Adam - I agree using sciccors on turkey is a lot of work. I found a few years ago that using a sturdy serrated knife, like a quality bread knife, works wonders at sawing through the bone.
If you wanted to Maximize the lunchmeatiness you could add Prague Powder to your brine. Nitrate treated turkey, especially smoked, has a lovely rich hamminess. Obviously you said that isnt your ideal but its still a cool option Additionally, I cook 5ish turkeys most years for various family and church events, I brine from frozen so its slow thawing in the brine for around 4 days. Apple, onion and Old Bay sre my seasonings. Anyway I quarter the birds and smoke by piece to just safe temps. Cool and strip from the bones. Into foil trays in the fridge. Then I can reheat hot and fast in the ove,n covered and with a splash of low sodium stock. Typically I get a good texture on reheat so I can reduce the stress on days when Ill will be presenting 2 birds in 2 places. I have the luxury of typically being the auxiliary bird, not everyone likes smoke and all my events are big enough carving a bird just isnt practical, so we always strip to a tray and serve from there
Love your videos Adam! I was wondering if you have ever tried a baking soda brine (or a brine with both salt and baking soda). I find that this really helps prevent overcooking the white meat
Adam, your videos are getting better and better, keep up the good work. But please turn the mic gain down a couple of notches. The peaks are killing me.
I love your videos adam I get a rush of joy everytime i see one of your iconic and aesthetic thumbnails. I know the holidays are coming up, do you think you could apply the same method to a lamb leg, ooo roasted lamb leg with a brine and maybe a mint sauce, with roasted potatoes in the fat? I would love to see this happen Keep up the amazing videos !!!
I'm notably not Adam, but he rarely responds to his comment section these days, so feel free to disregard but here's my two cents. I haven't generally seen people brine red meat like lamb or beef in this way as they aren't prone to drying out. You probably could do this, but it seems rather unnecessary as Lamb usually roasts just fine on its own.
@@KWade-bt4dc I mean, the chunk of cow called "Silverside" (US "Outside Round" or "Bottom Round") is used for Corned Beef/Salt Beef, and is such a common thing here in Australia, NZ, Ireland & South Africa that "Silverside" refers to the cut of meat for cooking and the cooked product (often sliced in a Deli section of the grocery store), whilst South Africa also uses it for their dried & cured "Biltong".
Great vid, as always! Lauren is always a good addition to your vids, good to see you both. I noticed the over cooked bird was on the right, possibly a new line of merch coming in the near future? lol! Also, OXO needs to send you a new meat thermometer. Battery is getting low. ;)
I'm vegan and I do too, if I don't want to watch it that day I usually will just watch other day. It's amazing how he can keep me interested even in these videos.
This is like the book of cocktail recipes I have, or watching channels who do alcohol vids. I don't drink alcohol, but it is just interesting to hear about recipes anyway.
Yes. I also watch the mostly vegetable and mushroom ones, and I love meat. He’s a good teacher; he’s very thorough. It makes sense why he teaches in college.
We did the opposite. Last Thanksgiving we sous vide the turkey breast at 132° for 24 hours. It came out INCREDIBLY moist and tender. Not the typical white meat. It was a great hit.
Thanks for the great thoughts. It's often overlooked that Pasteurization temps are a variable of temperature AND time. 135 will get the job done, but poultry is icky at that rare temp. A video for Pasteurization x and y axis would be REALLY COOL. Cheers.
Most turkeys sold in the US (at least) are already pre-brined even if the package does not say “pre-brined” in which case it would read something along the lines as “contains 1.5% salt solution”. If you can get your hands on a minimally processed bird, I say go with dry brining. It’s less wasteful, more eco-friendly and takes up less space in the fridge. I have found that dry brining really does penetrate better or at least as good as the wet method. Use just 1.5 percent salt/sugar to edible flesh (I like to add .1% baking soda) and let it do it’s thing in the fridge uncovered for 24-48 hours. That helps achieve a nice crispy skin. Both methods work through osmosis. Meat is mostly water, btw. With the dry method, all the seasoning ends up in the bird. With the wet method, you need a lot more salt to compensate for the water and in the end that extra salt added gets dumped down the drain turning water that was once fresh to contaminated and salinated.
Boil a bit of water (about 1-1.5 litresish?) Add Salt, brown sugar, molasses. (I'd give measurements but I dont mesure stuff...) Put turkey in a large container, cover with ice and throw in 2 heads garlic, cut in half 2 onions, quartered 1 orange, halved Cloves Star anise Allspice Dump the brine liquid over the ice and add a beer (or 2) of your choice I brine my turkey for at least 2 days, preferably 3. Put rosemary and cranberry butter (melt some butter, whip in cranberry sauce and chopped rosemary, then resolidify it. Make sure to stir it occasionally as it cools to avoid all the stuff settling on the bottom. I usually do this first, as it takes some time to become solid again.) under the skin and all over the outside before roasting. Do not put stuffing inside the turkey, instead put in an orange, halved, with the cut sides up. The juice will evaporate and steam the breast meat, helping it stay moist during cooking(though the brining does a good job of that on it's own.) This is the method I arrived at for cooking the holiday turkey. People in my family like my cooking, and always want me to make something, but since I fucking hate turkey, I had to really push it to turn that garbage bird into something worth eating. But I ended up with a real crowd pleaser, so🤷🏽♂️
As Adam mentions, most of what you put into the brine simply doesn't penetrate the meat. Spatchcocking eliminates the need for an orange in the cavity and gets a more even cook. This seems like way more work than throwing salt and sugar in a bucket like Adam's recipe, with results that don't seem better.
@SuperMrgentleman Well, you can't really speak to the results, since you've never been by for turkey dinner... so your opinion in that regard is worthless. anything else? Edit: also, the stuff you put in the brine, you can argue that flavour wont penetrate the meat (which, leaving aside that i think tgis is just flatly incorrect, even if it won't get in the meat, it will absolutely get in the skin and all the fat, which is where all of the flavour in a turkey is in the first place...) but you can't argue those flavours wont end up in the drippings, because they definitely do, and that then goes into your gravy. At any rate, the results speak for themselves. Theres a reason I (who *hates* turkey) get asked to make the turkey, in a family with plenty of great cooks.🤷🏽♂️
Absolutely love when Adam makes a video about something I already knew. Been doing this for a few years, particularly when smoking a chicken or turkey. Great stuff!
I use a 5 gallon construction thermos container for brining. The kind used for water on job sites. (thank Alton Brown for this idea) Mix the brine and ice then put the meat in the container. It holds the temp for more than 24hrs. This works for whole turkey's up to 16lbs. Only issue; I can't use that container for anything else, only brining.
Also worth pointing out, don't use cheap scissors to cut out backbone, you may get a pretty mean gash in between your thumb and index finger if they break
I cook at a restaurant (18) years. We cook our turkey in about a 1.5 of water sealed with cling wrap and foil till it’s 200 degrees Fahrenheit. That way it just slides off the bones. Nothing is wasted. You still get the drippings for gravy. I cooked in the Marine Corps for 4 years also.
The Turkey actually arrived in England during the rule of Henry the VIIIth, they were imported from the Spanish and were adopted by the upper classes. This, at least, is according to the book “The Turkey, an American Story” by Andrew F. Smith.
Hi Adam, thanks for another interesting video. A separate question: do you have any tips on keeping turkey skin crisp after resting? I find that by the time the bird rests, the crispy skin I had out of the oven is now much softer. Hope you have a great Thanksgiving!
Adam, why not fabricate the turkey into its leg quarters, boneless breasts, and wings. Then brine like normal and roast them individually. Legs and wings can go in first to cook to a much higher temperature and the breasts can go in whenever to get them to whatever lower temperature you want.
Would work great! I just think a half turkey is the second best presentation after a whole turkey, and I do think about presentation for big holiday meals!
Last year, after 10 years of begging, my family finally let me do a trash can turkey. Because a trashcan is not as exact as an oven, i brined it first so i didnt need to worry! It was definitely alot more prep, but we cooked it really fast and it was fun! Since my mom decided to make the usual turkey as well, we got to compare and contrast and most people liked the trash can turkey best! It ended up very moist and flavorful! They asked to have it again this year! 😂 (the fun part of brining is adding in different flavors to it, i like orange and then a variety of herbs and peppercorns!
When it comes to the percentages of the brine solution with sugar and salt does that include the weight of the bird or simply the weight of the water without the bird?
I remember Cooks Country doing a show on roasting chicken and they found sort of by accident, when their ovens were switched off in the later part of the roasting that the chicken came out beautifully cooked and tender by pushing past its normal cooking temps in that cool down period.
So i have some questions 1. Could you not add 90 percent of the water as a liquid and 10 percent as ice so you don't dilute it. 2. Isn't a brine a concenteated salt solution?
Definitely miss my under $20 turkey. A standard 12 pound bird here in New Zealand cost more than $50 US. Not to mention the birds they raise here are heavy on carcass and thin on actual edible meat. Always been a Alton Brown Thanksgiving turkey guy, High heat cook the bird 45 mins, then drop the temperature way down and cook until done.
You do have a point. I learned how to brine and roast a Turkey when I was a youngster from watching ‘Good Eats’. He says to pull the Turkey out when the breast reaches 160F but I always watch it rise to about 170 (which I thought initially was overcooked for breast meat) during resting, but it’s always juicy and delicious sooo
Are you sure that the chlorine-y taste is from the salt brine and not from chlorinated tap water? I've tried this recipe and used filtered water for the brine because my water is so highly chlorinated that it will routinely kill my fermentation projects if I don't do that. Didn't notice the taste you mentioned at all. But then again, I used unsalted turkey stock from the cuttings (before brining) for the gravy, that might've cut it down enough for me to not notice.
Here is something you should try to look into. 165 is the instant kill everything in the meat. How ever if you can ensure the meat reaches and hold at about 155 for a minimum of 1 minute it is just as safe as if it was cooked to 165. That 10 degrees results in so much more juice. I would not suggest any lower than that as control becomes harder. 150 requires about 3 minutes. And as low as 140 requires 30. 140 will generally however have texture issues.
Curious as to why you put the turkey parts on the same pan. The past few years I've been quartering and dry brining my turkeys, and I cook the white/dark meat on seperate pans. Pull at white at 155ish, while I let the dark meat ride till near 200.
A tip I use for brining stuff. Get those big vacuum sealing bags, put your mit in, add the brine and just seal it without pulling a vacuum. Then just stick it in the fridge.
I worked at a restaurant where, for all meats that needed to be cooked above 145 deg f, we brined them and then just encouraged the cooks to go fast and hard and not worry about screaming past the temp to 170 or 180. It actually worked really well.
Ditto. We did the same where I worked.
This is my favorite type of information. I don’t know how to classify it, but collecting certain tidbits like this really triggers my hunter-gatherer brain.
Sounds like a fantastic way to make a pork chop in particular, but of course I bet it was working with all kinds of cuts.
@@Levacque good pork chops don’t need to be cooked past 145 though. I usually go to 140 myself. Brined and hard and fast is good though
@Levacque In restaurant cooking, different cuts, bone in and out, are still relatively consistent in portion sizes. Pork responds especially well to brining and when cooked or "over cooked" still remains moist and tender. Also, in restaurant cooking it's common to use a heated cast iron weight (typically with a grill pattern), in home cooking a small cast iron pan will do the same job. It retains all the heat which rises and helps cook meats from both sides, retaining the shape and recirculating the steam/moisture. *Hard and fast*
Adam, try MSG in your brine solution, it is one of the molecules that can penetrate deeply due to the polar nature of MSG
what's the ratio you'd reccomend?
@@beemoescarmew all of it
@@beemoescarmew I'd recommend cutting the amount of salt you would normally use with about 30% msg
I did a turkey brine with MSG yesterday because of your comment, cooking it today, can't wait to see the end result!
@@whiskeychickenplease keep us updated!
Always appreciate Adam's endeavors to make the Thanksgiving turkey as stress-free as possible
Adam, I’m Liking These Occasional Saturday Uploads!
If you don't have ice pack things and don't want to dilute the brine just freeze some brinecubes. They won't freeze quite as well as fresh water but 3% solution freezes at about -2.5C so it's definitely doable in a normal freezer. Then you can put a bunch of ice in to keep it cool with no worries about strength.
Just don't accidentally put them in cocktails!
just freeze some ziploc bags full of water
@@howycwap that's actually a lot better, as long as you have decent ones that seal properly
I like this idea! with the bags, I have to worry if they are going to pop or leak.
Or just make the starting brine more concentrated to account for the dilution.
As a recent refrigeration engineer, this is fascinating lol.
I did the brine & spatchcock thing last Thanksgiving, following the Samin Nosrat method for buttermilk chicken, and a 70 year old friend said it was the best turkey he'd ever had. That's a lot of turkeys. I think I did overcook it a bit and I'm doing this every year from now on.
Oh HELL yes, I love that buttermilk chicken recipe. We’ve got a combo instant pot/air fryer that we usually cook it in, and finishing it with the air fryer is fantastic.
Did you brine the turkey in buttermilk as well? Full buttermilk or did you dilute it a bit to save $$$?
he might say that to everyone tho
@@ecta9604 Diluted...maybe a quart of buttermilk and the enough salted water to cover the bird.
Adam’s turkey videos are for some reason the ones I love watching throughout the year. Glad to see another one that’s directly supporting the channel!
Adam, you mentioned something very important about the gravy, namely with regard to making the gravy out of stuff that wasn't brined. My mom pretty much always brines her turkeys, but she makes the gravy out of giblet stock. she then adds that to the drippings and just uses more roux so it can thicken everything (she ends up with like a quart of giblet stock. lots of gravy!), and it's perfect. Doesn't usually need salt, but it's never too salty.
Great video and explanations, as usual.
You have become my replacement for Alton Brown.
Ive been brining the holiday bird using Mr. Brown's method for over 10 years now.
24 hour brine
1st hour @ 375 f
Last hours @ 250 f
Always delicious. I think your "overcooking" is absolutely the best.
Just popping up to say the deboning video for Turkey you did changed my life 🙌🏾🔥 I’m gonna be doing that forever! Thank you!
I just can't get behind a wet brine in this day and age. Dry brined turkey is consistently the tastiest turkey I've ever had AND it's easier to fit in the fridge so you don't have to get creative with keeping it cool.
Ah, the Egyptian method.
I figure this overcooking method would also work with dry-brined turkey but I'm not certain?
@@dtemp132 I'd be concerned that a dry brine wouldn't carry the salt as deep into the meat as the wet brine, which would mean less of the dissolved protein gel would form, which would mean the overcooking would dry it out more than the wet brine. but I could be wrong, that's just my intuition
This was the first thing I thought when I saw one of Adam's turkey videos from years ago when it said one of the reasons to not do a brine is lack of space and a container big enough. The only reason I see to wet brine any poultry is if it's skinless, then the surface could get dry, but that can be solved by putting it in a lidded Tupperware.
@@joaopedroleite8998 What the heck kind of lidded tupperware do you have that could fit a whole turkey?! We've got one in the basement freezer that's about the size of a beach ball (a turkey, not a container).
I absolutely adore Lauren peaking in for the taste tests, especially the "Why? I will explain to the viewers!" part.
I can tell that y'all have truly been through thick and thin as a couple, and I love that.
I also love that, as a food tuber, you're not afraid to contradict yourself and your past beliefs about certain food techniques that you were once weary of once you find the way to use them that you like. For how elitist the culinary world can be, I consider that a virtue- and this is coming from someone who gave up on being a chef yet has been in the service industry for his entire work life.
Don't stop doing you, mate.
I like the whole "update: this way's better" vibe.
i love adam for saying in the first 5 seconds "this video is an ad". transparency is amazing
Me, too. 👍
Normally I'm a little hesitant about sponsored content. But this is genuinely transformative. You're taking a product as part of the sponsorship and demonstrating how to better use it. That's really fantastic and deserves praise and attention!
This is the kind of stuff that other creators should be emulating.
Years ago I bought a pair of "monster" scissors off Amazon on a bit of a whim. There are bunches of designs at this point but they make Spatching turkey much easier because of the increased leverage. Cuts through chicken like warm butter as well. Honestly I almost never use my regular kitchen shears at this point except for really small things.
That close up shot of the dog drooling was funny to me.
It is awesome that Adam demonstrates these simple and different methods of cooking Turkey as Thanksgiving approaches.
Will, I, an Australian cook a whole turkey probably ever? No, why on earth would I? I still watch every video about cooking turkey that comes up in my feed though.
I also wonder what kind of power tools it would take to spatchcock an emu, as I recall you tried to do it with machine guns but that didn't pan out.
@@AlRoderick I'd love people at large to have an original thought regarding Australia.
@@AlRoderick we have a cull that doesn't go to plan in the 30's and now it's all anybody ever brings up. Bloody yanks.
@@mistertestsubject that would require us to think about Australia in any capacity
@sammylvr7912 I'm good not being in your thoughts mate. Thanks.
this new style of videos feels so genuine and good... like damn dude i love it!!!
Hard for people to skip the ad when the whole video is an ad. My man Adam is playing 4D TH-cam survival chess.
I'm a huge fan of turkey, Particularly smoking them. It's such an underrated meat and I love how cheap it gets in November and fill my freezer up with them to have throughout the year. But the little bits of tlc you do like brining, seasoning, and using a meat thermometer really pay off. It can be less forgiving than chicken or pork. Some other things that help are spatchcocking big birds so they cook more evenly and have more surface area for seasoning. I also like to brine the turkey frozen in a cooler and thaw it in the brine for around 24 hours and this helps keep it safe during the brine while also saving time. Spraying a little cooking spray on the skin a couple times during the cook can help crisp it too. If you don't brine it be sure to pull it at 160. People wait on the temperature probe to pop and it's usually overdone and the breast is dry at that point but I'll definitely try cooking it to a higher temp next time with the brine.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who remembers when everyone cooked their turkeys to 180F. This was before TV celebrity chefs.
Hope you're doing better, Adam. Glad you are uploading still.
My favorite time of year is when the food TH-camr avengers come together with all of their turkey recipes, and then I have to choose one to try... lol
Interesting strategy, let’s see if it plays out
Oh, interesting, so that whole “brining alters the proteins and makes them retain moisture” actually has benefits in overcooking! Sweet!
Amazing video as always, hope your holiday season will turn out great.
I bet your dog always has a big drool string from his mouth because you're always cooking the most savory dishes I've ever seen 🍽️🤤
TIL we've been "overcooking" our Thanksgiving turkey for years. Glad you rediscovered it and approve. In addition to a brine a couple days before, I recommend an herb butter rub the day before. It's a bit of a pain getting it under the skin but worth it. Indeed, the main issue with a brined bird is the gravy (and stuffing) turns out overly salty, so we tend to use a lower salt content brine, use unsalted butter for the rub, base the gravy largely on other parts like the neck, and generally lower any additional salt (e.g., not adding it to the stuffing or herb butter rub).
This old bird learned a new trick. Last year, at age 61, I finally brined my first Turkey and omigosh, it was the best Turkey I’d ever made, the best Turkey I’ve ever eaten. I am fully converted!
Adam Loren and hey you guyssss. I always make my stocks without salt and always have salt free versions in the freezer (various birds, pork and veggie). perhaps some wine would cut down the salt. If I'm going to do a big holiday meal (which I really don't do anymore) I would be collecting stock and fats and pastry shells and raw cookies portioned out to make the cooking that last week and the very day as quick as possible. Enjoy the holidays everyone. Jim retired Mexico
Always informative AND entertaining. Love the use of dog slobber to get your point across.
Another excellent and educational video! I really appreciate all of your turkey content. I feel like your videos are my go-tos for Thanksgiving. I will be trying this method soon.
I'm really glad I happened upon this video before Thanksgiving this year. For the past several years I have dry brined my turkey, and it was definitely good but I too had been slightly bothered by the "lunch meat" texture that results from brining the appropriate length of time.
Yesterday for Thanksgiving, I dry brined & cooked my white meat to ~175F & dark meat to ~200F and was pleasantly surprised that the meat was still juicy. The "lunch meat" squishiness was gone and the turkey was much closer to its traditional texture.
Without a brine, I'll be staying at 150-155 in the breast, but dry brining I'll be going hotter from now on!
It's that time of year again for weekly turkey content! Love it!
I love that tip where you cover the white meat, I do that in the kitchen when cooking chicken breast by itself to retain juiciness
This guy has saved so many folks and made so many of us legends in the kitchen. Thank you sir
I've found that your turkey gravy method actually works really well with a brined turkey when you use a liquid with zero salt in it (in my case homemade stock). But I also like my food really salty so this might not work for normal people.
Another great video, thank you. I always like the texture of turkey when it is cooked longer.
We brine our turkey every year for Thanksgiving. A few years back we totally lost track of time and thought we ruined everything by over cooking the turkey for at least an hour. To our surprise, it was perfectly fine without any issues!
Hey Adam, do you think you'd have the same results with a dry brine? Also, to avoid overcooking white vs dark, I break the bird all the way down and pull pieces as they come up to the right temp. Has that same "moveable pieces" benefit you talk about.
I've also recently started playing around with brines and found that lower salinity but longer brine time actually works pretty well.
I am so glad that you're getting back into meat. It's best to eat sustainable, renewable meat over anything, really.
Even if it is a sponsored segment, you chose this sponsor for a reason so it makes me happy :)
1:15 If you have a decent enough bread knife, you can perform basic poultry surgery almost as effectively, folks! I've been using mine for the last few turkeys because a spatchcocked turkey takes up way less space and time to cook!
The fact that I happily watch these videos that are entirely ads shows that TH-cam and advertisers could absolutely make ads that people don't want to skip.
Great tips on the turkey, Adam, and I was waiting to see if doggo was gonna get a taste, too. Spoilers: at 10:46: doggo got a taste!
Made it again this year for Christmas and it doesn't disappoint! Everyone thought I was crazy going up to 175 and cooking so hot. It was fantastic
Hey, Adam... In restaurant cooking we always brined our pork chops. Different cuts, bone in and out, are still relatively consistent in portion sizes and pork responds especially well to bringing. When cooked or "over cooked" it still remains moist and tender. Also, in restaurant cooking it's common to use a heated cast iron weight (typically with a grill pattern), in home cooking a small cast iron pan will do the same job. It retains all the heat which rises through the meat on the grill or stove and helps cook the meat from both sides, retaining the shape and recirculating the steam/moisture, and significantly reducing the cooking time.
*Next advert, perhaps try this.
Hi Adam - I agree using sciccors on turkey is a lot of work. I found a few years ago that using a sturdy serrated knife, like a quality bread knife, works wonders at sawing through the bone.
Sawzall works better yet!
If you wanted to Maximize the lunchmeatiness you could add Prague Powder to your brine. Nitrate treated turkey, especially smoked, has a lovely rich hamminess. Obviously you said that isnt your ideal but its still a cool option
Additionally, I cook 5ish turkeys most years for various family and church events, I brine from frozen so its slow thawing in the brine for around 4 days. Apple, onion and Old Bay sre my seasonings. Anyway I quarter the birds and smoke by piece to just safe temps. Cool and strip from the bones. Into foil trays in the fridge. Then I can reheat hot and fast in the ove,n covered and with a splash of low sodium stock. Typically I get a good texture on reheat so I can reduce the stress on days when Ill will be presenting 2 birds in 2 places.
I have the luxury of typically being the auxiliary bird, not everyone likes smoke and all my events are big enough carving a bird just isnt practical, so we always strip to a tray and serve from there
charge/ replace the battery in your meat thermometer! 0:34
Love your videos Adam! I was wondering if you have ever tried a baking soda brine (or a brine with both salt and baking soda). I find that this really helps prevent overcooking the white meat
That pup must be super happy to allowed even near your kitchen.
Adam, your videos are getting better and better, keep up the good work. But please turn the mic gain down a couple of notches. The peaks are killing me.
I don't understand why I got extremely excited to have an off-cadence Saturday Adam Ragusea video, but I'm all for it!
As always, i love your content. Hi Lauren! Seeing both of you on video always makes me smile.
Always love when Lauren casually drops in xD especially when she does it like here "why?" "i will explain it to the viewers" xD
I love your videos adam I get a rush of joy everytime i see one of your iconic and aesthetic thumbnails.
I know the holidays are coming up, do you think you could apply the same method to a lamb leg, ooo roasted lamb leg with a brine and maybe a mint sauce, with roasted potatoes in the fat? I would love to see this happen
Keep up the amazing videos !!!
I'm notably not Adam, but he rarely responds to his comment section these days, so feel free to disregard but here's my two cents. I haven't generally seen people brine red meat like lamb or beef in this way as they aren't prone to drying out. You probably could do this, but it seems rather unnecessary as Lamb usually roasts just fine on its own.
@@KWade-bt4dc I mean, the chunk of cow called "Silverside" (US "Outside Round" or "Bottom Round") is used for Corned Beef/Salt Beef, and is such a common thing here in Australia, NZ, Ireland & South Africa that "Silverside" refers to the cut of meat for cooking and the cooked product (often sliced in a Deli section of the grocery store), whilst South Africa also uses it for their dried & cured "Biltong".
A lot of steak enthusiasts like to say that a well-done beef steak is too dry, so there may yet be potential for brining those.
There's something magical about taking a moment to zoom in on dog slobber in a cooking video.
Great vid, as always! Lauren is always a good addition to your vids, good to see you both. I noticed the over cooked bird was on the right, possibly a new line of merch coming in the near future? lol! Also, OXO needs to send you a new meat thermometer. Battery is getting low. ;)
I'm vegetarian and I still watch all of Adam's meat-based videos because they're always so interesting.
I'm vegan and I do too, if I don't want to watch it that day I usually will just watch other day. It's amazing how he can keep me interested even in these videos.
This is like the book of cocktail recipes I have, or watching channels who do alcohol vids. I don't drink alcohol, but it is just interesting to hear about recipes anyway.
Plenty of incels watch porn. Same thing.
@@neondemon5137 dumbest thing i ever read lol
Yes. I also watch the mostly vegetable and mushroom ones, and I love meat. He’s a good teacher; he’s very thorough. It makes sense why he teaches in college.
Does this also work for dry brining!?!? Please answer!
We did the opposite. Last Thanksgiving we sous vide the turkey breast at 132° for 24 hours. It came out INCREDIBLY moist and tender. Not the typical white meat. It was a great hit.
I love the Lauren interjections she gives me so much life and reminds me so much of my own girlfriend
Thanks for the great thoughts. It's often overlooked that Pasteurization temps are a variable of temperature AND time. 135 will get the job done, but poultry is icky at that rare temp. A video for Pasteurization x and y axis would be REALLY COOL. Cheers.
Most turkeys sold in the US (at least) are already pre-brined even if the package does not say “pre-brined” in which case it would read something along the lines as “contains 1.5% salt solution”.
If you can get your hands on a minimally processed bird, I say go with dry brining. It’s less wasteful, more eco-friendly and takes up less space in the fridge.
I have found that dry brining really does penetrate better or at least as good as the wet method. Use just 1.5 percent salt/sugar to edible flesh (I like to add .1% baking soda) and let it do it’s thing in the fridge uncovered for 24-48 hours. That helps achieve a nice crispy skin.
Both methods work through osmosis. Meat is mostly water, btw. With the dry method, all the seasoning ends up in the bird. With the wet method, you need a lot more salt to compensate for the water and in the end that extra salt added gets dumped down the drain turning water that was once fresh to contaminated and salinated.
I've been rooting for the dog to get some food forever. So glad my wish came true. 😂
Thank you for identifying this as an ad right at the top.
That was a straight-up advertisement and it was still good. That's a skill.
Boil a bit of water (about 1-1.5 litresish?) Add Salt, brown sugar, molasses.
(I'd give measurements but I dont mesure stuff...)
Put turkey in a large container, cover with ice and throw in
2 heads garlic, cut in half
2 onions, quartered
1 orange, halved
Cloves
Star anise
Allspice
Dump the brine liquid over the ice and add a beer (or 2) of your choice
I brine my turkey for at least 2 days, preferably 3.
Put rosemary and cranberry butter (melt some butter, whip in cranberry sauce and chopped rosemary, then resolidify it. Make sure to stir it occasionally as it cools to avoid all the stuff settling on the bottom. I usually do this first, as it takes some time to become solid again.) under the skin and all over the outside before roasting.
Do not put stuffing inside the turkey, instead put in an orange, halved, with the cut sides up. The juice will evaporate and steam the breast meat, helping it stay moist during cooking(though the brining does a good job of that on it's own.)
This is the method I arrived at for cooking the holiday turkey. People in my family like my cooking, and always want me to make something, but since I fucking hate turkey, I had to really push it to turn that garbage bird into something worth eating.
But I ended up with a real crowd pleaser, so🤷🏽♂️
As Adam mentions, most of what you put into the brine simply doesn't penetrate the meat. Spatchcocking eliminates the need for an orange in the cavity and gets a more even cook. This seems like way more work than throwing salt and sugar in a bucket like Adam's recipe, with results that don't seem better.
@SuperMrgentleman Well, you can't really speak to the results, since you've never been by for turkey dinner... so your opinion in that regard is worthless. anything else?
Edit: also, the stuff you put in the brine, you can argue that flavour wont penetrate the meat (which, leaving aside that i think tgis is just flatly incorrect, even if it won't get in the meat, it will absolutely get in the skin and all the fat, which is where all of the flavour in a turkey is in the first place...) but you can't argue those flavours wont end up in the drippings, because they definitely do, and that then goes into your gravy.
At any rate, the results speak for themselves. Theres a reason I (who *hates* turkey) get asked to make the turkey, in a family with plenty of great cooks.🤷🏽♂️
You could also dry brine the meat if you don't have space for a wet brine in your fridge.
Absolutely love when Adam makes a video about something I already knew. Been doing this for a few years, particularly when smoking a chicken or turkey. Great stuff!
Thank you for always teaching and inspiring me Adam!
Does the same apply to dry-brined meat?
Old water or soda bottles refilled with water and frozen also serve as good water tight ice packs.
I use a 5 gallon construction thermos container for brining. The kind used for water on job sites. (thank Alton Brown for this idea)
Mix the brine and ice then put the meat in the container. It holds the temp for more than 24hrs. This works for whole turkey's up to 16lbs.
Only issue; I can't use that container for anything else, only brining.
Also worth pointing out, don't use cheap scissors to cut out backbone, you may get a pretty mean gash in between your thumb and index finger if they break
Might be an ad video but still really insightful. Appreciate it.
I like the way you said "this video is an ad", so we know where we stand. Im way more likely to watch an ad when people are up front
I cook at a restaurant (18) years. We cook our turkey in about a 1.5 of water sealed with cling wrap and foil till it’s 200 degrees Fahrenheit. That way it just slides off the bones. Nothing is wasted. You still get the drippings for gravy. I cooked in the Marine Corps for 4 years also.
That was a really enjoyable video! Thanks!
The Turkey actually arrived in England during the rule of Henry the VIIIth, they were imported from the Spanish and were adopted by the upper classes.
This, at least, is according to the book “The Turkey, an American Story” by Andrew F. Smith.
Love the Lauren appearances!
Hi Adam, thanks for another interesting video. A separate question: do you have any tips on keeping turkey skin crisp after resting? I find that by the time the bird rests, the crispy skin I had out of the oven is now much softer. Hope you have a great Thanksgiving!
Adam, why not fabricate the turkey into its leg quarters, boneless breasts, and wings. Then brine like normal and roast them individually. Legs and wings can go in first to cook to a much higher temperature and the breasts can go in whenever to get them to whatever lower temperature you want.
He did basically that (minus the brine) in his video where he fully deboned a turkey.
Would work great! I just think a half turkey is the second best presentation after a whole turkey, and I do think about presentation for big holiday meals!
That'd be Adam's deboned turkey video (though that was a dry brine), and it worked pretty damn well. So your idea would likely work just fine!
2:45 I like adding dill seed to my brines, doesn't take much to pass on a lil tang.
it's always a good time when Lauren makes a cameo 😁
Last year, after 10 years of begging, my family finally let me do a trash can turkey. Because a trashcan is not as exact as an oven, i brined it first so i didnt need to worry! It was definitely alot more prep, but we cooked it really fast and it was fun! Since my mom decided to make the usual turkey as well, we got to compare and contrast and most people liked the trash can turkey best! It ended up very moist and flavorful! They asked to have it again this year! 😂 (the fun part of brining is adding in different flavors to it, i like orange and then a variety of herbs and peppercorns!
Love Lauren's Bitter Southerner shirt!
When it comes to the percentages of the brine solution with sugar and salt does that include the weight of the bird or simply the weight of the water without the bird?
brine in this context is based off the weight of the water
I remember Cooks Country doing a show on roasting chicken and they found sort of by accident, when their ovens were switched off in the later part of the roasting that the chicken came out beautifully cooked and tender by pushing past its normal cooking temps in that cool down period.
Adam always wins the prize for the most compelling, useful and watch-worthy sponsored videos on TH-cam.👍
So i have some questions
1. Could you not add 90 percent of the water as a liquid and 10 percent as ice so you don't dilute it.
2. Isn't a brine a concenteated salt solution?
Curious whether this would apply to "dry brined" turkey as well?
I’m intrigued by this. Is it possible that I would be able to achieve the same results if I used a dry brined turkey?
Lauren, you should know by now, never ask him why. Lol, just kidding. Very enlightening video Adam, thanks!
Definitely miss my under $20 turkey. A standard 12 pound bird here in New Zealand cost more than $50 US. Not to mention the birds they raise here are heavy on carcass and thin on actual edible meat. Always been a Alton Brown Thanksgiving turkey guy, High heat cook the bird 45 mins, then drop the temperature way down and cook until done.
You do have a point. I learned how to brine and roast a Turkey when I was a youngster from watching ‘Good Eats’. He says to pull the Turkey out when the breast reaches 160F but I always watch it rise to about 170 (which I thought initially was overcooked for breast meat) during resting, but it’s always juicy and delicious sooo
Are you sure that the chlorine-y taste is from the salt brine and not from chlorinated tap water? I've tried this recipe and used filtered water for the brine because my water is so highly chlorinated that it will routinely kill my fermentation projects if I don't do that. Didn't notice the taste you mentioned at all. But then again, I used unsalted turkey stock from the cuttings (before brining) for the gravy, that might've cut it down enough for me to not notice.
Here is something you should try to look into. 165 is the instant kill everything in the meat. How ever if you can ensure the meat reaches and hold at about 155 for a minimum of 1 minute it is just as safe as if it was cooked to 165. That 10 degrees results in so much more juice. I would not suggest any lower than that as control becomes harder. 150 requires about 3 minutes. And as low as 140 requires 30. 140 will generally however have texture issues.
Curious as to why you put the turkey parts on the same pan. The past few years I've been quartering and dry brining my turkeys, and I cook the white/dark meat on seperate pans. Pull at white at 155ish, while I let the dark meat ride till near 200.
A tip I use for brining stuff. Get those big vacuum sealing bags, put your mit in, add the brine and just seal it without pulling a vacuum. Then just stick it in the fridge.