Brined Turkey Breast Recipe | Butter Your Biscuit (2024)

FAQs

Should you brine a turkey breast before baking? ›

For flavorful, juicy meat and rich, crisp skin, brine the breast, loosen its skin, and roast it on high, then moderately low heat. The challenge: Even for those who love turkey, roasting a whole bird is often more than people want to take on. Roasting a breast is a more manageable undertaking.

Pat It Dry

Use paper towels and get the skin "as dry as possible" before doing anything else. 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.

After Wet Brining

Safely discard brine. Either rinse your turkey under running water or let it sit in a pot or sink of cold water for 10 minutes to remove excess salt. After rinsing or soaking, thoroughly pat turkey dry with paper towels. Then, cook according to your preferred cooking method.

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.

Place your bone-in turkey breast into the mixture (depending on its size, you may need to pour out a little so it doesn't overflow!) so that it's fully submerged in the brine solution. Cover and store in the fridge overnight, for 12 to 24 hours.

Number one, don't rinse your Turkey. While people used to think that this was a good idea, all it does is spread bacteria all over your sink. So skip it. Just pat your Turkey dry.

Don't Rinse It Off

Once the dry-brining waiting period is up, there is no need to rinse off the surface of your food. The meat will not be overly salty, and rinsing the surface with water will undo all of the surface-drying achieved by the dry-brine process. That, in turn, will prevent browning.

Do Not Baste. Basting the skin is not necessary to flavor the meat. You'll flavor the skin, but you'll also let heat out of the oven each time you open it to baste. "That means the bird is going to be in there for a longer time cooking, which means it's going to dry out more," Brown says.

Add herb sprigs, if using. Place the turkey in the brine, breast side down. Add more water if the turkey isn't completely submerged in the liquid. Place the bucket in the refrigerator for at least 10 to 12 hours or overnight.

Can you brine a turkey breast too long? ›

When you begin the brining process, set a timer or reminder to remove the turkey from the salt solution. Brining for too long can result in meat that tastes overly-salty and has a spongy texture.

Basic Brine

Place that volume of water in a container large enough to hold the brine and the meat. Add 1 tablespoon of salt for every cup of water you used and mix until the salt is completely dissolved. For example, if you are using 1 gallon (16 cups) of water, add 16 tablespoons (1 cup) of salt.

But remember: Pouring hot or warm brine over a raw turkey can cause bacterial growth, so you'll have to ensure the water is completely cool before proceeding. If you're short on time, bring only half the water to a boil.

If you want a well-seasoned turkey with a milder flavor, brining is the way to go. For a more intense taste and crispy skin, dry-brining is your best bet.

Pre-basted turkey is indeed already brined. You can double check this by looking on the ingredient list of the turkey packaging and you should see a salt or vinegar solution listed. You can still soak the bird if you would like, but either use no salt or a low-salt brine, like a 0.5-1% solution.

Should I Brine My Turkey? Brining a turkey is totally optional. If you're short on time or just want the most straight-forward method to roast a turkey, skip the brining step and just use the Simple Roasted Turkey method. Some people swear that brining yields the most tender, juicy meat, but it takes planning ahead.

We pre-brine directly in the breast meat ensuring you can take the turkey from the packaging to your pan without a lot of additional preparation before cooking and enjoy the most tender and juicy turkey possible.

A brine is a solution of water, salt and spices which is used to soak meats like boneless turkey breast before cooking. The brine imparts moisture and added flavor to the turkey meat, which is prone to drying out during cooking because it's so low in fat.

Dry brining is the best path to juicy roast turkey! Easier and more practical than wet brining (no bucket!), better turkey flavour, and you can even brine a partially thawed turkey. The results are exceptional - crispy skin and moist flesh. This recipe needs to be started two days before cooking.