Dear Eric: I’m assuming that after brining a turkey, it is not necessary to again salt, or add other herbs to the bird? Also, for those of us on salt-restricted diets, can the no-salt substitute be used?
Barbara Shields
Dear Barbara: Most culinary guidebooks keep the definition of brine short, before explaining how it’s made, enhanced and used.
For example, in his book, The Elements of Cooking, Michael Ruhlman succinctly describes brine as “salt in a solution.”
In its most basic form, the salt is dissolved in water. Depending on what you’re brining — cucumbers, salmon or meat, for instance — and how you want to flavour it, other ingredients are added, such as sweeteners, spices, herbs, fruit juices and/or alcohol.
When such items are added, the brine is usually boiled to release the flavours of the herbs and spices and to disperse the sweeteners into the liquid. The brine is then cooled before it’s used.
Before the days of refrigeration, brining was traditionally used as a method of curing and preserving meat. It’s still done, but these days brining has also become a popular way to enhance the flavour and moisture content of lean meat, such as turkey.
How does it do that?
According to an informative article on the Weber barbecue website, virtualweberbullet.com, a common explanation is that the brine will contain a higher concentration of water and salt than the meat. That allows the solution to pass into the meat cells through their semi-permeable membranes, adding water and flavour to them. During brining, the meat will increase in weight because of that absorption of salty water.
There are other theories as to how the brine works, but that article says the bottom line is that brined meat will be moister than unbrined meat. The extra water in the flesh will keep the meat moist even if slightly overcooked.
For your turkey, if the brine contains herbs and other flavourings, there is no need to add more when roasting. And the bird will have absorbed plenty of salt, so there is definitely no need to add more.
A generous amount of salt, often a cup or more, is the key ingredient in brine, and without it you won’t get the moister results noted above. Thus brining is something to avoid if you’re on a salt-restricted diet.
If you used another ingredient in place of salt, you wouldn’t be brining — you’d be marinating. That’s not a bad thing, as marinades are designed to enhance flavour. I believe I demonstrated that in today’s recipe for turkey breast soaked in a maple, mustard, herb and juice mixture before being roasted and glazed.
A question Barbara didn’t ask is: Do you really have to brine turkey?
Personally, I’m not a fan of it. I don’t like what it does to the texture of the meat and find it too salty, which in turn interferes with the taste of stuffing, gravy and lovely wine I like to serve with turkey.
Also, if you’ve spent good money on a sure-to-be-juicy free-range turkey, why would you want to mess that up by soaking it in salt water before cooking it?
However, many people swear by brining, particularly when it comes to improving the taste and texture of a mass-produced, budget-friendly, frozen turkey.
A few years ago, I asked some Victoria chefs for their favourite holiday recipes, and George Szasz, co-owner of Stage Wine Bar at that time, sent me his turkey brine recipe; rich, beyond salt, with herbs, honey and lemon. People must have enjoyed it, because I still get requests for that recipe you’ll see below.
Apple-Maple-Mustard Roast Turkey Breast
Boneless turkey breast roast flavoured in a rich marinade overnight before being cooked and glazed. Mustard and soy sauce in the marinade add a mildly salty taste to the turkey, which is why no additional salt is added when roasting.
Preparation time: 20 minutes, plus marinating time
Cooking time: 75 to 85 minutes
Makes: 6 servings
1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp maple syrup
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp herbes de Provence (see Note)
1/2 tsp paprika
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 3/4 lb boneless turkey breast roast (see Note)
2 1/2 cups turkey or chicken stock or broth mixed with 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
Place the first nine ingredients in a sided dish just large enough to hold the turkey fairly snugly. Add the turkey and turn to coat in the marinade. Cover, refrigerate and marinate eight hours or overnight, turning the turkey occasionally.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Remove turkey from marinade and set in a shallow-sided roasting pan. Place marinade in a small pot and bring to a boil. Boil 2 minutes, and then remove from the heat. Brush the turkey with third of the hot marinade.
Roast the turkey 20 minutes, and then brush with half the remaining marinade. Roast 20 minutes more, and then brush with remaining marinade. Now cook the turkey 25 to 30 minutes more, or until the internal temperature of the breast reaches 170 F on an instant-read meat thermometer.
Transfer turkey to a platter, tent with foil and rest 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, set the roasting pan on the stovetop over medium, to medium-high heat. Add the stock/flour mixture and bring to a simmer. Simmer until thickened gravy forms, about 5 minutes. Thinly slice the turkey and serve with the gravy.
Note: Herbes de Provence is a French-style blend sold in the bottled herb and spice of most supermarkets.
Turkey breast roasts can sometimes be in short supply, so it’s best to call the supermarket or butcher shop in advance to see if they have one.
Some processors tightly squeeze breast roasts into netted bags. Unfortunately, after cooking, removing that netting is not easy and your seasonings go along for the ride. Because of that, before roasting, I remove the netting and tie the roast the way a good butcher would, with a few pieces of kitchen string.
George’s Turkey Brine
This brine recipe is by Victoria chef George Szasz. He says it can also be used for duck and chicken.
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: About 6 to 8 minutes (excludes turkey cooking time; see Note)
Makes: enough brine for an 18- to 20-pound whole turkey
6 litres water
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup honey
18 to 20 bay leaves
5 rosemary sprigs
5 thyme sprigs
3 Tbsp black peppercorns
3 Tbsp pickling spice
4 lemons, zested and juiced
Place all ingredients in a large, non-reactive (not aluminum) pot and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and let cool.
To brine a turkey, place it in a food-safe bucket or large non-reactive pot and pour the brine over it. Refrigerate and let turkey sit overnight in the brine. Remove turkey from brine and roast as usual. Discard brine.
Note: For a chart containing turkey roasting times and other cooking tips, go to the B.C. turkey farmers website, bcturkey.com.
Eric Akis is the author of the hardcover book Everyone Can Cook Everything. His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday. Send questions about culinary techniques or ingredients by email or write to: Ask Eric, Times Colonist, 2621 Douglas St., Victoria B.C., V8T 4M2.
