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How to Brine Your Holiday Turkey with Michael Chiarello
By Meredith Arthur, Eric Slatkin, and Blake Smith
In this Thanksgiving edition of our You’re Doing It All Wrong video series, chef and TV host Michael Chiarello extols the benefits of a brined turkey. Avoid some things (have you ever heard of a blivit?) and embrace others (the bird fits perfectly inside a cooler). If you follow the approach Michael outlines here, he guarantees you one of the juiciest turkey dinners you’ve ever had. You can find his recipe for the turkey brine on his website.
Why can't I load the video? That's really disappointing.
The family complaint about brining is that it makes for overly salty gravy. Any thoughts?
Hi fatha_francis. Here's a link to Michael's recipe if you're looking for specifics on the brine:
http://www.napastyle.com/recipe/recipe.jsp?productId=3150
Deborah from CHOW
Not clear at all.He never said how much water and how much salt.He made a big deal out of too much salt ,then completely forgot to say how much to use.Nice job Mikey.
Toni yes water can become stale....would you want to drink a glass of water that has been sitting on the counter for 12 hours??? Not me.
I like the video and Michael Chiarello is a wonderful chef I really love watching him on Food Network...If you have a problem to when to brine your turkey brine it sooner.Who wants to waist their whole day and have a later super anyway not me we like to eat between 1 and 2 pm. Love ya Michael....
This is a nice, clear set of instructions. Thank you, Michael Chiarello! I don 't understand why people are being so snarky. If you want to brine your turkey longer, obviously, you've got to reduce the amount of salt in the brine. If you live in Florida (as--incidentally--I do), the garage may be warmer than 45 degrees in November. So obviously, you will need to use more ice, thereby watering...+READ
This is a nice, clear set of instructions. Thank you, Michael Chiarello! I don 't understand why people are being so snarky. If you want to brine your turkey longer, obviously, you've got to reduce the amount of salt in the brine. If you live in Florida (as--incidentally--I do), the garage may be warmer than 45 degrees in November. So obviously, you will need to use more ice, thereby watering down the brine more.
I don't think it is fair to ask Chef Chiarello to cover every eventuality. His instructions will work fine for most people, most places in the country.-COLLAPSE
NO BRINE WHINERS!
I didn't realize that garage temperatures were a uniform 45 degrees in November. And how convenient is a 12 hour brine duration. Lets see, I want to put the turkey in the oven at 2pm on Thanksiving day for a late dinner, that means i have to put it in the brine at 2am (after all he said no more, no less). Lets just say I am not impressed with the video.
Ice chests will work just fine in Florida, you just need to add more ice, and make sure the temperature of the brine doesn't get above 40 degrees.
Regarding how long you can brine, it depends upon how strong your brining solution is. I prefer to brine longer, in fact when in a hurry I have been known to thaw my bird in a brine, but for that I use a much weaker brine, at least as far as the salt...+READ
Ice chests will work just fine in Florida, you just need to add more ice, and make sure the temperature of the brine doesn't get above 40 degrees.
Regarding how long you can brine, it depends upon how strong your brining solution is. I prefer to brine longer, in fact when in a hurry I have been known to thaw my bird in a brine, but for that I use a much weaker brine, at least as far as the salt goes. The salt is really what is responsible for the brining action. The cell walls of the bird equalize the salt levels within and without, so with a weaker solution it is impossible to over-brine.
I must say, I really prefer a well-brined bird to one that has been injected with chemicals.-COLLAPSE
Okay Michael I apologize. We are referred to your website for measurements. However, what you say on the video and what your website recipe say are somewhat different.
The video suggests an ice chest...oh nevermind, I will just keep looking for brining answers.
I did not see any exact measurements.
Brining is great but he did not say how long is too long.
Today is Monday and I want to make my brining liquid today so that I can submerge the turkey breast on Tuesday and let it brine for 24 hours.
On Wednesday I will roast it .
Just me and the hubby so I figure we slice it on Thursday for our dinner.
Alton says you can brine for 48 hours. I am really...+READ
I did not see any exact measurements.
Brining is great but he did not say how long is too long.
Today is Monday and I want to make my brining liquid today so that I can submerge the turkey breast on Tuesday and let it brine for 24 hours.
On Wednesday I will roast it .
Just me and the hubby so I figure we slice it on Thursday for our dinner.
Alton says you can brine for 48 hours. I am really confused at this point.-COLLAPSE
Good night, what is it about this guy that just rubs me the wrong way?
"Stale water?" There's a new one. Yes, let's make sure to avoid that stale water when brining our frozen Butterball, which should never be brined in the first place. (I take that back if his was the "fresh," unsalted variety.)
The ice chest is fine advice if you're in part of the country where temperatures are in the 40s as...+READ
Good night, what is it about this guy that just rubs me the wrong way?
"Stale water?" There's a new one. Yes, let's make sure to avoid that stale water when brining our frozen Butterball, which should never be brined in the first place. (I take that back if his was the "fresh," unsalted variety.)
The ice chest is fine advice if you're in part of the country where temperatures are in the 40s as he says -- but what about those millions who aren't? My folks in Florida don't have an option like that.-COLLAPSE