Can I Brine My Turkey and Use a Rub or Injection Marinade? (2024)

FAQs

Can I Brine My Turkey and Use a Rub or Injection Marinade? ›

While properly brining a turkey won't make it too salty, it does add salt to the meat. If you then add a salty rub or injection marinade you can end up with a turkey too salty to eat. For this reason, if you are brining your bird, make sure you rinse it thoroughly after it comes out of the brine.

You can enjoy the best of both worlds by using a dry brine to flavor the exterior of your turkey before using an injection to send seasonings deep into the meat.

Want to season the steaks as well as dry brine? No problem as long as your rub or seasoning is very low on salt. I often use my original rub and/or Texas style rub during the dry brining process since they are very low on salt.

If you have a favorite spice blend, you can feel free to rub it on or mix it with butter. Just avoid adding more salt, she notes, since you already salted the bird during the brining process.

Brining takes longer than marinating, as the salt needs more time to work on the meat and get through the bird. Marinating typically only reaches into the first quarter inch of the meat. During brining, the turkey absorbs extra moisture, which helps it stay juicy.

Instead of a traditional wet brine, I recommend dry-brining. It's easier, nearly as effective at helping maintain juiciness, and far better for flavor. To do it, just rub your turkey with salt and let it sit in the fridge overnight (or up to three days). That's it.

Remember to use injection marinades several hours before you start cooking the turkey. The earlier the meat is injected before roasting, the better the flavor will be in the end.

Unlike a dry brine, which stays on a piece of meat for a long period of time before being rinsed off, a dry rub is usually applied to meat shortly before it is cooked.

Furthermore, if you rub a right quantity, you might get a protection crust, keeping all the juices inside. And depending on the rub's ingredients, the meat will come to caramelize easier. Though, unlike the liquid marinade, dry rub doesn't tenderize meat. It only adds flavours on the surface.

Don't rinse it. After a few days, the salt will have done its job. There's no need to rinse the bird because there shouldn't be any salt residue on the outside of the skin (though there may be residual spices or herbs if you used them—feel free to leave them or brush them off).

Do you rinse off a turkey after brining? ›

According to a study by the food safety experts at the USDA, washing or rinsing raw turkey can put you at risk of foodborne illness. There's only one time you should wash a raw turkey, and that is after brining. Otherwise, do not wash a turkey before cooking.

After 12 to 18 hours, remove the turkey, dry carefully with paper towels, and roast. For crisper skin, brine a couple days in advance, and let your turkey air-dry at least overnight and up to two nights, uncovered, in the refrigerator on a rack set in a rimmed baking sheet.

A few crucial things to keep in mind: First, drying the bird well after brining is key to crispy skin. Brown also starts his turkey on high heat (500°), which helps dry out the skin and get it well on its way to golden.

Second, brining robs your bird of flavor. Think about it: Your turkey is absorbing water, and holding on to it. That means that that extra 30 to 40% savings in moisture loss doesn't really come in the form of turkey juices—it's plain old tap water.

While properly brining a turkey won't make it too salty, it does add salt to the meat. If you then add a salty rub or injection marinade you can end up with a turkey too salty to eat. For this reason, if you are brining your bird, make sure you rinse it thoroughly after it comes out of the brine.

Yes you can just brine, dry rub, inject AND OR deep fry this recipe. You'll find any of all options or one way wonderful."

A: If your turkey has been pre-injected with a solution (as is common with many store-bought turkeys), you can still use this dry-brined recipe effectively.

If you want juicy meat, basting the bird won't help—brining or salting it is what guarantees moist turkey. In fact, every time you baste the bird, the juices merely run along the skin rather than actually infusing the meat. Basting is for your comfort, not the turkey's.

If you stuff your brined bird, you'll be in good company. I have done it; recipe editor Bonnie S. Benwick has done it; Martha Stewart has done it.