[Sca-cooks] Early turkey brining results...

[Phil Troy/ G. Tacitus Adamantius]

Hullo, the list!

I just got in, and thought people would like to know that the brining
thing was successful; I didn't find the meat a whole lot juicier; but
there was a textural difference. I can only describe it as similar to
the mouth feel difference between fresh pork and ham. It was similar
to smoked turkey, in that it was [very] mildly cured, just not
actually smoked. If that makes any sense.

I finally used a variant of the Alton Brown brine, making 1.5 gallons
with water, Kosher salt, brown sugar, mace, peppercorns, and cloves.
I actually left it in the brine longer than most authorities
recommend (around 12 hours), but it was still quite mild. All in all,
very nice.

Meat roasted on top of a bed of standard mirepoix (onion, carrot,
celery, 2:1:1) with whole, fresh sage branches laid on top, basted
with a tiny bit of olive oil.

Since I was packing this to travel a short distance, I put the hot
meat (when done) on large squares of heavy-duty plaswrap, rolling it
up and sealing tightly (remember this was mostly boneless; I had four
boneless roasts that each looked like a beef tenderloin made out of
turkey and skin, and four lower wing sections). The heat kind of
shrank the plastic wrap, sealing everything in, and by the time I was
at my destination and ready to carve, the skin had softened up enough
to slice easily with a sharp, non-fluted knife.

Overall, quite a successful evening, even when we sat in the dining
room with the lights off, telling stories with a flashlight held
under our chins...

Adamantius