Brining Options

Some people think that Pasture Raised poultry is drier than conventional (though this is not the case) and that is for several reasons, the main being that pastured meats cook much faster because of how they are raised and processed so they are sadly often served overdone. Another reason is that we do not put any additives in our poultry. That means no extra water, seasonings or salt is added at any time. We vacuum seal them while they are fresh and either sell them as is or deep freeze them to lock in the fresh flavor.

Brining is optional and is up to your creativity! We have personally enjoyed moist, Pasture Raised Turkeys both with and without a brine.

If you decide to brine, there can be three main benefits:

• First it helps ensure your turkey will be even more moist (even if you overcook it).
• Second, brining is said to help drive the herbs and your other added flavors deeper into the meat.
• Third, a brined bird usually produces more liquid during roasting for making delicious reduction sauces and gravies to go with the rest of your meal.

A Basic Wet Brine: Dissolve 1 cup sea (or other high quality) salt for every gallon of water. You can add to this various aromatics (onion, sage, thyme, rosemary) sugar or stock according to your creativity. How much solution you need is dependent on the size of your bird and the container it is being brined in. Place your thawed turkey (remove giblets first) into a clean bucket, pot or ice chest. Pour the brine solution over the top until it is just covered. Cover and place in a fridge for 12-24 hours. When ready to cook your bird, remove it from the brine. Discard the brining solution! It should not be reused for cooking. Rinse the bird thoroughly inside and out with cold water. Rinsing ensures that the juices produced during cooking won’t be too salty to use later for your gravy. (You can use the juice produced during cooking for gravy but not the brining solution.)

Dry Brine Rub: Stir seasoning mixture before using. Remove the giblets and pat the turkey dry. Using a hand, loosen the skin over the breast and separate it from the meat and rub the inside with seasoning mixture. Sprinkle the mixture into the cavity, onto the legs and skin. Bend the wings back and tuck under the breast. Place the turkey breast-side up and refrigerate uncovered in a pan for at least 1 day up to 3 days. Do not pat dry or rinse before cooking. Check out this instructional website with photos or this one as well.

We also offer a Seasoned Brining Mix at the farm during turkey pickup weekend as well as a Dry Brine Rub.