Help! Over-brined my turkey
OK, so I'm an idiot.
I am brining a turkey for an autumnal pot-luck this weekend. I was distracted last night when I threw the brine together, and it looks like I doubled the salt called for in the recipe (recipe called for 1 1/2 cups salt, I added 3 cups since all I had was kosher salt on hand. The notes I just saw in the recipe do specify kosher salt. D'oh!).
So, this turkey has been brining since about 5pm last night and it will be about 5pm before I can get home to take it out.
Too much salt + 24 hours in brine = ruined turkey? Any ideas on how to leech some salt from it, or do you think I should just roast it as is? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks!
-
Sandralini
Jan 22, 2011 06:41 AM
Just wanted to say, don't throw out your bird due to over-brining. Mine tuned out great and I had the turkey brining over 36 hours in 3 cups of that "Williams and Sonoma Brining Blend" and 2 gallons of water. The breast meat was perfect and the only salty meat was the wings. The turkey was juicy and everyone said it tasted great.
›1 Reply-
re: Sandralini
LiveRock
Jan 22, 2011 08:16 AM
I would probably buy another Turkey for the pot luck then try to rescue the over brined one for my own use. If it came out too salty then yes, soup would be a good way to go.
Another note on the gravy thing: I alway make gravy using the fat from the brined Turkey in my roux. I then use "some" of the juices from the turkey in the gravy along with some chicken stock to tone down the saltiness. The gravy is alway a hit!
Randy
-
-
bkhuna
Oct 17, 2008 08:45 PM
I don't think soaking the over brined bird in fresh water will do any good. Part of the magic of brining is that the protein molecules are "denatured" during the process. This changes the structure of the cell walls and allows the meat to retain the moisture during cooking.
I think that would hold in the sodium as well as the water that was absorbed during the brine. Give it try and let us know, but I think I would get a new bird also.
-
scubadoo97
Oct 17, 2008 06:28 PM
Okay now i don't feel so bad. I did the same thing with a chicken that I smoked. Posted about it a few days ago. I did come out OK but it was a dumb mistake that I won't make again.
-
-
-
jayt90
Oct 17, 2008 09:37 AM
After leeching out salt with water baths, test fry a small piece of meat, which you can cut from the neck area without ruining the appearance. Just make sure you cut a piece of meat extending as far as the bone. I think it might be OK, but you do need to test first. I have had salt cod refreshed in several changes of water that took about two days, but was fine.
›1 Reply -
Candy
Oct 17, 2008 08:53 AM
You have pretty much ruined your turkey. You could try soaking in plain cold water, changing the water every couple of hours to leach out the salt. You want to change the water frequently so that the salt that leaches out doesn't re-brine the bird. That will remove some of the saltiness but will not help with the texture. The salt will have entered the cells of the bird and have begun to break down the texture. Even with removing the salt you cannot repair the texture and it is going to be a bit mushy and soft.
-
i know in soup potatoes leach out salt. if you rinsed in fresh water and then soaked in fresh water with some cut up potatoes that might remove some. but i'm NO expert!
›2 Replies-
re: AMFM
sbp
Oct 17, 2008 09:00 AM
It may well be too salty. I've had some overbrined turkeys, and you definitely CAN overdo it.
Potatoes will absorb salt from the water, but won't make much difference re the turkey. If you simply re soak in fresh water (and change it out a few times), you'll reverse the osmosis. But I don't know if you have enough time.
-
