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Original poster

Nigella's brined turkey

59 replies

pippitysqueakity · 23/12/2017 14:49

Ok, have followed recipe, but needed loads more water to completely submerge the beast. Is now outside protected against animals etc. This just feels wrong...am scared! Can I cook tomorrow? Or do I leave it in brine till Xmas morning. Has anyone done this? Gulp.

OP posts:
gillyweed · 23/12/2017 14:53

Ahhhh I've just done the same thing! In a huge bucket and only just fits, covered and put in a freezing cold cellar by the back door. It just feels a bit wrong, like I'm cultivating food poisoning!

PantPlot · 23/12/2017 14:57

This will always remind me of Mick in Gavin & Stacey Grin

I brined mine one year- it was really, really cold I remember. It turned out lovely, but not worth the faff ultimately.

DramaAlpaca · 23/12/2017 14:57

Watching with interest as DS, who's a chef, is insisting we do ours that way this year. I'm nervous Grin

DS said to take it out of the brine and let it dry in the fridge before roasting it. I don't know any more than that though, and DS is still in bed sleeping off last night's Christmas party so I can't ask him yet.

myrtleWilson · 23/12/2017 14:59

I'm about to do ours but have just realised we're out of caraway seeds and so am back down to the supermarket sobs

LadyintheRadiator · 23/12/2017 15:01

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
pippitysqueakity · 23/12/2017 15:02

Glad I'm not alone...

OP posts:
UrsulaPandress · 23/12/2017 15:03

I did it one year and it made not a jot of difference.

ShatnersBassoon · 23/12/2017 15:06

DH did it one year, and it was absolutely no different in taste or texture to turkey prepared any other way. What a waste of a brand new B&Q orange bucket that was.

We didn't even bother pretending we could tell the difference.

TitsalinaBumSqoosh · 23/12/2017 15:14

I have all the ingredients apart from maple syrup will t still work? I only have a tiny turkey this year so it will brine in my giant stock pot.... I'm not sure I have anywhere cool to keep it though, unless I chill the kitchen right down...

user187656748 · 23/12/2017 15:19

another saying that we did this one year and couldn't tell the difference.

DramaAlpaca · 23/12/2017 15:20

Right. Having read the comments above I've had a chat with DH and we've decided we're overuling DS and cooking the turkey the traditional way.

Original poster
pippitysqueakity · 23/12/2017 16:44

How long should it stay out for?

OP posts:
TrickOrRuddyTreat · 23/12/2017 16:45

Mine went in its bucket today too! I'm a bit freaked out about the suggested cooking time though, its a good hour shorter than the packaging suggests - that cant be right can it?!?

Original poster
pippitysqueakity · 23/12/2017 16:47

Not ignoring those that say doesn't make a difference, but it's done now, just worried about next step😳😀

OP posts:
Tw1nsetAndPearls · 23/12/2017 16:51

We brine ours every year. I do it in the coolbox. We think it doesn't make a difference but last year DH didn't bother and it wasn't as nice.

Not a lot of faff and had become a bit of a tradition

brizzledrizzle · 23/12/2017 16:52

We do our turkey like this, it's always been fine and we've never had food poisoning. I wouldn't put the turkey in water in the kitchen though, I'd take the water outside and do it, nor would I wash the turkey in the kitchen.

KarlosKKrinkelbeim · 23/12/2017 16:54

I am dry brining mine. That basically means it’s been rubbed with salt And left to sit in fridge

SanitaFannyWelly · 23/12/2017 16:59

I’m dry brining too, my first time cooking a turkey aswell I’m more than a bit worried about ruining it! 😕

TrickOrRuddyTreat · 23/12/2017 16:59

I was going to try dry brining but I wasn't sure it'd work with a frozen turkey, plus I've used Nigella's brine on a turkey crown before and it came out delicious.

mullmepopcorn · 23/12/2017 17:00

We've done it several times. You don't need to be fussy about the brine ingredients- you can leave stuff out and swap stuff. As long as the sugar/salt is there it is fine.

We love the difference it makes. Cooks quicker, moister, and with a very subtle herb/spice flavour.

Take it out of the brine the night before to dry out a bit and let it get up to room temperature before cooking in the morning. It will be fine on the side overnight, as long as your kitchen isn't very warm.

FannyFanakapan · 23/12/2017 17:02

did this several years ago - the cooking times were completely off, our turkey was bleeding, we had to put it back in for another 2 hours!

TrickOrRuddyTreat · 23/12/2017 17:04

did this several years ago - the cooking times were completely off, our turkey was bleeding, we had to put it back in for another 2 hours!

Noooo! This is what worries me!

MaidenMotherCrone · 23/12/2017 17:08

I'm having a go at brining a turkey crown this year and I'm a bit concerned about the timings.

My extensive research quick google suggests

Under 4kg it's 20 mins/kg plus 70 mins
Over 4kg it's 20 mins/kg plus 90 mins

Does that sound correct though?

Arrrrg you try and do something different for a change and just end up stressed.

myrtleWilson · 23/12/2017 17:09

its our first year but friends who have done it this way have said the timings are fine - it unnerves you but they're good (unless you've put loads of stuffing in, in which case you'll need to calculate for that extra weight too!)

haggisaggis · 23/12/2017 17:10

I’ve done it for about the last 5 years! Turkey always nice and moist. If I don’t have all the spices I just leave them out. I do find it cooks really quickly.