Nigella's brined turkey

[pippitysqueakity]

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.

That fits with the timing suggested on the packet of my turkey MaidenMotherCrone but it's an hour longer than Nigella suggests!

Do you find Nigella's timing correct then haggisaggis ?

also our roasting life became a WHOLE lot less stressful when we bought a meat thermometer... marvellous invention... Nigella's recipe says that the turkey will be done at 71°C...

Maiden - I found those timings on a google search for crown but not brined crown - a BBC recipe for brined crown was coming in less time than that...

I'm so glad you said that myrtleWilson, I've just bought a meat thermometer

I have a meat thermometer to check but always find Nigella's timings to be correct.

It also depends on the fat within the turkey according to the internet ( I don't know if this is true). Apparently free range birds have more fat and this conducts the heat better.

I found the timings on Alex James' Brined Turkey Crown.

I'll look again somewhere else!

I roasted a turkey a few weeks ago for family who wouldn't be around for Christmas Day. I put a wireless meat thermometer (usually used for bbqing) in the thickest part of the breast so I could keep an eye on cooking progress and found that it cooked an hour quicker than the packaging indicated. Honestly, every single bird is slightly different so the only way you can get it bang on every time is with a thermometer.

Are the juices from the bird still ok for gravy or are they too salty?

Nigella's Christmas book says the juices are too salty and just use a tablespoon or two of them - she suggests an all spice gravy but I'm going for a Nigel Slater onion/porcini gravy made using veg/chicken wings/turkey giblets instead. Having said that I had a thread on this question the other day and someone posted saying the brined turkey juices would be fine....

If the turkey is still really cold from the brine it will take longer to cook. It needs to get to room temperature.

We do this for our turkey. Turns out nice and timings are about right too.

The allspice gravy is really nice too

We do this. Turkey has gone in the brine today and is in a cold cellar. Timings are always fine and the turkey is delicious.

I did it one year when we were spending more at b&q every month than food. Americans apparently swear by brining and as they are probably experts on the dubject thanks to Thanksgiving, I gave it a go.

It honestly made no difference to my supermarket turkey so haven't bothered since.

I’m planning on doing this to but wasn’t going to put it in the bucket until tmw evening. Should it be in already?

Turkey brine is on! Fingers crossed for Monday!

Apparently the type of turkey you have affects cooking time,a slow grown turkey will take less cooking than a fast growing one. Apparently it's due to the amount of fat in the flesh.

How are you managing if you don’t have somewhere “really cold” to put your soaking turkey. It’s 11°here and it feels like a recipe for food posioning to leave a turkey in the garage over night.

Ive done it in the past and it was the juciest turkey weve had - just cant be arsed most years! You cant use the cooking juices for gravy as they are too salty - i tried it once and it was gross.

I always thought the safe temperature for poultry was to cook to 75C. I'd love to bribe a turkey but my mum is cooking and she's not that adventurous.

Lol at bribing a turkey. Not sure that saltwater is going to be that pursuasive

If you get the brine really cold before you start- add ice, or make ahead and freeze, then a large bucket of iced salt water and chilled bird won't hit dangerous temperatures before you cook it.

I do it, although I don’t always use sea salt and I substitute extra honey for the maple syrup. I’ve also left odd items out if I haven’t got them, I usually put extra oranges in as well.
I keep mine in the kitchen and have never had any issues.
I do use delia’s timings for cooking though.

How did everyone's turkeys work out? I was pleased with ours - although it was the first turkey I've cooked so my range of comparison is pretty limited probably could have taken it out 10/15 mins before I did to be honest and have tonnes left but all round thumbs up to nigella from this house!

I have a new oven which cooks faster than i realised. I overcooked ours slightly - it could probably have done in about 15 minutes less /l- so about 1 hour 45 for a 4 kg turkey - or maybe even less

Ours turned out alright. The legs were the juiciest. The breast was a bit dry but I think it was my fault. After cooking I left it in the oven and went back to bed instead of covering it and putting in a warm place.

Also like others, I was nervous about the timings so added 30mins but I think it was not required.