Comments on: The Judy Bird: Dry Brining Your Turkey. (PS You Should Start Today) http://food.lohudblogs.com/2009/11/23/the-judy-bird-dry-brining-your-turkey-ps-you-should-start-today/ Food Finds in the Lower Hudson Valley Fri, 10 Feb 2012 19:40:53 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Liz Johnson http://food.lohudblogs.com/2009/11/23/the-judy-bird-dry-brining-your-turkey-ps-you-should-start-today/comment-page-1/#comment-13525 Liz Johnson Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:50:31 +0000 http://lizjohnson.lohudblogs.com/?p=9314#comment-13525 Hey Michele, I suppose that's in the realm of possibility, but if you start early enough I don't see it happening. Here's a kind of similar question on the Q&A on the Times site: Does dry-brined turkey taste salty? No, it merely tastes well-seasoned. You only use a little more salt than you normally would, and because the salt is absorbed into the meat rather than sitting on the surface, the saltiness is mitigated. Makes me think that if you did start too late or use too much salt that if you just brushed off the extra you might be OK. I HAVE had pork and chicken that I've left in the brine too long and it became too salty, though. So hard to know. Maybe you could ask Russ? There's also a Thanksgiving 101 on the NY Times' Diner's Journal Blog: http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/tag/thanksgiving/?hp And on food52's Web site: http://www.food52.com/blog/250_thanksgiving_911 Hey Michele,
I suppose that’s in the realm of possibility, but if you start early enough I don’t see it happening. Here’s a kind of similar question on the Q&A on the Times site:

Does dry-brined turkey taste salty? No, it merely tastes well-seasoned. You only use a little more salt than you normally would, and because the salt is absorbed into the meat rather than sitting on the surface, the saltiness is mitigated.

Makes me think that if you did start too late or use too much salt that if you just brushed off the extra you might be OK.

I HAVE had pork and chicken that I’ve left in the brine too long and it became too salty, though. So hard to know. Maybe you could ask Russ?

There’s also a Thanksgiving 101 on the NY Times’ Diner’s Journal Blog: http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/tag/thanksgiving/?hp

And on food52’s Web site: http://www.food52.com/blog/250_thanksgiving_911

]]> By: michele http://food.lohudblogs.com/2009/11/23/the-judy-bird-dry-brining-your-turkey-ps-you-should-start-today/comment-page-1/#comment-13524 michele Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:36:37 +0000 http://lizjohnson.lohudblogs.com/?p=9314#comment-13524 Could you make a mistake and end up with an extremely salty bird? Could you make a mistake and end up with an extremely salty bird?

]]> By: Liz Johnson http://food.lohudblogs.com/2009/11/23/the-judy-bird-dry-brining-your-turkey-ps-you-should-start-today/comment-page-1/#comment-13523 Liz Johnson Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:55:31 +0000 http://lizjohnson.lohudblogs.com/?p=9314#comment-13523 Hey Phyllis! On the Q&A that I linked to above, Russ says that the kosher turkeys aren't the same because there's only a little salt ... just enough to remove the blood, as you mention. Though I think salting does make food taste better, the chemistry of brining also makes the meat juicier. From the Q&A: How does brining work? Without getting all Mr. Science-y: During cooking, the protein strands in muscles tighten, squeezing out liquid. The salt in a brine solution changes the chemistry of the protein in a way that allows it to retain more moisture during cooking. But regardless ... if I'm fooled or if it's truly chemistry (and extra salt!), the Judy Bird is so delicious that I'm stickin' to it! Hey Phyllis! On the Q&A that I linked to above, Russ says that the kosher turkeys aren’t the same because there’s only a little salt … just enough to remove the blood, as you mention.

Though I think salting does make food taste better, the chemistry of brining also makes the meat juicier.

From the Q&A:

How does brining work? Without getting all Mr. Science-y: During cooking, the protein strands in muscles tighten, squeezing out liquid. The salt in a brine solution changes the chemistry of the protein in a way that allows it to retain more moisture during cooking.

But regardless … if I’m fooled or if it’s truly chemistry (and extra salt!), the Judy Bird is so delicious that I’m stickin’ to it!

]]> By: phyllis segura http://food.lohudblogs.com/2009/11/23/the-judy-bird-dry-brining-your-turkey-ps-you-should-start-today/comment-page-1/#comment-13522 phyllis segura Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:28:12 +0000 http://lizjohnson.lohudblogs.com/?p=9314#comment-13522 Couldn't you just buy a kosher turkey or chicken and have the same results? A kosher turkey would already have been salted. Essentially, you are only adding a salty flavor. This practice was started centuries ago to eliminate the blood in animals to be consumed and as a preservative. Salt also cleanses. As for taste, salt fools the tongue, and mind, so the turkey doesn't really taste better but your taste buds, so called, find the saltiness to be a pleasing flavor and fool you into believing the taste of the turkey is better. It's all delusion anyway, so enjoy! Couldn’t you just buy a kosher turkey or chicken and have the same results? A kosher turkey would already have been salted. Essentially, you are only adding a salty flavor. This practice was started centuries ago to eliminate the blood in animals to be consumed and as a preservative. Salt also cleanses. As for taste, salt fools the tongue, and mind, so the turkey doesn’t really taste better but your taste buds, so called, find the saltiness to be a pleasing flavor and fool you into believing the taste of the turkey is better. It’s all delusion anyway, so enjoy!

]]>