Butterball HELP!
Im 24 and this is MY first thanksgiving. I want the turkey to be amazing so I found this brine recipe I was going to use. I bought a Butterball, but someone just said to NEVER brine a butterball....are they right??? To brine or not to brine....THAT is the question!
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11 Comments:
Personally, I would not brine a Butterball. Butterball turkeys have already been injected with a brine solution to keep them moist while baking. Additional brining may make the turkey too salty, or it will be a big waste of time - the turkey muscle has probably already taken up all the salt it can.
Brining works for an organic, free-range turkey. They tend to be tougher and gamier than a Butterball (or Honeysuckle White, or Riverside, or ...) and need some help in the flavor and tenderness department.
As far as cooking the turkey, relax. Just follow the directions on the wrapper and use an instant read thermometer to check for doneness (do not rely on the pop-up thermometer in the turkey). Forget about all the 'tips' people make for now. Butterball has been making turkeys for years and have spent millions of dollars and have cooked millions of turkeys to make sure their turkeys are foolproof and great tasting for us every-day cooks. After you have cooked several turkeys, then you can start experimenting with flavors and other techniques.
Congratulations on your first turkey!!! Dinner will be great, your turkey will be wonderful, and the most important part of the day is enjoying time together with family and friends.
Michigander at 11:44PM on 11/25/08
I think the Butterball is basically pre-brined. Not really soaked in brine maybe, but injected with brine. Doesn't the package say something like "up to ____% added ingredients to increase tenderness...." or something like that?
Good luck with your first Thanksgiving! Remember to enjoy it too.
Blue Iris at 11:44PM on 11/25/08
Do not brine the butterball. Just baste it. Next time if you want to brine buy a fresh turkey. Good Luck. Stop worrying everything will be fine.
JerzeeTomato at 1:03AM on 11/26/08
Thanks guys! Im not gonna brine, but can u come up with a tasty rub or something?
kellyporter at 1:37AM on 11/26/08
According to Butterball's web site the ingredients for their frozen whole turkey does include a brine. However, for their fresh whole turkey and fresh Li'l Butterballs the only ingredient listed is turkey. So it depends on which one you bought.
For a rub I'd use whatever herbs and spices that are in the stuffing ... or that you wish were in the stuffing if you don't have any stuffing but really wanted some stuffing ...
LunaPierCook at 6:03AM on 11/26/08
Yeah, don't brine it. However, you could make a compound butter and put it under the skin of the turkey. I'm making one this year that has butter, maple syrup, shallots, garlic, black pepper and herbs (sage, thyme and rosemary). Good luck!
Amandarama at 7:56AM on 11/26/08
Any spices on the outside are fine if you are gonna cook the stuffing separately I recommend on putting a cut up onion , some celery and even a 1/4 ered orange inside for good flavor. (P.S. dont forget to remove the neck and giblets they put inside and sometimes under the little bumb spot)
joanpieroni2 at 8:43AM on 11/26/08
The "don't brine the Butterball" is bunk. That's precisely what I used last year, as we had no money to spend, and the frozen Butterball was free from DH's work. I didn't want to give up my brined turkey, so I did it anyway.
The turkey was fantastic, and didn't taste overly salty in any way. I did use the plain old "soaked in a solution" turkey and didn't have a problem. In the past I've also brined the incredibly cheap supermarket turkey, again, no problem.
Do what you'd like, the turkey police won't come after you. :-)
ErikaWaz at 10:31AM on 11/26/08
@ErikaWaz, bravo!!! (clap-clap-clap!!)
LunaPierCook at 10:36AM on 11/26/08
@joanpieroni2 - out of curiosity - why no stuffing w/ a rub?
katarina_santiago at 11:27AM on 11/26/08
I also have brined a Butterball turkey with a salt and brown sugar solution, not overnight, just for about 4-5 hours on the day. It turned out great, and plan on doing it again this year. No stuffing, dressing on the side. Butter, salt, red pepper, black pepper (and sage? can't remember) rub. It almost makes a sweet n spicy turkey, and definately moist.
erinlovestoeat at 11:40AM on 11/26/08