If you brine turkey, try overcooking it!

[@kruksog]

I worked at a restaurant where, for all meats that needed to be cooked above 145 deg f, we brined them and then just encouraged the cooks to go fast and hard and not worry about screaming past the temp to 170 or 180. It actually worked really well.

[@sariahmarier42]

Ditto. We did the same where I worked.

[@imitationcrabmeat9901]

This is my favorite type of information. I don’t know how to classify it, but collecting certain tidbits like this really triggers my hunter-gatherer brain.

[@Levacque]

Sounds like a fantastic way to make a pork chop in particular, but of course I bet it was working with all kinds of cuts.

[@tsloth1390]

@@Levacque good pork chops don’t need to be cooked past 145 though. I usually go to 140 myself. Brined and hard and fast is good though

[@sariahmarier42]

@Levacque In restaurant cooking, different cuts, bone in and out, are still relatively consistent in portion sizes. Pork responds especially well to brining and when cooked or "over cooked" still remains moist and tender. Also, in restaurant cooking it's common to use a heated cast iron weight (typically with a grill pattern), in home cooking a small cast iron pan will do the same job. It retains all the heat which rises and helps cook meats from both sides, retaining the shape and recirculating the steam/moisture. *Hard and fast*

[@acakeshapedlikeatrainonatable]

Adam, try MSG in your brine solution, it is one of the molecules that can penetrate deeply due to the polar nature of MSG

[@beemoescarmew]

what's the ratio you'd reccomend?

[@j__Shaww]

@@beemoescarmew all of it

[@acakeshapedlikeatrainonatable]

@@beemoescarmew I'd recommend cutting the amount of salt you would normally use with about 30% msg

[@whiskeychicken]

I did a turkey brine with MSG yesterday because of your comment, cooking it today, can't wait to see the end result!

[@jeevongrewal8301]

@@whiskeychickenplease keep us updated!

[@yourguysheppy]

Always appreciate Adam's endeavors to make the Thanksgiving turkey as stress-free as possible

[@DoodleDooAnimations]

Adam, I’m Liking These Occasional Saturday Uploads!

[@willdbeast1523]

If you don't have ice pack things and don't want to dilute the brine just freeze some brinecubes. They won't freeze quite as well as fresh water but 3% solution freezes at about -2.5C so it's definitely doable in a normal freezer. Then you can put a bunch of ice in to keep it cool with no worries about strength. Just don't accidentally put them in cocktails!

[@howycwap]

just freeze some ziploc bags full of water

[@willdbeast1523]

@@howycwap that's actually a lot better, as long as you have decent ones that seal properly

[@VirakNgauv]

I like this idea! with the bags, I have to worry if they are going to pop or leak.

[@pfshowalter]

Or just make the starting brine more concentrated to account for the dilution.

[@alantremonti1381]

As a recent refrigeration engineer, this is fascinating lol.

[@jeannamcgregor9967]

I did the brine & spatchcock thing last Thanksgiving, following the Samin Nosrat method for buttermilk chicken, and a 70 year old friend said it was the best turkey he'd ever had. That's a lot of turkeys. I think I did overcook it a bit and I'm doing this every year from now on.

[@ecta9604]

Oh HELL yes, I love that buttermilk chicken recipe. We’ve got a combo instant pot/air fryer that we usually cook it in, and finishing it with the air fryer is fantastic. Did you brine the turkey in buttermilk as well? Full buttermilk or did you dilute it a bit to save $$$?

[@relaxingcurve4954]

he might say that to everyone tho

[@jeannamcgregor9967]

@@ecta9604 Diluted...maybe a quart of buttermilk and the enough salted water to cover the bird.

[@whysitthat3515]

Adam’s turkey videos are for some reason the ones I love watching throughout the year. Glad to see another one that’s directly supporting the channel!

[@evansimon8913]

Adam, you mentioned something very important about the gravy, namely with regard to making the gravy out of stuff that wasn't brined. My mom pretty much always brines her turkeys, but she makes the gravy out of giblet stock. she then adds that to the drippings and just uses more roux so it can thicken everything (she ends up with like a quart of giblet stock. lots of gravy!), and it's perfect. Doesn't usually need salt, but it's never too salty.

[@ibemanny99]

Just popping up to say the deboning video for Turkey you did changed my life 🙌🏾🔥 I’m gonna be doing that forever! Thank you!

[@ParadiseNigh]

I absolutely adore Lauren peaking in for the taste tests, especially the "Why? I will explain to the viewers!" part. I can tell that y'all have truly been through thick and thin as a couple, and I love that. I also love that, as a food tuber, you're not afraid to contradict yourself and your past beliefs about certain food techniques that you were once weary of once you find the way to use them that you like. For how elitist the culinary world can be, I consider that a virtue- and this is coming from someone who gave up on being a chef yet has been in the service industry for his entire work life. Don't stop doing you, mate.

[@OrigamiMarie]

I like the whole "update: this way's better" vibe.

[@f.demascio1857]

Great video and explanations, as usual. You have become my replacement for Alton Brown. Ive been brining the holiday bird using Mr. Brown's method for over 10 years now. 24 hour brine 1st hour @ 375 f Last hours @ 250 f Always delicious. I think your "overcooking" is absolutely the best.

[@johnwilliamson2276]

I cook at a restaurant (18) years. We cook our turkey in about a 1.5 of water sealed with cling wrap and foil till it’s 200 degrees Fahrenheit. That way it just slides off the bones. Nothing is wasted. You still get the drippings for gravy. I cooked in the Marine Corps for 4 years also.

[@jaktwo]

this new style of videos feels so genuine and good... like damn dude i love it!!!

[@toin9898]

I just can't get behind a wet brine in this day and age. Dry brined turkey is consistently the tastiest turkey I've ever had AND it's easier to fit in the fridge so you don't have to get creative with keeping it cool.

[@Great_Olaf5]

Ah, the Egyptian method.

[@dtemp132]

I figure this overcooking method would also work with dry-brined turkey but I'm not certain?

[@DirkDjently]

@@dtemp132 I'd be concerned that a dry brine wouldn't carry the salt as deep into the meat as the wet brine, which would mean less of the dissolved protein gel would form, which would mean the overcooking would dry it out more than the wet brine. but I could be wrong, that's just my intuition

[@joaopedroleite8998]

This was the first thing I thought when I saw one of Adam's turkey videos from years ago when it said one of the reasons to not do a brine is lack of space and a container big enough. The only reason I see to wet brine any poultry is if it's skinless, then the surface could get dry, but that can be solved by putting it in a lidded Tupperware.

[@Great_Olaf5]

@@joaopedroleite8998 What the heck kind of lidded tupperware do you have that could fit a whole turkey?! We've got one in the basement freezer that's about the size of a beach ball (a turkey, not a container).

[@OmegaGamingNetwork]

Years ago I bought a pair of "monster" scissors off Amazon on a bit of a whim. There are bunches of designs at this point but they make Spatching turkey much easier because of the increased leverage. Cuts through chicken like warm butter as well. Honestly I almost never use my regular kitchen shears at this point except for really small things.

[@dirtydan1212]

i love adam for saying in the first 5 seconds "this video is an ad". transparency is amazing

[@PattiWinker]

Me, too. 👍

[@McFlingleson]

That close up shot of the dog drooling was funny to me.

[@TheSlayerV1]

It is awesome that Adam demonstrates these simple and different methods of cooking Turkey as Thanksgiving approaches.

[@mistertestsubject]

Will, I, an Australian cook a whole turkey probably ever? No, why on earth would I? I still watch every video about cooking turkey that comes up in my feed though.

[@AlRoderick]

I also wonder what kind of power tools it would take to spatchcock an emu, as I recall you tried to do it with machine guns but that didn't pan out.

[@mistertestsubject]

@@AlRoderick I'd love people at large to have an original thought regarding Australia.

[@mistertestsubject]

@@AlRoderick we have a cull that doesn't go to plan in the 30's and now it's all anybody ever brings up. Bloody yanks.

[@sammylvr7912]

@@mistertestsubject that would require us to think about Australia in any capacity

[@mistertestsubject]

@sammylvr7912 I'm good not being in your thoughts mate. Thanks.

[@christopherashby8256]

I'm a huge fan of turkey, Particularly smoking them. It's such an underrated meat and I love how cheap it gets in November and fill my freezer up with them to have throughout the year. But the little bits of tlc you do like brining, seasoning, and using a meat thermometer really pay off. It can be less forgiving than chicken or pork. Some other things that help are spatchcocking big birds so they cook more evenly and have more surface area for seasoning. I also like to brine the turkey frozen in a cooler and thaw it in the brine for around 24 hours and this helps keep it safe during the brine while also saving time. Spraying a little cooking spray on the skin a couple times during the cook can help crisp it too. If you don't brine it be sure to pull it at 160. People wait on the temperature probe to pop and it's usually overdone and the breast is dry at that point but I'll definitely try cooking it to a higher temp next time with the brine.

[@KevinMckenna-o9q]

Another excellent and educational video! I really appreciate all of your turkey content. I feel like your videos are my go-tos for Thanksgiving. I will be trying this method soon.

[@DeIta.]

Interesting strategy, let’s see if it plays out Oh, interesting, so that whole “brining alters the proteins and makes them retain moisture” actually has benefits in overcooking! Sweet! Amazing video as always, hope your holiday season will turn out great.

[@wabbasMEpern]

Hope you're doing better, Adam. Glad you are uploading still.

[@williamaitken7533]

Normally I'm a little hesitant about sponsored content. But this is genuinely transformative. You're taking a product as part of the sponsorship and demonstrating how to better use it. That's really fantastic and deserves praise and attention! This is the kind of stuff that other creators should be emulating.

[@lanceperfect]

TIL we've been "overcooking" our Thanksgiving turkey for years. Glad you rediscovered it and approve. In addition to a brine a couple days before, I recommend an herb butter rub the day before. It's a bit of a pain getting it under the skin but worth it. Indeed, the main issue with a brined bird is the gravy (and stuffing) turns out overly salty, so we tend to use a lower salt content brine, use unsalted butter for the rub, base the gravy largely on other parts like the neck, and generally lower any additional salt (e.g., not adding it to the stuffing or herb butter rub).

[@gregmuon]

I'm sure I'm not the only one who remembers when everyone cooked their turkeys to 180F. This was before TV celebrity chefs.

[@CBMX_GAMING]

My favorite time of year is when the food KZbinr avengers come together with all of their turkey recipes, and then I have to choose one to try... lol

[@natedetailscars]

Hard for people to skip the ad when the whole video is an ad. My man Adam is playing 4D KZbin survival chess.

[@RunnerLogan]

Always informative AND entertaining. Love the use of dog slobber to get your point across.

[@CuteLittleHen]

It's that time of year again for weekly turkey content! Love it!

[@STONERETTE916]

This guy has saved so many folks and made so many of us legends in the kitchen. Thank you sir

[@JorgTheElder]

Another great video, thank you. I always like the texture of turkey when it is cooked longer.

[@TheDinkcool]

I've found that your turkey gravy method actually works really well with a brined turkey when you use a liquid with zero salt in it (in my case homemade stock). But I also like my food really salty so this might not work for normal people.

[@FatherOfAlways]

Adam, your videos are getting better and better, keep up the good work. But please turn the mic gain down a couple of notches. The peaks are killing me.

[@joebufford2972]

I bet your dog always has a big drool string from his mouth because you're always cooking the most savory dishes I've ever seen 🍽️🤤

[@jacquespoulemer3577]

Adam Loren and hey you guyssss. I always make my stocks without salt and always have salt free versions in the freezer (various birds, pork and veggie). perhaps some wine would cut down the salt. If I'm going to do a big holiday meal (which I really don't do anymore) I would be collecting stock and fats and pastry shells and raw cookies portioned out to make the cooking that last week and the very day as quick as possible. Enjoy the holidays everyone. Jim retired Mexico

[@mjr8550]

I'm really glad I happened upon this video before Thanksgiving this year. For the past several years I have dry brined my turkey, and it was definitely good but I too had been slightly bothered by the "lunch meat" texture that results from brining the appropriate length of time. Yesterday for Thanksgiving, I dry brined & cooked my white meat to ~175F & dark meat to ~200F and was pleasantly surprised that the meat was still juicy. The "lunch meat" squishiness was gone and the turkey was much closer to its traditional texture. Without a brine, I'll be staying at 150-155 in the breast, but dry brining I'll be going hotter from now on!

[@chrisrockzo89]

As always, i love your content. Hi Lauren! Seeing both of you on video always makes me smile.

[@azimaze8811]

I love your videos adam I get a rush of joy everytime i see one of your iconic and aesthetic thumbnails. I know the holidays are coming up, do you think you could apply the same method to a lamb leg, ooo roasted lamb leg with a brine and maybe a mint sauce, with roasted potatoes in the fat? I would love to see this happen Keep up the amazing videos !!!

[@KWade-bt4dc]

I'm notably not Adam, but he rarely responds to his comment section these days, so feel free to disregard but here's my two cents. I haven't generally seen people brine red meat like lamb or beef in this way as they aren't prone to drying out. You probably could do this, but it seems rather unnecessary as Lamb usually roasts just fine on its own.

[@ElNeroDiablo]

@@KWade-bt4dc I mean, the chunk of cow called "Silverside" (US "Outside Round" or "Bottom Round") is used for Corned Beef/Salt Beef, and is such a common thing here in Australia, NZ, Ireland & South Africa that "Silverside" refers to the cut of meat for cooking and the cooked product (often sliced in a Deli section of the grocery store), whilst South Africa also uses it for their dried & cured "Biltong".

[@Corrodias]

A lot of steak enthusiasts like to say that a well-done beef steak is too dry, so there may yet be potential for brining those.

[@potapotapotapotapotapota]

I love that tip where you cover the white meat, I do that in the kitchen when cooking chicken breast by itself to retain juiciness

[@FrankPerkins]

We brine our turkey every year for Thanksgiving. A few years back we totally lost track of time and thought we ruined everything by over cooking the turkey for at least an hour. To our surprise, it was perfectly fine without any issues!

[@Groovebot3k]

1:15 If you have a decent enough bread knife, you can perform basic poultry surgery almost as effectively, folks! I've been using mine for the last few turkeys because a spatchcocked turkey takes up way less space and time to cook!

[@javaskull88]

This old bird learned a new trick. Last year, at age 61, I finally brined my first Turkey and omigosh, it was the best Turkey I’d ever made, the best Turkey I’ve ever eaten. I am fully converted!

[@bigalbbq4597]

Great vid, as always! Lauren is always a good addition to your vids, good to see you both. I noticed the over cooked bird was on the right, possibly a new line of merch coming in the near future? lol! Also, OXO needs to send you a new meat thermometer. Battery is getting low. ;)

[@rogueapparatus6414]

Made it again this year for Christmas and it doesn't disappoint! Everyone thought I was crazy going up to 175 and cooking so hot. It was fantastic

[@kaneSbreh]

Thank you for always teaching and inspiring me Adam!

[@moistnuggests]

I've also recently started playing around with brines and found that lower salinity but longer brine time actually works pretty well.

[@christophertstone]

Absolutely love when Adam makes a video about something I already knew. Been doing this for a few years, particularly when smoking a chicken or turkey. Great stuff!

[@felipea.barretto7503]

Love the Lauren appearances!

[@paulbrusuelas6706]

Hi Adam - I agree using sciccors on turkey is a lot of work. I found a few years ago that using a sturdy serrated knife, like a quality bread knife, works wonders at sawing through the bone.

[@gregpetersen8523]

Sawzall works better yet!

[@JasonDavis-cl5sx]

Love Lauren's Bitter Southerner shirt!

[@sariahmarier42]

Hey, Adam... In restaurant cooking we always brined our pork chops. Different cuts, bone in and out, are still relatively consistent in portion sizes and pork responds especially well to bringing. When cooked or "over cooked" it still remains moist and tender. Also, in restaurant cooking it's common to use a heated cast iron weight (typically with a grill pattern), in home cooking a small cast iron pan will do the same job. It retains all the heat which rises through the meat on the grill or stove and helps cook the meat from both sides, retaining the shape and recirculating the steam/moisture, and significantly reducing the cooking time. *Next advert, perhaps try this.

[@CornDogDG]

That was a really enjoyable video! Thanks!

[@markschiller5596]

Love your videos Adam! I was wondering if you have ever tried a baking soda brine (or a brine with both salt and baking soda). I find that this really helps prevent overcooking the white meat

[@HarvestStore]

I appreciate you and thank you for making content.

[@wezul]

The fact that I happily watch these videos that are entirely ads shows that KZbin and advertisers could absolutely make ads that people don't want to skip.

[@kyokoyumi]

I am so glad that you're getting back into meat. It's best to eat sustainable, renewable meat over anything, really. Even if it is a sponsored segment, you chose this sponsor for a reason so it makes me happy :)

[@orellaminx3530]

2:45 I like adding dill seed to my brines, doesn't take much to pass on a lil tang.

[@IamDootsdoot]

That pup must be super happy to allowed even near your kitchen.

[@conmattang8492]

Whoa, i was JUST watching your other thanksgiving videos!

[@hogue3666]

Thanks for the great thoughts. It's often overlooked that Pasteurization temps are a variable of temperature AND time. 135 will get the job done, but poultry is icky at that rare temp. A video for Pasteurization x and y axis would be REALLY COOL. Cheers.

[@samanthaabel1079]

brine and overcook here as i foudn early on the texture is better plus we like leftovers and the overcooked stuff really melds well in other things like casserole.

[@colinz226]

charge/ replace the battery in your meat thermometer! 0:34

[@sleepykirbo6392]

Also worth pointing out, don't use cheap scissors to cut out backbone, you may get a pretty mean gash in between your thumb and index finger if they break

[@apthayer]

Hey Adam, do you think you'd have the same results with a dry brine? Also, to avoid overcooking white vs dark, I break the bird all the way down and pull pieces as they come up to the right temp. Has that same "moveable pieces" benefit you talk about.

[@_Ciiitron_]

You could also dry brine the meat if you don't have space for a wet brine in your fridge.

[@lonewolf025]

Might be an ad video but still really insightful. Appreciate it.

[@SteveMillerhuntingforfood]

I use a 5 gallon construction thermos container for brining. The kind used for water on job sites. (thank Alton Brown for this idea) Mix the brine and ice then put the meat in the container. It holds the temp for more than 24hrs. This works for whole turkey's up to 16lbs. Only issue; I can't use that container for anything else, only brining.

[@johnmillerjr3646]

Great tips on the turkey, Adam, and I was waiting to see if doggo was gonna get a taste, too. Spoilers: at 10:46: doggo got a taste!

[@littlefiddlesticks]

Last year, after 10 years of begging, my family finally let me do a trash can turkey. Because a trashcan is not as exact as an oven, i brined it first so i didnt need to worry! It was definitely alot more prep, but we cooked it really fast and it was fun! Since my mom decided to make the usual turkey as well, we got to compare and contrast and most people liked the trash can turkey best! It ended up very moist and flavorful! They asked to have it again this year! 😂 (the fun part of brining is adding in different flavors to it, i like orange and then a variety of herbs and peppercorns!

[@devnullsrevenge]

I don't understand why I got extremely excited to have an off-cadence Saturday Adam Ragusea video, but I'm all for it!

[@reginickneo]

Nice as always! ❤ I would love to see Adam making a video on the potential effects of cooking/baking with aluminium foil!

[@AbigatorM]

Always love when Lauren casually drops in xD especially when she does it like here "why?" "i will explain it to the viewers" xD

[@lappolappo3]

it's always a good time when Lauren makes a cameo 😁

[@nottheguru]

Old water or soda bottles refilled with water and frozen also serve as good water tight ice packs.

[@StopChangingUsernamesYouTube]

There's something magical about taking a moment to zoom in on dog slobber in a cooking video.

[@schelsullivan]

We use a cooler for non fridge brining.

[@iknowbetterthanyou6260]

nice hair dye job / wig job Adam!

[@danielt6689]

We did the opposite. Last Thanksgiving we sous vide the turkey breast at 132° for 24 hours. It came out INCREDIBLY moist and tender. Not the typical white meat. It was a great hit.

[@glennquagmire1747]

Really nice, im always learning something watching these videos. 👍

[@ryanmclaren3899]

That was a straight-up advertisement and it was still good. That's a skill.

[@hecklepig]

I remember Cooks Country doing a show on roasting chicken and they found sort of by accident, when their ovens were switched off in the later part of the roasting that the chicken came out beautifully cooked and tender by pushing past its normal cooking temps in that cool down period.

[@sachamm]

Thank you for identifying this as an ad right at the top.

[@williamwallace5177]

Dry brining works better for skin on poultry. Coming from a guy who used to cook 30+ a day for a bbq restaurant.

[@AlphaFemmeXtine]

I love brined turkey. Even the leftovers are juicy and delicious

[@lollipop_uncertainty]

I love everything about this video expect for the upload time. Now I'm starving craving for roast chicken at 3AM.

[@micahemerson388]

You do have a point. I learned how to brine and roast a Turkey when I was a youngster from watching ‘Good Eats’. He says to pull the Turkey out when the breast reaches 160F but I always watch it rise to about 170 (which I thought initially was overcooked for breast meat) during resting, but it’s always juicy and delicious sooo

[@kaushikppa]

Hi Adam, thanks for another interesting video. A separate question: do you have any tips on keeping turkey skin crisp after resting? I find that by the time the bird rests, the crispy skin I had out of the oven is now much softer. Hope you have a great Thanksgiving!

[@strayorion2031]

I personally like a squeeze of lemon or a few drops of vinager on my brine since it kinda softens the meat, obviously it must be proportional to the time it will be brining since I dont want to chemically cook the meat, just alter the proteins a little bit with acid

[@michaellacy8510]

I’ve been doing this for dozens of brined turkeys over the years. Did it by accident one year early on and kept doing it. Thanks for the validation!

[@pegm5937]

We've recently discovered wet brining, but i haven't ever encountered that much, or any, sugar involved. We love brined turkey (we're looking at Christmas upcoming, Thanksgiving is already passed) so, cool tips! Thanks

[@proallnighter]

Are you Canadian? Is your thanksgiving the same as ours?

[@CroatiaSurvival]

A tip I use for brining stuff. Get those big vacuum sealing bags, put your mit in, add the brine and just seal it without pulling a vacuum. Then just stick it in the fridge.

[@jonkirkwood469]

You nailed my problem with brined poultry (and pork): it tastes processed and has a mouth feel like lunchmeat. Next try: overcook it.

[@dedmondiumpactonum3469]

Love these vids!!

[@Tmanstext]

Your dog is super super adorable! What's their name?

[@FoxDragon]

I always brine my turkey with veggie stock, and I am definitely going to be trying this this year.

[@edzmuda6870]

Most turkeys sold in the US (at least) are already pre-brined even if the package does not say “pre-brined” in which case it would read something along the lines as “contains 1.5% salt solution”. If you can get your hands on a minimally processed bird, I say go with dry brining. It’s less wasteful, more eco-friendly and takes up less space in the fridge. I have found that dry brining really does penetrate better or at least as good as the wet method. Use just 1.5 percent salt/sugar to edible flesh (I like to add .1% baking soda) and let it do it’s thing in the fridge uncovered for 24-48 hours. That helps achieve a nice crispy skin. Both methods work through osmosis. Meat is mostly water, btw. With the dry method, all the seasoning ends up in the bird. With the wet method, you need a lot more salt to compensate for the water and in the end that extra salt added gets dumped down the drain turning water that was once fresh to contaminated and salinated.

[@OutlawAlaska]

I use tin snips (like for cutting sheet metal) and a knife when doing spatchcock turkey. Kitchen scissors usally dont cut it for me

[@lwo7736]

I like the way you said "this video is an ad", so we know where we stand. Im way more likely to watch an ad when people are up front

[@TheSimArchitect]

Nice! I didn't know brine (and marinating overnight) did anything more than just marinating for 20 min like I usually do. I'll surely try it when I roast pork tenderloin.