# Smoked Brine?



## omgheather (Nov 15, 2004)

I am making two kinds of small turkeys this year.  One plain for the traditional guests and another for us that likes it flavorful. )

I am going to brine both.  But with "mine" I saw somewhere that you can add liquid smoke to the brine.  This sounds really good.

Has anyone tried it?  How much or little should you use?  I just want it to have a slightly smoky background to the cajun butter seasonings.


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## Raine (Nov 15, 2004)

Never added liquid smoke, as we always smoke ours. But liquid smoke is very strong, and too much might be bitter. Use just a little.


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## Raine (Nov 15, 2004)

or you might try doing a chicken in the brine before Thanksgiving to give you some kind of idea.


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## omgheather (Nov 15, 2004)

In brining chickens, it would be the whole chickens right?  Not just the boneless breasts?  LOL  I ask because I am wierd that I don't like whole chickens.

But thanks for the tip on the bitterness.  Maybe I will just use a tablespoon rather than the 5-6 reccommended in the recipe.


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## Raine (Nov 15, 2004)

you could just brine the chicken parts you like.


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## mudbug (Nov 15, 2004)

I haven't used liquid smoke for anything, but any recipe I've read that calls for it usually requires only a minuscule amount, as in a few drops.  

Five to six tablespoons of the stuff would probably be too much for brining a mastodon!


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## GB (Nov 15, 2004)

If you are brining just parts, remember that you will want to leave it in the brine for less time then if you were brining the whole bird. For breasts I usually go 2 hours. I would go 3 max, anything past that would not be good IMO. The texture would suffer too much.


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## omgheather (Nov 15, 2004)

_Mudbug

Five to six tablespoons of the stuff would probably be too much for brining a mastodon_

I know!  And I saw another for 8-9 tablespoons.  I think I will use a teaspoon for two gallons of water/salt mixture.


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## marmalady (Nov 15, 2004)

WHen you're using liquid smoke, you're talking drops of the stuff!  Even when we do kahlua pig in the oven, using about 10-15 lbs of pork shoulder, we use only a tsp. or so.


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## choclatechef (Nov 15, 2004)

The last time I brined a mastodon, I only used a tablespoon of liquid smoke.  Of course I never got to cook it, the saber-toothed tiger chased me away!


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