# brine questions?



## osirus (Sep 19, 2006)

So this year im gonna brine my turkey, and have some process questions concerning acidic flavorings and some other spices, Im going to test out different types of brineing techniques so im gonna make 4 different chickens for testing purpose's to find what i am going to use on my turkey. I'd like to try to make a spicy brine, a italian brine, a old country brine ,and possibly a citrius one, ill list the ingredients used other than the basic brine and would like recommendations.

My fiirst questions concerns the citrius usage, would it be ok to brine the chicken for 90% of the time and the last hour add the citrius fruits, would adding even in the last hour of the brine result in mushy meat?

My second questions is concerning saffron, how much would it take to flavor the chicken are we talking a few strands of saffron or would you need more to see any difference? 

as for the ingredients that i have chose for the other chickens heres what im thinking, dont hesitate to suggest other substitutes or ingredients

spicy: anihem peppers, serrano, garlic, mixed peppercorns, red chile flakes, and honey

italian brine: rosemary, basil, garlic, marjoram, sage.

old country: molassas, brown sugar, black pepper, worcestershire, garlic


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## mudbug (Dec 30, 1999)

Try to keep a proper ratio of sugar to salt to water (liquid).

You may use other ingredients such as sugar, brown sugar, honey, molasses, maple syrup, in place of the sugar.

You can use apple juice, cider, orange juice, beer, liquor, wine, rice wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, fruit juices, stock, tea, or other liquids to replace some or all of the water. 

If you use bay leaves, pickling spices, cloves, garlic, onion, chilies, citrus fruits, peppercorns, or other herbs and spices, bring the ingredients to a boil to dissolve the sugars and bring out the flavor of the herbs, then cooling the mixture to below 40°F before use.


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