Expert: Keith Patton - 4/26/2008

Question
HI, I LIKE TO NO DO U NEED TO SOAK THE TURKEY WITH SALT, OR SOMETHING ELSE. DOES IT TAKE 1 OR 2 DAYS I NEED YOUR HELP THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME DERWIN

Answer
Derwin:

You only have to brine a turkey if you want to.  It is a popular method to increase the moistness of the meat.  You can cook it without brining.  Do not overcook it or it will dry out the meat.  Use a bag specifically made for the purpose available at the food store.  Called bake-in-bags or other trade names.

Brining does take several days in the refigerator.  You can brine them in a trash bag or large plastic container.  You add 1 cup of coarse salt per gallon of water, along with brown sugar and other spices.  There are a lot of recipes on the web.