What About A Frozen, Pre-Basted Turkey??

Thank you so much to everyone who posted on the brining thread!! I just looked at my turkey (which has been in the fridge starting yesterday to defrost) and it is pre-basted. Yes, I know I did not make a good choice--I just grabbed a turkey at the grocery store vs. looking for a Fresh turkey or going to Whole Foods. sigh.

I read that you shouldn't brine a prebasted turkey because it already has salt in it, etc. Crap. I would much rather do my own brining etc. So I wanted to go to Williams Sonoma today and get a good brine/flavor. Could I do a brine but not add salt to the mixture?? (which means I have to make my own mix because the WS has salt in it) The WS mix comes with a brine and then a rub mixture as well. Should I just buy the rub mixture?

Did I say in the other thread that I am 55 years old and have never cooked the turkey?????? I have cooked everything else. Just never the turkey. Thanksgiving was my mom's meal. She cooked amazing turkeys. But she never brined them and just got frozen turkeys. She did baste the thing constantly and basically fiddled and watched it etc the whole time it cooked. She even sang to it!! It's at times like these that I really miss her and the fact that she died at 64 and I never got to have her teach me the secrets of the turkey whisperer. :heartbeat:

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Originally Posted by StantonHyde

Thank you so much to everyone who posted on the brining thread!! I just looked at my turkey (which has been in the fridge starting yesterday to defrost) and it is pre-basted. Yes, I know I did not make a good choice--I just grabbed a turkey at the grocery store vs. looking for a Fresh turkey or going to Whole Foods. sigh.

I read that you shouldn't brine a prebasted turkey because it already has salt in it, etc. Crap. I would much rather do my own brining etc. So I wanted to go to Williams Sonoma today and get a good brine/flavor. Could I do a brine but not add salt to the mixture?? (which means I have to make my own mix because the WS has salt in it) The WS mix comes with a brine and then a rub mixture as well. Should I just buy the rub mixture?

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Take a deep breath.

Done that?

OK, so what you can do is check out spice rubs - OR - just follow a reliable roasting method. I like the Good Eats one - it starts out high-temp & finishes up low-temp.

Don't forget to remove the giblets and any plastic packaging before you put the bird in the oven. Rinse it inside & out with plain, cool tap water, pat it dry, and do not stuff w/stuffing. If you think it needs something, use the Good Eats aromatics (skip the allspice if you can't find it.)

You could also try Michael Symon's method, which involves butter & cheesecloth (it'll make your house smoky, so open a window; I'd be cautious about using this method with an electric oven): https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/turkey-2120924

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Did I say in the other thread that I am 55 years old and have never cooked the turkey?????? I have cooked everything else. Just never the turkey. Thanksgiving was my mom's meal. She cooked amazing turkeys. But she never brined them and just got frozen turkeys. She did baste the thing constantly and basically fiddled and watched it etc the whole time it cooked. She even sang to it!! It's at times like these that I really miss her and the fact that she died at 64 and I never got to have her teach me the secrets of the turkey whisperer. :heartbeat:

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I'm sorry this is making you miss your mom even more than you normally would! Breathe, have a good cry, breathe some more, splash some water on your face, and then move ahead.

It's been almost 20 years since I've roasted a turkey - my MIL or DH's SIL usually cook Thanksgiving - but I've at least done it. I'm still not overfond of turkey, but at least I've figured out that I can do it.

Ok, so a rub is good. I have the Joy of Cooking recipe and another one which include putting an onion, carrot, celery stalk, and some herbs in the bird. And then I will do the rub. Then roasting it upside down and then flipping it so the breast cooks. It doesn't look hard. I will check out the Good Eats idea. Not doing the smoky idea--I cooked a duck once and I was afraid the fire department was going to show up!!

Cooking itself isn't the issue--I'm a decent cook. And handling birds--I used to skin, gut, and clean the birds my dad hunted--I had my own big knife at the age of 9. But I just don't want a dry, gross turkey. Especially when it takes a long time to prep and cook the darned thing.

Oh well, next year--fingers crossed--we will be able to have Thanksgiving with another family and I can go back to my comfort zone.

I agree a rub is the best way to go. You can’t really brine without salt as salt is what makes it a brine. I had never heard of brining until 10 years or so ago. There have been plenty of turkeys cooked without brine so do not worry! Your plan sounds great!