Guide to pre-brined turkeys
It’s hard to argue with anything that saves time and effort around Thanksgiving.
Here at The Chronicle’s Food & Wine headquarters, we’re big proponents of brining turkeys.
Beyond the science of the saltwater solution being absorbed and breaking down protein, there’s the definitive dinner-table result: Brined birds are simply moister and juicier than unbrined ones.
Color us intrigued, then, when we noticed pre-brined turkeys being sold in stores last year. Conceptually, it was genius. No more scrambling to find food-grade plastic bags and tubs to hold the turkey. No need to plan an extra day for the brine. Let the manufacturer do the work for you.
This year, we came across pre-brined turkeys at four markets — Trader Joe’s, Costco, Whole Foods and Target ($2.49-$4.99 per pound) — and put them to the test.
The first three turkeys needed the standard thaw, then cooking. The turkey from Target, though, is meant to go straight from the freezer to the oven, shortening the process even more.
We cooked the turkeys according to package instructions; if no instructions were included, we roasted them according to The Chronicle’s Best Way (see Page L8).
Here’s a review of each of the birds, in order of staff preference.
Fra’Mani Brined & Seasoned Young Diestel Turkey ($3.39 per pound at Costco)
These big brined birds — generally 16 pounds or more — are a partnership between Fra’Mani founder Paul Bertolli and the Diestel family.
Diestel turkeys are brined and seasoned with herbs and spices, including paprika, anise, garlic, sage, rosemary and onion.
The result is a “very moist” and “robustly seasoned” turkey — albeit a little too robust for some.
“You have to like the blend,” one staffer said of the heavy spicing, which reminded some of “chicken broth” and others of “deli turkey.”
Not that that’s a bad thing. We agreed that the turkey would be great for sandwiches, and especially appeal to those who want a departure from the typical Thanksgiving turkey.
The Original Mini Gobble Diestel Turkey ($4.99 per pound at Whole Foods)
Smaller than most birds on the market (the ones we found were 6 to 10 pounds), these Diestel turkeys came lightly seasoned with sea salt.
Again, the good quality and texture of the meat was noticeable, but so, too, was that salt.
“Love the dark meat, white is too salty,” was the general refrain, so best to serve this with a generous scoop of cranberry sauce.
Archer Farms Cook-In-Bag Homestyle Turkey ($29.99 for a 12-pound turkey at Target)
Yes, you read that right. These frozen turkeys are cooked in a bag. And if you can get beyond that premise, the result is a somewhat serviceable turkey, especially in a pinch.
These premium, grade A young turkeys are seasoned with celery seed, ginger, sage and thyme, and contain up to 10 percent flavoring solution, according to the packaging.
You simply take it out of the freezer, cut slits in the inner bag, and stick the bird in the oven to roast/steam for about four hours.
It’s not a great turkey, but it was more than we expected from a freezer-to-oven get-up.
“Dry and pretty flavorless,” this bird nonetheless “tasted like turkey” — “typical, cheap turkey,” perhaps, but still turkey, staffers said.
Trader Joe’s All Natural Brined Young Turkey ($1.99 per pound at Trader Joe’s)
If the frozen Target turkey exceeded our low expectations, then the Trader Joe’s turkey left us almost universally disappointed.
This turkey, enhanced with an 8 percent salt solution, was by far our least favorite — or, as one staffer put it, “bleh.”
“No flavor,” “bland” and “cheap tasting,” this turkey “needs big-time gravy,” said other judges.
Yet even gravy wouldn’t help its texture, which was alternately described as “dry,” “tough,” “sinewy,” “spongy,” “waxy” and “rubbery.”
So do we still think pre-brined turkeys are genius? It depends.
Several of us would be happy to buy either of the brined Diestel turkeys, as they cooked into flavorful and moist birds. And it’s hard to argue with anything that saves time and effort around Thanksgiving.
A final note if you decide to go the pre-brined route: Giblets are usually not included. The most we got was a neck from the Trader Joe’s turkey, so if you usually use giblets for gravy, plan accordingly.