Gonna have to try this brining method...

[LarryD]

http://food.livedogproductions.com/honey-brined-turkey?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link&ICID=ref_fark

This seems like a great idea... going to have to give it a try.

 

[NDKoze]

http://food.livedogproductions.com/honey-brined-turkey?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link&ICID=ref_fark

This seems like a great idea... going to have to give it a try.

It looks like a pretty good brine, and I like the idea of using the Gatorade cooler.

But, I can't get over the image of those turkey's in their sick turkey hot tub (sink). It looks like they are in a hot tub with their arms resting over the edge of the hot tub.

 

[LarryD]

I went ahead and picked up a 10 gallon cooler for ~$45 from Home Depot...  So far I'm loving this method!  This is so much nicer than having a big brining bin in my refrigerator!

I bought some Ziploc XL bags and they also work well.  Placed a bag in the cooler and brine/brisket into the bag.  I have a lot of ice packs so I put some in bottom and four around the sides of the bag.  Otherwise I closed off the bag and covered the top with a few ice packs and a lot of loose ice.  Tomorrow I'll drain off any water and add more ice.

I'm planning to put the brisket into my #2 in two chunks Tuesday night.  It was ~17.5 pounds before trimming and I really didn't trim much.

 

[NDKoze]

Thanks for the follow-up! I was wondering how this experiment was going.

 

[LarryD]

Thanks for the follow-up! I was wondering how this experiment was going.

No problem...  I used less than 10 lbs of ice over ~40 hours...  there were quite a few pounds that are melting in the sink now.  Draining and topping off was just as easy as hypothesized.  I could easily brine a couple briskets at one time.  I'm pretty sure I could do two turkeys at once, as well.  On top of it all, cleanup is just drying it out and when I'm not using it for brining I have a perfectly functional drink cooler.  There is no question this is my go-to brining solution from now on.  In the past the brining step was sometimes a stopper for me because of the effort it would require.  That's no longer an issue at all.

The brisket is rubbed and resting in the fridge right now and will go in the smoker in about 90 minutes...  dinner tomorrow is going to be yummy. 

 

[SconnieQ]

The cooler is a great idea! The recipe sounds pretty similar to Alton Brown's turkey brine, which I have used for many years.

 

[JustChillin]

Great idea! I might give it a shot using a large cooler with a drain. It would be great if you still had ice houses around that sold block ice. Maybe I will make some.