11:50 PM 10/30/98
rfc

But what's good for the smoker is also good for the roaster - and for
the grill too.  Campanile's Mark Peel figures he brines about 100
turkeys a year before roasting them at his restaurant.  Most wind up
in sandwiches at lunch.

"We started brining the turkeys about three years ago and, to tell
you the truth, I can't remember why," he says.  "My sense, in an
unscientific way, is that it gives a tenderness to the meat.

"That's especially necessary with turkeys.  With the turkeys you buy,
even the organic ones, the breast meat is pretty dry.  That's because
they've been bred for big breasts.  The white meat has very little
blood circulation and very little fat in it.  But if you brine it and
roast it properly, it doesn't turn out dry."

There's a very good reason for that, according to Alan Sams, an
associate professor of poultry science at Texas A&M University.  
Sams, who has published several papers on brining poultry, says it's
basically an electric thing.

"What is happening is that salt [the chloride part more than the 
sodium] penetrates into the muscle," Sams says.  "The charged ions 
cause the muscle fibers to swell, and that sucks in even more water.
It also binds the water to other protein, meaning the meat holds more
water during cooking.  That's what causes the juciness effect.

"The three big benefits I've seen are increased juciness, better
flavor because of the saltiness and improved tenderness," Sams
continues.  "Brining generally creates a looser protein network.  
It's the discharge propulsion - the negative ions repelling each 
other and loosening the muscle fibers."

All of this was documented in a 1977 paper by five scientists from
the University of Florida.  They compared roast chickens that had
been brined, chickens that had been soaked in plain ice water and
chickens that had not been treated.

They found that the brined chickens scored much higher with testers 
in terms of flavor and tested better for juiciness and tenderness
(the difference in tenderness was much greater for white meat than
for dark).  Microbial testing also showed slightly lower populations
of various bacteria in the brined chicken than in the others.

I knew none of that the first time I tried brining.  Having read 
something about it somewhere, last summer on a whim I tried soaking 
some cut-up chicken in a weak brine (a couple of tablespoons of salt
to about a quart of water) for an hour or so before grilling.  The
results were decidedly favorable.  The chicken was plumper and 
juicier, had real seasoned flavor throughout and didn't scorch nearly
as quickly.

As the holidays approached, I thought I'd try brining my turkey.  I
started small, running through a few roast chickens before stepping
up in class.  I wound up with a brine of about 2/3 cup of salt to a 
gallon of water - about a 5% saline solution.  If you're going to 
smoke your bird, it can handle a more forceful brine.  Try using a 
full cup of salt per gallon - that's about 7%.

I tried concentrations from 10% down to 2%, and the main difference
was in the amount of saltiness - the texture was improved even with a
fairly weak brine.  Incidentally, if you're worried about sodium 
intake, remember that the meat absorbs only 10% to 15% of the brine -
roughly 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of salt per turkey.

When Thanksgiving arrived, I took the plunge - and so did my bird.
Finding a bath big enough to brine a 14-pound turkey can be a bit of
a bother.  (And so can clearing enough space in the refrigerator to
store it.)  I ended up using the biggest stockpot I had, and a plain
5% salt-and-water brine.  I turned the bird occasionally to make sure
it was evenly cured.

After six hours, I removed the turkey from the brine and dried it.
Then I returned it to the refrigerator in the empty stockpot to dry
further overnight.  I wanted it to have a nice crisp skin - something
that's difficult to achieve if there's much moisture present.

The next day I stuffed the turkey and roasted it in my usual way -
450 degrees for the first 45 minutes, then 325 degrees until a 
thermometer registered 160 degrees when poked in the fat part of the
thigh.  (The USDA recommendation of 180 degrees, by the way, allows
considerable margine of error.  With a 20-minute rest, a 160-degree
turkey will reach 170 degress - more than enough to kill any 
bacteria.)  When I checked the temperature of the stuffing, it was 
still a little cool, so - mindful of the danger of salmonella - I 
returned the turkey to the oven until the stuffing reached 160 
degrees.

The turkey was puffed, bronzed and gleaming.  And unlike most roast 
turkeys, this one did not deflate in the 20 minutes between roasting
and carving.  It retained its swollen grandeur all the way to the 
table.

When I carved the breast meat, I noticed another peculiar thing:  The
white meat had developed that somewhat thready appearance you get 
when you overcook the breast meat (the result, no doubt, of waiting 
for the stuffing to get safe).  Usually that means dry meat that
crumbles when carved.  But in this case, the slices held their shape
perfectly and the meat was moist and tender.

What's more, the meat was nicely seasoned throughout.  Cold, the next
day, it made terrific sandwiches - even the parts closest to the 
bone, which normally taste bland and under-seasoned.

Coincidentally, Judy Rodgers of San Francisco's Zuni Cafe tried her 
first brined turkey this year.  Rodgers is a big fan of salt and uses
what she describes as a "dry brine" on most of the meat dishes at her
restaurant, including her famous roast chicken.  She salts the meat
dishes the normal way, only she does it hours (or even a day) before
cooking.  

"Most of the salt that goes on food in this restaurant goes on before
you wake up in the morning," she says.  "It's something I learned 
from a restaurant I worked at in Paris.  The matriarch would always
say, 'Put a little salt on it and let it rest.'  It makes the meat
more succulent.  I don't know exactly how it does it, but it changes
it - and it changes it in a way that I like."

This Thanksgiving, however, Rodgers decided a real wet-brine was in 
order.  "That sure was good," she says.  "I used my classic brine for
pork chops:  2 parts salt to 1 part sugar mixed in water.  For my
turkey, I cut back a little further on the sugar to more like 4 to 1.
Poultry and sugar is not a big hit to me, but a little sweetness is
OK.  

"I put the turkey in the brine on the Friday before Thanksgiving,
then took it out Tuesday night and rinsed it real well, then dried it
and let it sit a day before roasting.  I've found that when you brine
big meats, the taste is more even if you let it rest a day before
cooking.  If you pull it straight out of the brine and roast it, it's
not as tender, and the surface of the meat will be too aggressively
salty.  If you let it relax and stabilize, it generalizes the degree
of brininess throughout."

Of course, brining is nothing new.  Until recently, smoked meats were
very heavily brined (meat processing textbooks give formulas of 12%
to 15% salt).  And there is an old Welsh dish called salted duck in
which a bird is dry-salted for three days before being slowly 
poached, starting in cold water.  Not exactly brining, but the same 
principles might be in effect.

Although my brine was a simple salt-water solution, Peel and Rodgers
used a combination of spices and herbs for additional flavor.  Sugar
is a component of many brines.

Arthur Maurer, a professor of poultry product technology at the 
University of Wisconsin who has done a lot of work with smoked 
poultry says sugar does three things for a brine:  "First, it's a 
flavoring; it helps mellow out the saltiness.  It also helps with
browning, especially if there's some left on the surface.  It can
also help with the ionic strength of the brine, helping the meat take
up more of the moisture."

And because most dried herbs and spices are water soluble, their 
flavor will penetrate the meat as well.  Using fresh herbs and garlic
probably won't have much of an effect, though.

Besides, even a turkey wouldn't want to take a bath in garlic.

Roast Brined Turkey

You can substitute Mark Peel's brine recipe for this or develop one 
of your own.  The important guideline is 2/3 cup salt to 1 gallon 
water.  After that, feel free to play with seasonings to your taste,
though be aware that some dried spices, such as cloves and bay 
leaves, are very powerfully flavored and should be used cautiously.

2/3 cup salt
1 gallon water
1 12- to 14-pound turkey

Combine salt and water and stir until salt dissolves.  Pour brine 
over turkey in pot just large enough to hold both.  If turkey is
completely covered, don't worry about using all of brine.  Cover with
foil and refrigerate 6 hours or overnight, turning 2 or 3 times to
make sure turkey is totally submerged.

Remove turkey from brine and pat dry with paper towels.  Refrigerate,
unwrapped, 6 hours or overnight.

Place turkey on its side on rack in shallow roasting pan.  Roast at
450 degrees 15 minutes.  Turn turkey to other side and roast another
15 minutes.  Turn breast-side up and roast another 15 minutes.

Reduce heat to 325 degrees and roast until meat thermometer inserted
in center of thickest part of thigh registers 160 to 165 degrees,
about 2 hours.  Remove from oven and set aside 20 minutes before
carving.

Makes 10 to 12 servings.
Each of 12 servings contains about:
394 calories; 792 mg sodium; 236 mg cholesterol; 12 grams fat; 
1 gram carbohydrates; 65 grams protein; 0 fiber.


Roast Pork Loin Stuffed with Ham and Rosemary

Here's the recipe that inspired Mark Peel's turkey brine.  It's
from "Jeremiah Towers' New American Classics" (Harper & Row, 1986) 
and, considering how elegant it looks, it's surprisingly easy to 
make.

3 pounds center-cut pork loin
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup sugar
2 quarts water plus 1 tablespoon
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon whole allspice
1 tablespoon dried thyme
2 cloves whole garlic
2 large shallots, finely chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pound country ham or prosciutto, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped
Salt, pepper
1 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup butter

Trim loin to only 1/4 inch fat on top.  Mix salt, sugar, 2 quarts
water, bay leaves, allspice and thyme in saucepan and heat until 
salt and sugar are dissolved.  Cool.  Put loin in pan just large 
enough to hold meat and liquid and pour brine over.  Marinate 
overnight or at least 6 hours in refrigerator.

Cook garlic, shallots, 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon water in 
small skillet over low heat, covered, until soft, about 10 minutes. 
Do not brown.  Stir in ham and half of rosemary.  Set aside to cool.

When pork is fully brined, remove from liquid and wipe dry.  With
handle of wooden spoon or with round knife-sharpening steel, 
carefully poke hole through center of loin.

When ham mixture is cool, push mixture into center of loin, 
distributing seasoning evenly.  Mix remaining oil and rosemary and 
rub all over loin.  Season to taste with salt and pepper and marinate
at room temperature 2 hours.  

Heat skillet over high heat and sear loin, browning it on all sides,
about 5 minutes.  Put loin in roasting pan and roast at 325 degrees
until meat thermometer registers 150 degrees, about 45 minutes.  
Remove loin and set aside in warm place 20 minutes, covered with 
piece of foil.

Pour any fat out of pan and wipe gently.  Pour in chicken stock and 
reduce to 1/2 cup, scraping pan to dissolve any browned meat juices.
Strain stock into saucepan.  Whisk in mustard, then butter until both
are incorporated.  Keep sauce warm.

Cut pork in 1/8-inch slices and pour sauce over.

Makes 6 servings.
Each serving contains about:
482 calories; 1,445 mg sodium; 148 mg cholesterol; 30 grams fat;
4 grams carbohydrates; 46 grams protein; 0.27 gram fiber.


Mark Peel's Brine

This recipe, inspried by one of Jeremiah Towers', is enough for a 12-
to 14-pound turkey.  The spicing is very faint, mostly you taste the
salt and a bit of the sugar.  It's a bit like a very elegant version
of commercial smoked turkey, only without the smoke.  Peel also uses
this recipe for roast pork and smoked fish.  For a pok loin, cut all
of the amounts by half; for fish or chops, cut them to 1/4.

2/3 cup salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup black pepper, cracked
Pinch dried thyme
13 cloves
13 allspice, cracked
3 bay leaves
13 juniper berries, crushed
Water

Combine salt, sugar, pepper, thyme, cloves, allspice, bay leaves and
juniper berries in saucepan.  Add 1 quart water and bring to boil.  
Simmer 5 minutes, then add to 1 gallon cold water.  Chill thoroughly 
before using brine.

Makes about 1 1/4 gallons brine (enough for 12- to 14-pound turkey).