Brine Turkey At Room Temperature

Never leave it out at room temperature to soak.

Brine turkey at room temperature.

If you re using a cooler with a lid screw the lid on and leave it in a cool place while the turkey brines. Always allow brine to cool before placing the turkey in. It s the best way to be certain the raw turkey temperature stays within a safe range 4 degrees and below. The temperature danger zone which is defined as the temperature range between which most bacteria grow and reproduce is 40 to 140 degrees fahrenheit.

If your brine did not cool to room temperature it would be a food safety risk to consume. Poultry and meat must stay below 40 degrees fahrenheit and should never remain out at room temperature for more than two hours or for more than one hour if the temperature exceeds 90 f. If you brined for 12 hours or fewer you shouldn t need to rinse the turkey. If you re brining outside the refrigerator use a probe thermometer to ensure the brine s temperature doesn t exceed 40 f.

As for the temperature keep it below 40. Keep your turkey in the fridge while it brines. Remove the turkey from the brine. When you re ready to cook remove the turkey from the brine brush off any briny bits and let stand at room temperature for a half hour.

If you re in a hurry add the. Because room temperature turkey falls into this danger zone it is not safe to leave a turkey at room temperature before cooking. Let the brine return to room temperature before pouring it over the turkey. A couple of hours brining on the counter should not hurt fresh whole muscle meats as the surface will hit kill temperatures when it is cooked but if the meat has been tenderized with needles or the meat is enhanced with a brine at the manufacturer handle it as you would ground meats cook to a minimum of 156 degrees as anything that was on the outside is now on the inside.

Brine the turkey in the refrigerator or an ice filled cooler for 12 to 24 hours. We do this to avoid keeping the turkey in the range of temperature between 40 140 f. Refrigerate the turkey in the brine for about 24 hours. You could go up to about 16 but much longer than that and you ll risk the meat coming out too salty tasting.

Chill the turkey in the brine for 8 to 16 hours. The cooler with the turkey and brine should keep the turkey at 38 f 3 c or below.