Asian Inspired Beer Brine Turkey
The delicate flavors of lemongrass, Kaffir lime leaves, ginger and honey, blended with a Belgian-style golden ale, make for a delicious beer brine recipe.
Servings Prep Time
16guests 10minute
Cook Time Passive Time
10minute 2days
Servings Prep Time
16guests 10minute
Cook Time Passive Time
10minute 2days
Ingredients
Asian Inspired Beer Brine Ingredients:
To Serve With:
Instructions
Asian Inspired Beer Brine Directions:
  1. At least 2 days in advance of Thanksgiving | event | Holiday, start the brine.
  2. In a large stock pot, combine the cold water, salt, miso, onions, lemongrass, kaffir leaves, ginger, white pepper and soy sauce | tamari | liquid aminos | shoyu. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Stir well until the salt has dissolved into the brine. Let the brine cook for 10 minutes to infuse all the flavors together, much like a tea. Turn off the heat and add the honey, preserving the aromatics of the honey’s variety, stirring to blend thoroughly. Let the liquid cool to room temperature. Once cool, add the cold Russian River Brewing Co. Damnation or other Belgian Strong Pale Ale and Yuzu Juice or citrus juice cocktail and mix well. Check that the temperature is 40°F | 4°C or below before using.
Turkey Preparation:
  1. Take the fresh turkey and remove it from its package in a large sink. Remove the neck, gizzards and liver, setting aside (for stock or gravy). Rinse the bird under cold water, turning the bird over a few times, washing any blood from the cavity and under the neck flap. Remove any remaining quills from the skin, if visible. Remove any excess fat from around the inside cavity. Turn off the water and lightly dry the turkey off with paper towels.
Using the Beer Brine Directions:
  1. For brining, have ready a Cambro 22 qt Polypropylene Food Storage Container, large stock/brew pot, a brining bag or Ziploc XL HD Big Bag. Place the turkey into the container of choice, then top off with the chilled brine, submerging the turkey completely. Then place in the cold storage, for example a refrigerator or kegerator.
  2. If cold space is an issue, use a large cooler and sanitize it with a bleach water solution (1 tablespoon of bleach per gallon of water or 200ppm) or Star San (1 ounce of StarSan per 2 gallons of water). Place the cooled beer brine into the now clean cooler and add the turkey. Use several gallon size seal-able bags fill with ice, to keep the bird and brine ice cold, but not diluting the salinity or flavor of the brine. This will also work if you are beer brining multiple turkeys at once and have doubled or tripled the beer brine recipe to fill the cooler size you are using.
  3. If you are using a Ziploc XL HD Big Bag hold the bringing liquid and bird, place the sealed bagged turkey in the cooler and surround the bag with ice, to keep the turkey and brine ice cold.
  4. Beer brine the turkey for at least 24 (for a smaller bird 16 pound) to 48 hours (for a larger 22+ pound bird). Keep the turkey and brine cold during this marinating process. Every 12 hours, rotate/flip the turkey in the brine to evenly marinate it.
Preparing the Finished Beer Brined Turkey for Cooking:
  1. Remove the turkey from the brine and dry well with paper towels, both inside and out. Repeat this several times, to get as much of the moisture removed. This will help the browning of the skin, as moisture will steam the skin instead of roast it. Place the turkey, back side down, in a roasting pan fitted with a rack. Let the turkey sit at room temperature for 2 hours prior to being cooked. This will let the turkey warm up, allowing it to cook more evenly. Discard the brine, as it has done its purpose and not safe to re-use.
Oven Roasting Directions:
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 350°F | 177°C, convection roast/bake if this setting is an option. Truss the bird with twine, to help hold its shape and to aid in cooking the turkey evenly. I highly recommend using a probe thermometer to make sure the turkey is cooked to a certain temperature (160°F | 71°C) verses a length of time. Insert the probe into the middle of a breast or in one of the thighs. Make sure the tip of the probe isn’t touching a bone, as the temperature reading could be false. If you don’t have a probe thermometer, a 16 – 20 pound turkey should take between 3 and 3 1/2 hours to fully cook to 160°F | 71°C. Check both the breast and the thigh temperature to make sure the turkey is evenly cooked. Other recipes describe cooking a turkey until the internal temperature reaches 180°F | 82°C and this is one reason for a dry turkey. Turkey is safe to eat after it reaches 165°F | 74°C. It’s fine to remove the turkey from the oven at 160°F | 71°C, as the heat of the oven and the surface temperature is higher than the internal temperature. As the turkey rests, the carryover heat will finish cooking the turkey and bring it to a safe final cooking temperature of 165°F | 74°C.
  2. Let the turkey rest at room temperature for 20 – 30 minutes before carving. This is critical in keeping a moist and juicy turkey. This resting will relax the muscle fibers, helping re-distribute the juices and allow the bird to be easier to handle when carving. Cover the turkey with a large sheet of aluminum foil.
Recipe Notes

This Recipe Goes Great With:

 

Other Beer Brined Turkey Recipes and Cooking Techniques:

 

Alternative Beer Brine Turkey Recipes:

Executive Chef: Sean Z. Paxton

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