Chef's Table

Hawaiian Pineapple Mana Wheat Beer Brined Turkey

Hawaiian Pineapple Mana Wheat Beer Brined Turkey: A tropical fruit forward tasting brew, along with brown sugar and salt, creates a wonderful Beer Brine with a Polynesian twist, that flavors the poultry from the inside out, creating a moist, juicy and tender bird everyone will be talking about!

CourseEntrée | Main
CuisineAmerican, Beer Cuisine, Hawaiian, Thanksgiving Feast
Cooking Beer StyleAmerican Pale Wheat Ale
SeasonalFall Seasonal
Food SectionBeer Brine, Beer Brined Turkey, Turkey
Cooking MethodBeer Brine, Roasting
BreweryBeer Advocate, Maui Brewing Co.

Servings	Prep Time
16guests	15minute

Cook Time	Passive Time
3 1/2 – 4hour	48hour

Servings	Prep Time
16guests	15minute

Cook Time	Passive Time
3 1/2 – 4hour	48hour

Ingredients

Dawn of the Red Polynesian Inspired Beer Brined Ingredients:

2quart water
2cup salt, kosher
1 1/2cup sugar, brown dark
1/4cup ginger, crystalized,cut into slices
1each orange, large,zested and quartered
2each tangerines,zested and quartered
4each bay leavespreferably fresh
1/2each pineapple, fresh,skin removed and sliced
2quart water, ice cold
72ounce Pineapple Mana Wheat Alefrom Maui Brewing Co. Pineapple Mana Wheat

Turkey Ingredients:

1each turkey, 16 – 26 pounds,preferably free range, organic or heritage
1/2each pineapple, fresh,skin removed and sliced
1each onion, Maui or Sweet Walla Walla,peeled and sliced
2each carrot,peeled and sliced

Instructions

Beer Brine Directions:

At least 2 days in advance of Thanksgiving | event | Holiday, start the brine. In a large stock pot add the water, salt, brown sugar, crystallized ginger, orange, tangerines and bay leaves.
Place this over high heat and bring to a boil. Cook the brine for 15 minutes, to infuse all the flavors together, dissolving the salt and sugar. Turn off the heat.
In the pitcher of a blender, add the pineapple and some of the water. Purée until smooth.
Add the rest of the ice cold water to the brine, cooling down the mixture, then add the pineapple purée along with the cold Maui Brewing Co. Pineapple Mana Wheat. Mixing to combine and take the temperature of the finished brine. A thermometer should read 40°F | 4°C or lower in order to be used. If it is warmer, place the pot into a refrigerator until 40°F | 4°C is reached.

Turkey Preparation:

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.

Beer Brine Instructions:

If you have room in a refrigerator or kegerator, have ready a Cambro 22 qt Polypropylene Food Storage Container, large stock/brew pot or a 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 space. If cold space is an issue, use a large cooler and either clean it with a bleach water solution to sanitize it or use a Ziploc XL HD Big Bag. Place the turkey in the cooler or bag and cover with the brine. Use gallon size sealable bags fill with ice, to keep the bird and brine ice cold, but not diluting the salinity or flavor of the brine. 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.

Oven Roasting Instructions:

Remove the turkey from the brine and dry well with paper towels, inside and out. This will help the browning of the skin, as moisture will steam the skin instead of roast it. Truss the bird with twine, to help hold its shape and to aid in cooking the turkey evenly. Place the turkey, back side down, in a roasting pan fitted with a rack. To the roasting pan, add the cut up pineapple, carrots and onions, that will caramelize as the turkey roasts, while collecting the drippings that will later become a Roasted Pineapple Sauce. Let the turkey sit on the counter at room temperature for 2 hours prior to being placed into an oven. This will let the turkey warm up, allowing it to cook more evenly. Discard the brine, as it has done its purpose.
Pre-heat the oven to 350°F | 177°C, convection roast/bake if this setting is an option. I highly recommend using a probe thermometer to make sure the turkey is cooked to a certain temperature (160°F | 71°C) vs a length of time. Insert the probe into the middle of a breast or in the thigh. Make sure the probe isn’t touching a bone, as the temperature reading will be false.
If you don’t have a probe, a 16 – 20 pound turkey should take between 3.5 and 4 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. As the turkey sits covered, covered, carry over heat will continue to cook the turkey, bringing the final temperature to 165°F | 74°C.
Let the turkey rest at room temperature for 20 – 30 minutes before carving. This will help re-distribute the juices, keeping the turkey moist, relaxing the muscle fibers. Cover the turkey with a tent of aluminum foil.
While the turkey is resting, make the Roasted Pineapple Sauce recipe. Then carve the turkey, arranging the meat onto a platter and serve with the sauce.