Chef Barry
Greenberg offers original brining concepts to help keep dry,
bland turkeys at bay
AUSTIN,
Minn., Sept. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ --
Turkey is an unquestioned staple
of the Thanksgiving holiday in America, but from a cooking
standpoint, it's an easy thing to get wrong. Dryness and blandness
are two of the most common maladies to be mindful of when preparing
a turkey. Thankfully, a good brine can help prevent both.
The culinary experts at Hormel Foods (NYSE: HRL) are today
unveiling a pair of unique, savory brine recipes — one wet and one
dry — to help consumers deliver a moist, flavorful bird to the
dinner table this holiday season. Chef Barry Greenberg, culinary team lead at Hormel
Foods, developed these two original brine concepts for consumers to
consider: a char siu wet brine, and a rosemary garlic and citrus
dry brine.
"Based on the structure and the protein, turkey can be very
unforgiving if you don't know what you're doing, because there's
just no fat there to help keep the meat from drying out," Greenberg
said. "So, you have a very narrow margin of getting it right.
Brining or marinating definitely swings the odds in your favor a
little bit more."
Whether dry or wet, a good brine is all about salt, which keeps
the meat tender during the cooking process and allows it to absorb
more water and reduce the amount of liquid that is lost. With that
in mind, try these original brining techniques from Hormel Foods
for a fresh culinary approach to a holiday classic.
Char Siu Wet Brine
Greenberg's wet-brine recipe incorporates an Asian flavor
profile that is rapidly growing in popularity: char siu. A
Cantonese barbecue concept typically reserved for pork dishes, char
siu can be a tantalizing option for turkeys, too. Greenberg is
encouraging consumers to apply the familiar flavor of a sweet
barbecue sauce in a new and exciting, culturally inspired way.
"Char siu is always on my mind because it's such a familiar
flavor, and I thought it'd be great in turkey preparation, too,"
Greenberg said. "It looks cool, and it seems like it's everywhere
right now. I think things like gochujang and Sriracha are starting
to go away a little bit, but char siu is starting to fill that
void. I really like that flavor just because it's familiar but
still a little bit different."
After mixing all brine ingredients together, rub thoroughly onto
a Jennie-O® Tender & Juicy Young Turkey
Breast, place it in a large zip-top bag and let marinate in a
refrigerator for 8 to 24 hours before roasting.
Rosemary Garlic and Citrus Dry Brine
This recipe offers a Mediterranean twist on turkey. While
containing more classic ingredients like garlic and rosemary,
Greenberg also calls for the zest and juice of two lemons and two
oranges.
"You're not really counting on the citrus to carry sweetness.
You're counting on it more to carry like a fruitiness and floral
notes," Greenberg said. "When you roast garlic, when you fry
rosemary, it's a powerful and strong combination, but it can also
be flat. But the citrus element brightens it up some to give it bit
of a Mediterranean feel."
After preparing the garlic and rosemary, combine them with the
citrus elements as well as salt, sugar and pepper before applying
the mixture to a Jennie-O® Fresh All Natural
Young Turkey. Another chef tip from Greenberg: Use leftover
rosemary-infused oil in your roux to thicken your turkey gravy.
Try Both!
Thanksgiving can be a stressful time for consumers to venture
beyond their typical turkey plan, especially if they're expecting
guests. But there's an easy solution to that.
"When I was cooking for family, a number of times we'd have two
small birds as opposed to one big bird," Greenberg said. "One would
be pretty traditional, and the other would probably be smoked or
something a little different. My suggestion would be, if you're
having a big crowd, try two different flavors. How often do you
really cook a whole turkey? Maybe it's just during the holiday
season that you even have the time to do something like that. Why
not branch out and try something a little different than the
traditional?"
For more recipes from Hormel Foods and its family of brands,
visit hormelfoods.com/recipes. For Jennie-O®
product information, additional recipes and where to buy, visit
jennieo.com.
About Hormel Foods — Inspired People. Inspired
Food.™ Hormel Foods Corporation, based in
Austin, Minn., is a global branded
food company with over $12 billion in
annual revenue across more than 80 countries worldwide. Its brands
include Planters®, Skippy®,
SPAM®, Hormel® Natural Choice®,
Applegate®, Justin's®, Wholly®,
Hormel® Black Label®,
Columbus®, Jennie-O® and more than
30 other beloved brands. The company is a member of the S&P 500
Index and the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats, was named on the
"Global 2000 World's Best Employers" list by Forbes magazine for three years, is one of
Fortune magazine's most admired companies, has appeared on the "100
Best Corporate Citizens" list by 3BL Media 13 times, and has
received numerous other awards and accolades for its corporate
responsibility and community service efforts. The company lives by
its purpose statement — Inspired People. Inspired
Food.™ — to bring some of the world's most trusted
and iconic brands to tables across the globe. For more information,
visit hormelfoods.com.
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