Sure you can, anything that will hold the turkey and keep it cold. I remember one year, we lined a cooler with a plastic bag, put the turkey in it then poured in the brine. Then we closed up the bag and added ice in the cooler. Needed the frig for other things..

Nancy

Pat, would you have enough room in the fridge for the turkey if it wasn't in a bucket of water? If so you might try the pre-salt method instead of brining. I've stopped brining altogether since I found out about this method.

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Pre-Salting
===========
Judy Rogers' Zuni Cafe
method

Servings: 11 to 15

Note: This is more a technique than a recipe. It makes a bird that has concentrated turkey flavor and fine, firm flesh and that is delicious as it is. But you can add other flavors as you wish. Minced rosemary would be a nice finishing addition. Or brush the bird lightly with butter before roasting.

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1 (12- to 16-pound) turkey

Kosher salt

1. Wash the turkey inside and out, pat it dry and weigh it. Measure 1 tablespoon of salt into a bowl for every 5 pounds the turkey weighs (for a 15-pound turkey, you'd have 3 tablespoons).

2. Sprinkle the inside of the turkey lightly with salt. Place the turkey on its back and salt the breasts, concentrating the salt in the center, where the meat is thickest. You'll probably use a little more than a tablespoon. It should look liberally seasoned, but not over-salted.

3. Turn the turkey on one side and sprinkle the entire side with salt, concentrating on the thigh. You should use a little less than a tablespoon. Flip the turkey over and do the same with the opposite side.

4. Place the turkey in a 2 1/2 -gallon sealable plastic bag, press out the air and seal tightly. Place the turkey breast-side up in the refrigerator. Chill for 3 days, turning it onto its breast for the last day.

5. Remove the turkey from the bag. There should be no salt visible on the surface and the skin should be moist but not wet. Place the turkey breast-side up on a plate and refrigerate uncovered for at least 8 hours.

6. On the day it is to be cooked, remove the turkey from the refrigerator and leave it at room temperature at least 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

7. Place the turkey breast-side down on a roasting rack in a roasting pan; put it in the oven. After 30 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and carefully turn the turkey over so the breast is facing up (it's easiest to do this by hand, using kitchen towels or oven mitts).

8. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees, return the turkey to the oven and roast until a thermometer inserted in the deepest part of the thigh, but not touching the bone, reads 165 degrees, about 2 3/4 hours total roasting.

9. Remove the turkey from the oven, transfer it to a warm platter or carving board; tent loosely with foil. Let stand at least 30 minutes to let the juices redistribute through the meat. Carve and serve.

Each of 15 servings: 564 calories; 77 grams protein; 0 carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 26 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 261 mg. cholesterol; 856 mg. sodium.
. Notes:

This same method can be used for chicken, chicken pieces, pork roasts,
ribs, chops, etc..

With the smaller cuts just pre-salt 4 or five hours in advance. Even
this short period of presalting makes an amazing difference.

Don't cover, just refrigerate and then remove from the fridge in time
for the meat to come to room temperature before cooking.

I brined my TG turkey in a cooler, left it in the garage, added the occasional ice cube as needed. I like the idea of lining it with a plastic bag! If you do go the cooler route I would also suggest a rolling cooler, water weighs 9 lbs or so per gallon, picking that cooler up won't be fun. I had to bring my turkey to TG and out to the fryer in the backyard, having wheels really helped.

Alrighty. Looks like it'll be in the cooler this year.

Ann - pre-salting sounds good, but I'm going to do the brining this time around. Maybe next time.

Thanks y'all!

Williams-Sanoma and Crate and Barrel both have excellent brining mixes and brining bags. In addition to Kosher salt the mixes also have a nice mix of spices including peppercorns. You boil the mix in a gallon of water, allow it to come to room temp and refrigerate until it is very cold. Place the turkey in the bag in a good size cooler, add an additional gallon of ice water to the brine mix, place the turkey in the bag, add the bring and tie up the bag. It is important the the turkey be completly submersed so you may need to place a weight on top of the bag/turkey. Have one or two bags of ice to place over and around the turkey. Brine for at least 12 hours. Before roasting, take the bird out of the bring, rince it off and dry completly. Roast as usual.

To help cool it in the cooler take empty plastic juice or soda bottles and wash and rinse, then fill 3/4 full of water then freeze. Then you can add to cooler to cool and as the ice melts it will not dilute the brine. you could also insert a small bottle inside the turkey. good luck and good eating.

I presalted this year but previous years I brined using a brining mix that I got from Amazon Gourmet. I used the cooler method one year and I used Ziploc XL bags.

Steve, I like the soda bottle cooling tip.

Here is a link that might be useful: XL Ziploc Bags

I place the turkey and brine in a bag and close up tightly to keep the brine as close to the turkey as possible, then put it into a cooler with plenty of ice. The temperature here in Australia at Christmas is up around 100F but the turkey is nice and cold.

Pat t: I hate to go against all my friends here but
I still don't know why everyone goes through all the fuss.
This was talked about in a few posts earlierand before Thanksgiving.
I was surprised to find out that many still like
the traditional method of cooking a Turkey.
Never did brine or salt.
I've always had delicious turkeys with stuffing,
since the early fifties.
Never heard of anyone doing this until I came on the CF.
But thes only my opinions. Everyone has their own tastes.
I am sort of a hardhead ,nut, anyway.
Well, you have had a lot of input on brining your Turkey.
You should have no problems.
LOU

This was the first year we tried the brining trick and must say that our 17# turkey was the best we ever tasted. Basically 1.25 cup of Kosher salt + 2 cups sugar, added usual seasoning spices, all blended in 1 gallon of water. Place turkey in a typical plastic trash bag, added brine solution, sucked out all the air from bag, and placed the bag in a large pot to keep in the extra fridge for 8 hours. Before putting into oven rinsed turkey and placed 2 strips of bacon on top to help with self basting. 1" water in roasting pan plus added onions (use for gravy later). After 2 hours in the oven then cover with Foil tent for remianing 2.5 hours of cooking. Very tender, favorful, and moist meat.

Just my opinion-I don't think there's that much fussing and with the pre-salting method it's even easier. When I did experience the difference between brined/pre-salted and traditional, I made the decision that it was well worth the extra effort. I just don't tell my extended family what makes my turkey extra good. Let them continue to think "Aunt Cathy makes the best turkey".

I have since started brining my other meats using store bought brine mix and my FoodSaver marinader with little fussing.

OK,Ok,Ok : I'll try it !!! Can I still stuff the bird?
If it dosen't taste any better, I'll get even.
LOU

I find the brined turkey is always moist and cooks faster than an unbrined turkey.
Yes Lou, you can stuff a brined turkey (I do). After you brine it overnight, remove from the brine, rinse and dry with paper towels inside and out. Then stuff as usual. I do a bread stuffing in the main cavity and a sausagemeat stuffing in the back end.

We did the same as vgkg, and it was the bestest turkey EVER! We used our big cooler to brine it. Mine was stuffed also like colleenoz's.

OK Lou - you've inspired me to try it too. We'll have to compare notes after Christmas, okay?

I'm not going to tell my family what I did and I'll see if they think the turkey is any better than before. Sort of a blind taste test, if you will.

vgkg, thanks for your instructions and amounts - I'm going to use them as a guide.

For a lot of years lots of people have been soaking their meat in salt water....for one reason or another....brining is not new.
If you need a scientific reason, it works on the principas of osmosis....that the concentrations of salts ( and sugar is a "salt") on either side of a permeable membrane ( and a turkey and the cell walls are permeamble membrane) will equalize concentration. That is the salt and sugar ions will migrate to the turkey, carrying with them the flavor of thyme, sage, garlic and whatever else is in your brine.
The first time I did it was with a full pork loin and my son was coming and going to cook it for the family and about 8 additional friends. Stew who sometimes forgets that all he knows he learned from his mother... is a very good cook...Pooh-Poohed the concept.....but after grilling that big piece of meat....faintly flavored with garlic and rosemary to the center....tender and wonderful...he became a believer!
Ann....tell me the principal of pre-salting? Does it jusr firm up the meat? Much like baking a roast in a salt crust does? Or is there more? Do you put seasonings in the salting mix?
Linda C