Best Brine Braised Giblets Recipes

GIBLET GRAVY

Steps:

• First, take the giblets and neck from the raw turkey and cover them with water by 2 inches in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer it for 1 hour to both to cook the meat and to make a giblet broth for the gravy.
• Remove the giblets and neck from the water (don't worry; they're supposed to look really grody) and set them aside. Keep the giblet broth in the saucepan for later.
• When you're ready to make the gravy, pour all the drippings from the turkey roasting pan into a bowl. Set the pan back onto the stove. Let the drippings sit and separate naturally, then use a ladle to carefully separate the fat from the liquid drippings (the fat will be on top, while the drippings will settle at the bottom).
• Turn the heat to medium and add about 1 cup of the fat back into the roasting pan. Sprinkle the flour all over the fat and immediately begin whisking it around to make a paste. Add more flour or fat as needed to create the right consistency: You want the mixture to be a stirrable paste and not overly greasy. If it looks a little greasy, whisk in a little more flour. Once the paste/roux is the right consistency, whisk it slowly for a few minutes, allowing it to cook to a deep golden brown color. A nice brown roux is the secret to good gravy, baby!
• Once the roux is ready, pour in 1 cup of the drippings (the stuff that separated from the fat earlier) and the chicken or turkey broth, whisking constantly. Then just let the gravy cook and thicken, whisking constantly for 5 to 8 minutes.
• Meanwhile, use your fingers to remove as much of the neck meat as you can and chop up the giblets into fine pieces. Add as much of the meat to the gravy as you'd like: Add it all if you like a really chunky giblet gravy, add a little less if you like the gravy more smooth.
• If the gravy seems too thick, add more broth and/or a little of the reserved giblet broth (the water used to cook the giblets.) Finally, season the gravy with a little bit of salt and plenty of black pepper! (Be sure to taste it and make sure the seasoning is perfect.) Serve the gravy piping hot at the table.

GIBLET GRAVY

Steps:

• Pour the contents of the giblet bags into a large saucepan. Cover with water and boil until cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside. Remove the giblets from the pan, allow them to cool, and then chop up the gizzards and liver. Pick the meat from the neck. Discard the bones.
• Pour all the turkey drippings out of the roasting pan into a separate container. Allow grease to separate from the juices. Ladle out the fat into another bowl.
• Place the roasting pan over 2 burners over medium heat (there should be lots of yummy brown bits in the pan). Add 3 to 4 tablespoons of the fat back into the pan. Whisk it around to evenly distribute it throughout the pan. Sprinkle 5 to 6 tablespoons of flour over the grease and whisk to combine it with the fat, loosening the bits from the bottom of the pan a little in the process. Cook the roux until it becomes a deep golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Pour in the chicken broth, whisking constantly. Add 2 to 4 cups, depending on your need. Cook the gravy, whisking gently, until the mixture begins to thicken. Pour in a little bit of the turkey drippings, but be aware that because the brine is so salty, these drippings are very salty. Keep cooking the gravy until thick, adding in chopped giblets, to taste, as well as plenty of black pepper. Use the giblet water from the saucepan to thin the gravy if it gets too thick.
• Serve when very thick and flavorful.

THANKSGIVING TURKEY BRINE

Steps:

• Mix water, chicken broth, and salt together in a 5-gallon bucket with lid until salt dissolves. Add garlic, rosemary, onion, basil, savory, marjoram, thyme, tarragon, oregano, pepper, and coriander and mix well. Stir 2 cups ice into brine.
• Place turkey into brine, filling cavity with brine. Add enough ice to bucket to cover turkey. Secure lid on bucket. Swish bucket from side-to-side to chill water. Refrigerate turkey and bucket, refilling with ice every 2 hours as needed, 12 to 24 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Remove turkey from brine and pat dry. Discard brine. Place turkey on a rack inside a roasting pan.
• Bake turkey in the preheated oven, basting every 30 to 40 minutes, until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, 5 to 6 1/2 hours. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Remove the turkey from the oven, cover with a doubled sheet of aluminum foil, and allow to rest 5 to 10 minutes before slicing.

SOUTHERN FRIED GIZZARDS IN A BUTTERMILK BRINE

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine gizzards and onions. Pour over enough buttermilk to cover. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours (24 is better), or up to 2 days.
• Drain gizzards in a colander, allowing any excess buttermilk to drip away. Cut gizzards into 1/2" chunks, working around any gristle or tendons.
• Combine flour with salt, cayenne and seasoning. Beat egg in a small bowl.
• In a pot or deep skillet, heat 1 1/2 to 2 quarts of vegetable oil to 350°F Dip each piece of gizzard in egg, then in flour. Be sure to coat them well or the coating will not be crisp.
• Place coated gizzard pieces into oil and cook 2-3 minutes until golden brown and crisp. Drain on a rack. Serve immediately.