I had some extra food grade 5 gallon buckets available from a bucket garden project that I had not used. You can buy them at WallyWorld in the food storage department, or see if your locally owned restaurants can save you a bucket that bulk commodities like mayo or other bulk food items come in. Some of these containers are round, some are square. Both shapes work fine. Be sure to wash and sterilize all parts of the brining set up.
The key to the briner I made was to have 2 lids. Using a pair of tin snips, I cut the outside rim off one lid. After removing the part of the lid that used to fasten it down to the bucket, the remaining center part became the " follower " that dropped into the bucket on top of the food being cured or brined. I set a 12 pound turkey in my bucket legs down, poured 2 gallons of brine mixture in, put the cut down lid over the turkey, and set a ceramic bowl on top of it for for weight. Since the inside lid was the exact same shape as the bucket, and only an inch or so smaller in diameter, it can't slide off and let the food float up. The bird remained fully submerged. After depositing the bucket in the fridge and making sure the were no air pockets hiding in the food, I put the unaltered lid on top of the bucket. Cheap, easy, and effective.
The key to the briner I made was to have 2 lids. Using a pair of tin snips, I cut the outside rim off one lid. After removing the part of the lid that used to fasten it down to the bucket, the remaining center part became the " follower " that dropped into the bucket on top of the food being cured or brined. I set a 12 pound turkey in my bucket legs down, poured 2 gallons of brine mixture in, put the cut down lid over the turkey, and set a ceramic bowl on top of it for for weight. Since the inside lid was the exact same shape as the bucket, and only an inch or so smaller in diameter, it can't slide off and let the food float up. The bird remained fully submerged. After depositing the bucket in the fridge and making sure the were no air pockets hiding in the food, I put the unaltered lid on top of the bucket. Cheap, easy, and effective.
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