To Brine Or Not To Brine Is The Question

To Brine Or Not To Brine Is The Question

Perhaps what I tell you will help make that decision easier.
First lets define what brining is.
 Brining, or soaking food (meat in particular) in a salt water solution, uses the power of osmosis to force the turkey (or other meat) to draw up water into itself. The theory is that the meat ends up juicier and moister that way.
One argument against bringing is that real juiciness comes from the meat holding on to its own moisture, not holding onto some water in which it has been soaked.
When we first immerse the turkey into the brine, salt moves from the brine into the meat, and water from the meat into the brine. The meat becomes saltier and drier.  then the salt begins to modify the meat. it attaches to the long, intertwined muscle proteins and causes the proteins to push apart from one another. 
This makes room for more water, and salt, and weakens the muscle fibers. The water flow reverses, so that water and more salt move from the brine into the meat.
The positive of brining is that the turkey gains about ten percent in weight and the turkey appears to be more tender.
Not brining tends to give the turkey a more intense turkey flavor.
Those that favor brining feel that the secret to a perfect juicy turkey is to brine it.  

So many chefs feel to get a tender, moist, and flavorful turkey the key is brining others stand firmly against it. So brining or not is up to you.

Here is my conclusions based on experience and research. First I have brined a turkey before  and it turned out OK but it made very little difference in the final turkey I put on the plate.
The next consideration is weather to buy a frozen or fresh turkey when considering the idea of brining.
If you are buying a frozen turkey you don't need to brine as far as I am concerned. The reason I say this is because if you check the label it already has been brined as far as I am concerned. 
The label will read something like this:
 moistness enhanced by injection w/ approximately 8% solution of: turkey broth, salt, sodium phosphates, sugar & flavoring.
So as I said to me this would be like double brining the bird.
If you are using a fresh bird I will leave the decision of bringing up to you now that you know what my research has found about brining. 

Here is an idea I heard on "Thanksgiving Live" on the food network. 

An option to wet brining is dry brining. 
"Dry brining" is simply pre-salting.
Here is a suggestion to dry brining: Cover the turkey - over and under the skin as much as possible – with about 1/2 teaspoon of salt per pound of meat. It will seem like a lot. Don't worry: most of it will fall or cook off.

This is a suggestion of Bobby Flay who firmly stands against brining. He feels it is  waste of time. During the show he said he roasts a turkey until the breast of the turkey reaches 170 degrees. He removes the turkey from the oven an removes the wings, thighs, and legs from the bird an return these parts from the turkey to the oven in the broth that the turkey has created bakes for an  additional hour. 
Meanwhile cover the turkey with foil until the rest of the turkey is done.

So make your decision to brine or not and weather you want a fresh turkey or frozen. It's all up to you.
No matter your choice as long as you don't over cook the turkey it will taste great and your family will enjoy it.