I am not sure that brining a butterball doesn't "suck out" some of the added carp....
Or at least trade it for the new Carp that you put into the brine solution.
And I sure agree that frozen is a lot better unless you can get a bird direce from a farmer or a custom shop that doesn't "store" the turkeys at about 30 degrees, so they are "sort of frozen"...
I have brined a "previously frozen" chicken or 2 and it definitly improves the product.
Linda C

Brining is meant primarily to replace moisture lost during processing and storage; that it could add flavor is secondary. If a brand (such as Butterball) is already injected with water and flavor enhancers, there is no point in attempting to add more... the meat is already saturated. I doubt very much that there would be any exchange of solutions, or -- providing that both solutions were of equal saltiness brine -- that one would be aware of any exchange... salt water is salt water is salt water.

An interesting read is Cook's Illustrated magazine article on turkeys. Link is to an abstract of the original article.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cook's about turkeys

I've brined all kinds, it still works...though the the truly fresh bird i got from the local butcher shop last year was head-and-gizzards above any frozen bird i've ever had, taste , texture and juiciness. Got my order in for another one for this year...next year, i might just raise my own.

I know what Alton's saying, though. I wouldn't buy a 'fresh' bird from a grocery store, just like i never buy 'fresh' shrimp, or really any other seafood for that matter.

I raised them one year. It was fun, but it's also true of all the fowl I've ever had, they are hands-down the dumbest. But no....unlike the old wife's tale, they do come in out of the rain. At least they don't drown themselves. They are tasty, however.

My husband the butcher says if you are buying supermarket turkeys, frozen is freshest. (just like the last three have already commented).

I've also eaten wild. Not bad, but also not the best I've ever eaten. Like the article says, the large breasted whites are tasteless, compared to the ones I have eaten as a youngster. I also think it's cruel to breed a domestic animal so out of proportion to nature it has a hard time standing up by itself if left to maturity. Of course the ones usually ending up on a table, aren't. They're slaughtered long before they're mature.

Please note that Butterballs and other pre-injectedd birds can have as much as 13% of htier weight injected iwth a salt solution. If you brine them, you are adding more salt...and that makes for a bad bird and nasty gravy.

Osmosis runs both ways across a permeable membrane...so if the ion concentration of the brining solution is less than in the bird, you will be drawing salt out of the bird rather then adding it to.
Linda C

I've always objected to the cliche 'learning by osmosis'...which would imply that one has a higher concentration of knowledge than the source one is studying.

In my case it has ALWAYS been 'learning by active transport' ;~).

But i digress...i don't think you can ever make good gravy from a brined bird.

Today is my turkey stock day... ten turkey wings, 4 or 5 necks, 1 1/2 pounds of pork neck, chicken livers, a few onions, 6 stalks of celery, a couple parsnips, 6 real carrots, a head of garlic, a couple tomatoes, a sweet pepper or two, a hunk of cabbage...hmmm what else...a handful of green beans...anyway , brown the whole mess at 400 degrees for about 1 1/2 hours, then dump in a big ol'pot with some low sodium chicken stock and water to submerge, simmer all day with herbs you like. Strain out all the solid stuff, cool, refrigerate, skim off the fat if you want.

Divide between beefing up the actual turkey brine and dressing prep on Wednesday and Thanksgiving day gravy.