Thanksgiving week, folks Try to cook the best bird possible, and for many that means brining their birds. But some Utahns go a little too far and put their turkeys in the Great Salt Lake to be brined.

Great Salt Lake State Park and Marina shares a stupid but serious, Message to Salt Lake City residents – DDo not brine your turkey in the Great Salt Lake.

The discovery of a wayward bird Someone was left behind in the vast salty body of water caused the Monday Post. A store-bought turkey was found at Silver Sands Beach, which the park attributesS to a possible failure.

That’s probably for the bestbut, because a Big salt lake–Pickled turkey is not a good idea.

“I wouldn’t say a lot of people are trying it, but some people think it might be a good idea to try it,” said Ryan Sylvester, the senior assistant park ranger at Great Salt Lake State Park. “You don’t want your whole meal soaked in it.”

Recipe for a dinner disaster

The Great Salt Lake is more than the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere. It is a dynamic ecosystem that, with its highly saline waters, is home to brine shrimp and a variety of coastal and waterfowl.

But the same salty water that feeds wild birds is a bad mix for the Thanksgiving bird.

Curing involves placing the meat in a mixture of water and salt for several hours‘It’s cooked. It’s not a bad way to cook a Thanksgiving turkey, as it flavors the meat from the inside out and keeps it moist in the oven.

However, any turkey brined in the Great Salt Lake absorbs much more than the recommended serving of salt and many other minerals.

“The salinity of the Great Salt Lake is too high for proper brine and the water contains many minerals.” New Year’s Eve said. “We have a lot of potassium, sulfur and other stuff that you shouldn’t brine your turkey.”

The salinity of the Great Salt Lake is between 5% and 27%, depending on the water level. It’s much easier and safer to pass on the table salt than to hope that a single bite of the leg doesn’t do it give GRandpa hypernatremiaor too much sodium in the blood.

Additionally, soil samples from the shores of the Great Salt Lake show high levels of inedible substances such as arsenic and heavy metals, according to the Utah Geological Survey. That doesn’t mean a turkey from Great Salt Lake City is going to turn a family Thanksgiving into a production “Arsenic and old lace,” But it’s best not to tempt fate.

“It’s a fair warning that people shouldn’t think about this,” Sylvester said.

Cannon fodder for Turkey

A properly brined turkey should either be completely submerged in the brine sealed bag or a cooler. The Great Salt Lake has waves that are less than ideal for any meal.

Strong waves can quickly turn a turkey into a discarded waterfowl, which Sylvester said may have happened to the turkey found on Silver Sands Beach.

Of course, there is another possible explanation. Sylvester did not rule out the possibility of the turkey artillery theory.

“Some people shoot turkeys into the lake with a turkey gun, just like many people use a potato cannon” he said. “I’m not sure that’s the case here, but I know people do that occasionally.”

Carrying a firearm is legal in every state park, every state wildlife management area and every state And national wildlife refuges and refuges, national forests and national parks in Utah. There are no state regulations specific to carrying or firing turkey guns.

Finger licking Good

While it’s not a good idea to brine a turkey directly in the Great Salt Lake, there are ways to enjoy that flavor.

Redmond Salt, a Redmond, Utah company, sells prehistoric salt from a salt deposit 150 miles from the Great Salt Lake.

Sylvester isn’t too worried about finding more turkeys in brine this week. Great Salt Lake State Parks Thanksgiving warning is should be funny, but also a “heads up” for any cook crazy enough to try a brine from the Great Salt Lake.

“I usually tell people that you can dip your finger in the lake and taste the water to see how salty it is,” he said. “It won’t hurt you. But if you actually drink the water, you’re going to have a bad night.”

Andrew Rossi available at [email protected].