It's All About the Brine
If you are old enough to say Thanksgiving you remember that most of the time the turkey is DRY.
If you or your spouse will try your hand at cooking the Thanksgiving feast for your immediate family or for your extended family then you will want to brine your Turkey.
The Brine process is long and tedious, but when you taste the difference in the juicy bird then you will thank me, thank yourself, and your family will thank you.
The first step is to make sure you get the right equipment. Most recipes, especially the one I just read from allrecipes will tell you to get a five gallon bucket and put it in the refrigerator overnight. Now you and I know that a five gallon bucket will not fit into any normal refrigerator.
So my tip is to grab the largest cooler you can and get a clean clear trash bag with no extra odors or anything that will leak into your brine mix, like Fabreeze or odor fighting chemicals. Get a 10lb bag of ice.
Bring your brine mix together in a pot and boil it and let it cool completely. You DON'T WANT TO PRE-COOK THE TURKEY.
Here is a few ingredients I got from allrecipes.
Brine Recipe:
- 1 gallon Broth,
- 1 cup salt
- 1 tablespoon crushed dried rosemary
- 1 tablespoon dried sage
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon dried savory
I cannot stress enough that it must be cooled, but once it is put your turkey into the bag and pour the brine in over top of the turkey and ensure the turkey is fully covered. Put half of the 10lb bag of ice into the cooler. Then place the closed and tied bag on top of the ice and place the remaining ice on top. This will act as your refrigerator and keep your turkey cool.
leave it covered and cooled for at least 12 hours or more if you can. After 12 hours then remove it from the bag and rinse the brine away. It really will not be washed away because all of that goodness has soaked into the turkey.
My top secret is to cut the skin near the edge of the breast and rub butter on the breast meat.
Cook the turkey on about 250 to 300 Fahrenheit for a few hours. I forgot the math on hours per pound, but I believe its 30 minutes per pound.
DO NOT OVERCOOK YOUR TURKEY. Take it out and let it rest.
Tell me how it taste?
