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If your aim is a juicy, flavorful turkey this year, you should consider brining it!

But, what is brine or brining?   Brining is a bit similar to marinating but there are some differences.  While marinades utilize an acid base to tenderize meat with flavors outside of the mean, brining uses a salt base that chemically lets the flavors infuse the cells of the bird to provide added moisture and lots of flavor.

TIPS:

• Avoid turkeys labeled self basting or flavor injected.
• While you can purchase a pre-brined turkey, you would really just be doubling your cooking time.
• Choose a natural turkey that hasn’t been processed.  These are usually labeled, natural, “no additives”, or “minimally processed.”
• Brining does take time, so it’s not something you can do the morning of Thanksgiving

Steps:

1. Prepare the brine and cook it
2. Allow the mixture to cool overnight.  Because if you add the turkey while the brine is hot, it will start to cook the bird.
3.  Let the thawed turkey lay in the brine for 8 hours or more
4. Air dry the turkey for about 8 hours on a rack in the fridge. (0ptional - for crisp skin)
5. Remove the bird from the brine solution, pat it dry, and let it rest for 1 hour prior to cooking.

The Brine Recipe:

The basic ingredients to a brine are some sort of liquid, salt, and sugar.  Below is a basic brine recipe.

• 2 Gallons of Water ( or 1 Gallon Vegetable Stock/1 Gallon cold water)
• 2 Cups Kosher Salt ( or 1 Cup Table salt or 1 1/2 Cups Sea Salt)
• 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
•  Seasonings

To Make the Brine:

• Bring one Gallon of Liquid and the Salt to a boil in a large cooking pot and stir until the salt is completely dissolved.
•  Remove from the heat and add brown sugar and seasonings. Stir the solution until the sugar has completely dissolved.
• Add one Gallon of Cold Liquid and stir
• Cool the brine in a container that is large enough to hold both the brine and the turkey.  The turkey has to be able to be completely submerged.  A plastic tub or bucket will work fine for this.
• Once the brine is cold, you can add the completely thawed turkey, breast side down with the “spare” parts removed.  Shake the container so that the brine solution goes inside the cavity of the bird.  The brine will cause the turkey to float until it completely sinks in.  You will want to lay something on top of it to make it sink.  Try using a brick that is in a zip-lock baggie.
• Let the turkey rest in the brine for a minimum of 8 hours up to a maximum of 18 hours.  Be warned -you can brine it too long and then you will end up with mushy turkey.
• Remove the turkey from the brine carefully.  Be sure to empty the cavity of brine as well.  Rinse off the turkey and pat it dry.  Place the bird on a rack over a pan and in the fridge to rest for 1-8 hours, uncovered.  If you let it sit for 8 hours it will produce a crispy skin when cooking.

Seasoning Suggestions:

Really you can add any seasoning you want, but here are a few suggestions.

• 1 TBS crushed dried rosemary
• 10 whole cloves
• 1 TBS savory
• 1 TBS dried sage
• 1 TBS dried thyme
• 1 TBS dried savory
• 3 tsp peppercorns
• 1 (1 oz) pack of pickling spice

Bake the Turkey:
After your turkey is brined and is ready to be cooked, you can use a traditional baking method, smoke, or fry the turkey.

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