Turkey Brine

I've always wanted to try a brine on my turkey to see if it really made a difference with making a turkey more moist. We really enjoyed the turkey it was moist and had a nice flavor. I emailed my friend Maryam to get some extra tips on roasting a turkey and I took her advice as well. I'm going to just add what she wrote so I don't forget her tips for next year....

The bottom line is that there are a million opinions about how to cook a turkey. And everyone's "way" is the best.  

Here are my opinions, for what they're worth:

1) Brining can be a great thing, but seasoning a turkey simply and NOT overcooking can yield just at nice a bird. Plus, many commercial turkeys are already soaked in a saltwater solution––essentially a brine–– and so brining would overdo it. If you brine a turkey, NO ADDITIONAL SALT is needed. Just pepper, herbs, etc. I do brine pork quite often and love it.

2) Blasting a turkey at the beginning of cooking is a bit fussy and too much to worry about on a busy day. I always do a simple 325 degrees the whole time. Works for me.

3) The trickiest part of turkey cooking is getting the bird cooked evenly (the dark meat) without overcooking the breast. A few tricks are to put ice packs on the breast meat area while the turkey is sitting out and coming to room temperature. This allows the dark meat to start cooking while the breast meat is coming up to temperature in the oven. Another one is starting the turkey upside down and flipping the bird after an hour. This allows the dark meat to get a jump start cooking as well. Finally, you can dip several layers of cheesecloth in chicken broth mixed with some melted butter and lay the cloth over the whole bird. This protects the breast meat from cooking too quickly and keeps the bird moist without completely covering it with a lid.

My lovely Brine:)

My bird taking a nice 24 hour bath it's  brine.

My Favorite Turkey Brine

Recipe from the Pioneer Woman blog

Prep Time 10 Minutes Cook Time 15 Minutes

Servings 18

Difficulty Easy

Ingredients

• 3 cups Apple Juice Or Apple Cider
• 2 gallons Cold Water
• 4 Tablespoons Fresh Rosemary Leaves
• 5 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1-½ cup Kosher Salt
• 2 cups Brown Sugar
• 3 Tablespoons Peppercorns
• 5 whole Bay Leaves
• Peel Of Three Large Oranges

Preparation Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Stir until salt and sugar dissolve. Bring to a boil, then turn off heat and cover.

Allow to cool completely, then pour into a large brining bag or pot. Place uncooked turkey in brine solution, then refrigerate for 16 to 24 hours.

When ready to roast turkey, remove turkey from brine. Submerge turkey in a pot or sink of fresh, cold water. Allow to sit in clean water for 15 minutes to remove excess salt from the outside.

Discard brine. Remove turkey from clean water, pat dry, and cook according to your normal roasting method.