Brining a Turkey

Soaking a turkey in a solution of salt, spices, and herbs adds a depth of flavor to your turkey and gravy, and also produces meat that is succulent, moist, and tender. I'm not sure of the scientific background of why it works- but let me tell you- IT WORKS. Keep in mind- a brine doesn't necessarily add a lot of flavor, but yields a bird that is tender and incredibly moist- so make sure to season your bird if you do decide to brine.

I had been researching all different recipes for homemade brine solutions, but ended up with this brine which I had heard and read wonderful reviews, and the ingredients are ready and packaged for you. You will need the full jar to make the brine, which can accommodate up to a 20# turkey. This brine contains: Sea salt, Dried apples, Juniper berries, Lemon peel, Star anise, Garlic, Rosemary, Thyme, Black Pepper, Onion, and Bay leaf. Make sure to purchase this early! The weekend before Thanksgiving, our store and online were completely sold out of this item.

According to Williams-Sonoma, here are their brining tips:
1. For best results, brine the turkey in a brining bag set inside a large pot (I am using a roaster, but a 5-gallon bucket, or a cooler would work well), so the bird will be completely surrounded by the flavorful liquid. (I placed my bird in a Ziploc XL bag- found at Target for $5- and then placed the bird into a cheap roaster, found at Walmart for $9. That way, the bird is surrounded by the brine, and should there be a leak, the brine would leak into the roaster and not all over my fridge. If your bird is too large to fit in your fridge, place your bird in its brining bag filled with brine, and then place that into a 5-gallon bucket or a large cooler and surround the bag with ice so the bird stays cool.)

2. Make sure your brine liquid is cool when you place the turkey in it. Never place a turkey into a warm liquid- it will start the salmonella process.

3. The bird should be thawed when it's ready to be brined, so plan accordingly. Brining may seem like a lot of effort, but with careful planning, it won't add much more effort than you'd normally would, and (as I've been told)- it will be worth it.

Here was my schedule to serve a TDay dinner at 6:30pm:
- Monday morning: Made my brine (took 10 minutes). Allowed it to cool off while I was at work.
- Monday evening: Came home from work, and placed the brine in the brining bag and placed into fridge to become refrigerated.
- Tuesday evening: Purchased a fresh turkey. The bird was VERY cold (partially frozen). Placed it into my fridge inside my cheap roaster (in case any water leaked out) to thaw out.
- Wednesday morning: Removed neck/hearts/gizzard from bird, rinsed well, and patted the bird dry. Placed the bird inside my brine-filled bag, sealed tight, and placed it inside my cheap roaster (as it brines for the next 24-36 hours).
- Thursday morning (Thanksgiving Day): The bird is ready to be cooked.

** Keep in mind that if you plan to serve your TDay dinner earlier, plan accordingly.

AND NOW ONTO THE RECIPE!....

How to create the brine
Ingredients:
1 jar turkey brine— Apple & Spices (Williams-Sonoma)
1 fresh or thawed turkey, up to 20-lbs
Brining bag
6 cups apple cider (optional)

Directions:
1. In a large pot over high heat, combine 1 jar turkey brine with 1 gallon (4 quarts) of water; bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the brine.
2. Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until well chilled.
3. Open the turkey.
4. Remove the neck, heart, and gizzards (located in a bag inside the turkey). You can reserve these, if desired (I do)- just rinse them and store in a Ziploc bag in the fridge.
5. Rinse the entire turkey thoroughly with cold water. Don’t forget to rinse under the arms and legs!
6. Now, I like to do the brining in one of these large bags which I found at Target for $5… but you can also use a pot or large bowl; just be sure it will fit in your fridge.
7. Add the thawed turkey into the bag.
8. Pour the cooled brining solution into the bag.
9. Add 1 gallon + 2 cups ice water and 6 cups apple cider, or with 1-1/2 gallons ice water only.
10. Seal the brining bags tight- removing as much as air as possible from the bag.
11. Put it in the fridge- inside a cheap roster or 5-gallon bucket, and let it brine for 12-36 hours, turning the turkey over once halfway through the brining time.
12. Just before roasting, remove the turkey from the brine, rinse well with cold water, and pat dry with paper towels.

Make-Ahead Tip: Prepare the brine mixture (but do not add the turkey) up to 2 days in advance. Cover and store in the refrigerator.

Note:
- The brine solution needs to be cooled when you add the turkey. Thus, I would make a day or 2 ahead of time, or you can also submerge the brine pot into a sink full of ice water to quicken the cooling process.
- I like to put my brining bag inside of a roaster in my fridge. IF there was a leak, the brine would be contained in the roaster and brine/turkey juices would not leak all over my fridge. I purchased a cheap 25# roaster at Walmart for $9.
- For more tips on turkey brining, cooking times, etc. please click HERE.