Prime Time Turkey Brine

I decided to finally officially share my amazing Turkey brine recipe with the world. I have been tweaking and honing this recipe for nearly 10 years now and I think it makes by far the best roasted Thanksgiving Turkey I have ever had.

What follows is the recipe and instructions for the brine, as well as a guide on how to actually cook the turkey once it's brined.

First off you will need some specific hardware for this  process: 

-1 five gallon bucket or similarly sized Turkey containment vessel

-A large roasting pan 

-A probe style thermometer 

Now ingredients

For the brine:

 -1/2 gallon of your favorite apple juice or cider

-1 quart chicken or vegetable stock

-bag of ice

-1 full cup kosher or pickling salt

-1/4 cup brown sugar 

-8-10 whole pepper corns 

-8-10 whole allspice berries

-2 cinnamon sticks

-2-3 each sprigs fresh rosemary, sage, and thyme. 

(Note: This brine works best for a turkey in the 12-18 pound range you may need to adjust quantities for larger or smaller birds.)

For the actual roasting: 

-1 red apple, cut in half 

-1 onion, cut in half 

-1 cinnamon stick

-2 sprigs each fresh rosemary, thyme, and sage

-1 tablespoon, approximately, canola oil.  

-Salt 

Now, to prepare the brine 

Midday on the day before cooking heat the cider, stock, salt, sugar, spices, and herbs in a large pot until it boils. Remove it from the heat and let cool. Then refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours! This step can be done a few days in advance if needed. 

Late on the night before cooking unwrap the bird and remove neck, gizzards, etc from inside the cavity. Then place it breast side down in your bucket. Pour over your cooled brine mixture and top with as much ice and water needed to fully submerge it. Now place in a cool, safe place for no less than 6 and no more than 12 hours. 

Cooking day! 

First thing in the morning pull your brined bird out of its bath and give it a thourough rinse and then a very thourough drying. You want the skin as dry as possible in order to maximize the crispness of the skin later. 

Once you are ready to start roasting preheat your oven to 500 degrees (you heard me). 

Place your bird in the pan.  A trivet or a bed of veggies on the bottom is a good idea but not absolutely essential. Now heat the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and herbs in a microwave for a minute or so then stuff them in the cavity of the turkey. 

Note:  You can NOT USE TRADITIONAL TURKEY STUFFING WITH THIS RECIPE! I REPEAT NO STUFFING! TRUST ME. 

Now rub the canola oil thoroughly all over the exposed skin if the bird. Then salt the skin liberally all over. Insert your probe thermometer into the deepest section of the dark meat (usually the thigh) being sure not to hit any bone that could interfere with proper temperature monitoring. Place the turkey in the oven and set a timer for 30 min. 

After the timer goes off drop the temperature of the oven to 375 degrees and cover your turkeys breast with a triangle of aluminium foil. Then continue cooking until your thermometer reads 160 degrees. 

When you have achieve the correct temperature pull out of the oven and LET IT REST AT LEAST 30 MINUTES! It will give you time to finish up remaining  side dishes anyway.  Note: it's also best to leave in the thermometer while resting as to prevent losing any juices. 

Then just carve and enjoy a succulent, flavorful, and moist roast turkey! 

It's a bit of work but I promise you it be well worth it! 

Happy Thanksgiving!