A brine is a great way to ensure that your Thanksgiving bird will be delicious and moist. This is a simple process....but it does take up some space in the fridge so be prepared! A turkey marinated in a brine solution will also cook a little faster. I suggest not stuffing the bird because, in my case the bird was done before the stuffing. I also found that there were less drippings from the bird that was soaked in a brine solution. With all that said this had to be one of the most moist turkeys I had ever eaten! I will never roast a turkey again without putting it in a brine solution first.
Turkey Brine
Ingredients:
1/2 gallon vegetable broth
1/2 gallon apple juice
1 cup sea salt
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
1 tablespoon dried sage
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried savory
1 gallon ice water
Preparation:
- In a large stock pot combine the broth, juice, salt, rosemary, sage, thyme and savory.
- Bring to a boil and stir frequently, until salt is dissolved.Turn off heat and cool to room temperature.When brine is cooled place the brine in a food storage container large enough to fit the turkey and brine so that the turkey will be completely submerged in the brine. Add the cold ice water.
- Remove the innards and rinse and dry turkey.
- Submerge the turkey breast side down in brine, make sure cavity is filled with brine. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Remove turkey from brine, rinse and pat dry. Discard excess brine.Cook turkey as desired.
Notes:
- If you have not checked it out... the Butterball website is a great source of information. There are guides on how to find the right turkey, buy the right size, thawing times, cooking times, etc.
