I am not lucky enough to get to cook Thanksgiving Dinner each year. My mother-in-law still hangs on to tradition and wants us to come to her more often than not. So, those years that I do get to host, I’m thrilled about it and make the turkey the way that my family has come to love: Brined.
I was first introduced to brining in an accidental way about ten years ago. I had a large roasting chicken on-hand that was completely frozen but that I wanted to cook for that evening’s dinner. It was about 12 P.M. when I asked a few friends I was chatting with about thawing methods. The one that I chose was touted as the quickest method, and that was to submerge the bird in salted water.
I did as told and not only did it work like a charm, but it was the best bird we’d ever eaten. I took to brining all my poultry after that and decided that year to brine our turkey. We were all in love with this and I started checking in to other methods of brining. Up to that point I had merely used salt, but began adding my own herbs and spices to the mix to see what worked.
After lots of experimenting I came up with a recipe for turkey brine that we really enjoy. The best way to submerge a turkey is in a container that is both large enough for the bird yet small enough for your refrigerator. I have a 10 gallon stock pot that works very well for turkeys up to 18 pounds. You may have to experiment to see what works for you.
Here is the basic brine that we’ve come to love:
Brined Turkey
One 12 to 14 pound turkey – cleaned well
water to cover
3/4 cup salt
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons peppercorns – crushed lightly
5 whole cloves
2 bay leaves
4 cloves garlic – crushed lightly
1 teaspoon thyme – crushed
1 teaspoon sage – crushed
2 Tablespoons orange zest
2 cups water
Combine 2 cups water and all spices in a small pan.
Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer for 15 minutes.
Place turkey into brining vessel and add water to cover. Pour in brining liquid and refrigerate bird for 12-24 hours.
Roast as desired.