Brined Turkey

November 16, 2020 • 0 comments

When Thanksgiving approaches, there's no shortage of discussions about the best way to roast a turkey because a dry one is a big disappointment. Time and time again, brining comes up as a key way to help ensure a juicier, tastier holiday turkey. Water, salt, garlic, and herbs make up this quick turkey brine for a 12 -to 15-pound bird.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 12

Ingredients

(2 gallons) Water, cold
(2 cups) Salt, kosher or coarse ground sea salt
(3 tsp, crushed) Garlic
(1 Tbsp) Dried thyme
(1 Tbsp) Dried Sage
(1 Tbsp) Dried Rosemary
(1 tsp) Allspice berries, cracked
(1/2 tsp) Black pepper, ground

Directions

Gather the ingredients.

Add water to the stockpot along with the salt, garlic, herbs, and pepper. Over medium heat, simmer until the salt dissolves, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let cool.

Submerge the turkey in the brine, top with a plate, and put a large can or a few cans on the plate to hold the turkey under the brine.

Refrigerate the turkey in the brine for 12 to 24 hours.

Before roasting, remove the turkey from the brine, rinse it off under cold water so it's not too salty, and pat it dry with paper towels.

Follow your favorite recipe and roast without using additional salt.

Serve and enjoy.

Tips: This recipe is enough for a 12- to 15-pound turkey, but if you have to increase the amount of water to cover the turkey because yours is bigger, add proportionately more salt, sugar, and herbs. For each gallon of water, use 1 cup kosher salt, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and approximately 1 teaspoon crushed garlic, 1 to 2 sprigs of the herbs, about 1/2 teaspoon of cracked allspice berries and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Brined meat might look a bit pink even when fully cooked. If in doubt, check the temperature of the turkey with an instant-read thermometer. The turkey should register at least 165 F in the thickest part of the thigh. If the turkey is stuffed, the center of the stuffing must be cooked to at least 165 F.
Other popular brine additions include whole peppercorns, lemon or orange quarters, bay leaves, whole cloves, and cinnamon sticks.

Once the brine has come together, let it cool. Some people like to put the turkey in an extra-large resealable plastic bag inside a cooler loaded with ice, which makes it easier to pour the brine in and even easier to move the turkey around; it also doesn't take up precious space in your refrigerator at a time of year when space is at a premium. You can use a cooler or simply add the turkey and the brine to a large plastic container, then place a plate and a large can on top of the container to hold the turkey down and prevent it from floating around. You want the turkey to stay in contact with the liquid.

Original recipe included sugar, but I left it out. https://www.thespruceeats.com/...