Brine a turkey for Christmas!

[Gateholio]

Might be a good technique for wild turkies come spring??..given that they tend to be drier than farmed birds.

SSS

Absolutely!

[GoatGuy]

Might be a good technique for wild turkies come spring??..given that they tend to be drier than farmed birds.

SSS

There's a good idea.

[huntergirl270]

Great post Gatehouse!
Sounds very similar to the recipe I use from America's Test Kitchen cookbook I own. (You know the public television show).
The turkey is always perfect every time!

[rifleman]

uummm, uummmm, uummmmm, goooddddd. just finished a brined turkey meal & it was delicious. the bird was a small one so I had to adjust time accordingly. thanx again...

[3kills]

could u cook this bad boy on the rottiserry (sp)

[Gateholio]

could u cook this bad boy on the rottiserry (sp)

Sure, why not?

Try it out on a cheap chicken, first. But cut down the brine time.

[Gateholio]

I was asked to post this again, but I thought I'd just BTT this thread!

[tomahawk]

I was asked to post this again, but I thought I'd just BTT this thread!

Great timing!!!

[TheProvider]

MIght have to try this

[darrin6109]

heres a great recipe as well....

Ingredients

• 1 (14 to 16 pound) frozen young turkey

For the brine:

• 1 cup kosher salt
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 gallon vegetable stock
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 1 1/2 teaspoons allspice berries
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped candied ginger
• 1 gallon heavily iced water

For the aromatics:

• 1 red apple, sliced
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 cup water
• 4 sprigs rosemary
• 6 leaves sage
• Canola oil

Directions

Click here to see how it's done.
2 to 3 days before roasting:
Begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F.
Combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.
Early on the day or the night before you'd like to eat:
Combine the brine, water and ice in the 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining.
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.
Place the bird on roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels.
Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add steeped aromatics to the turkey's cavity along with the rosemary and sage. Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with canola oil.
Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl for 15 minutes before carving.