Good Eats Best Ever Turkey Brine Recipes

THE BEST TURKEY BRINE

Steps:

• Combine 1/2 cup salt, the sugar and 1 quart water in a medium pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir until the salt and sugar are fully dissolved, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and add the peppercorns, thyme, sage and lemon strips. Let steep and cool to room temperature.
• Pour the brine into a large stockpot or bucket and add 3 quarts cold water. Remove the neck and giblets (reserve for gravy) from the turkey and put it into the brine, pushing it down to cover. Refrigerate for 24 hours.
• Remove the turkey from the brine; rinse and pat dry. Cook according to your favorite method.

ALTON BROWN'S BRINED TURKEY

Steps:

• 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.
• 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 rack of roasting 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 cover the breast with a foil triangle. Then 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.

THE BEST TURKEY BRINE

Steps:

• To make the brining solution, dissolve the salt and sugar in 2 gallons of cold water in a non-reactive container (such as a clean bucket or large stockpot, or a clean, heavy-duty, plastic garbage bag.) Add the oranges, lemons, and poultry herbs. I like to squeeze out some of the juices from the oranges and lemons into the solution before I add them. (Note: If you have a big turkey and need more brine, use 1/2 cup salt and 1/2 cup brown sugar for every additional gallon of water.).
• Remove the neck, giblets, and liver from the cavity of the turkey and reserve. Rinse the turkey inside and out under cold running water.
• Soak the turkey in the brine, covered and refrigerated, for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.
• Remove turkey from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Pat dry and prepare turkey according to your recipe.

GOOD EATS ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Combine all brine ingredients, except ice water, in a stock pot and bring to a boil.
• Stir to dissolve solids, then remove from heat, cool to room temperature refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.
• Early on the day of cooking, (or late the night before) combine the brine and ice water in a clean 5 gallon bucket.
• Place thawed turkey breast side down in brine, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area (like a basement) for 6 hours.
• Turn turkey over once, half way through brining.
• A few minutes before roasting, heat oven to 500 degrees.
• Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick and cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes.
• Remove bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water.
• Discard brine.
• Place bird on roasting rack inside wide, low pan and pat dry with paper towels.
• Add steeped aromatics to cavity along with rosemary and sage.
• Tuck back wings and coat whole bird liberally with canola (or other neutral) oil.
• Roast on lowest level of the oven at 500F for 30 minutes.
• Remove from oven and cover breast with double layer of aluminum foil, insert probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and return to oven, reducing temperature to 350°F.
• Set thermometer alarm (if available) to 161°F.
• A 14-16 pound bird should require a total of 2-2 1/2 hours of roasting.
• Let turkey rest, loosely covered for 15 minutes before carving.

GOOD EATS ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Combine all brine ingredients, except ice water, in a stockpot and bring to a boil.
• Stir to dissolve solids then, remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
• Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.
• The night before cooking, combine the brine and ice water in a clean 5 gallon bucket.
• Place the thawed turkey, breast side down, in the brine.
• cover and refrigerate, or place in a cool environment for 6 hours.
• Turn the turkey over once, halfway through the brining.
• Before roasting:.
• Heat the oven to 500°.
• Combine apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes.
• Remove the bird from the brine and rinse the inside with cold water. Discard the brine.
• Pat the bird dry with paper towels and place on a roasting rack in a low, wide pan.
• Add the steeped aromatics to the cavity with the rosemary and sage.
• Tuck the wings back and coat the bird liberally with olive oil.
• Place on the lowest oven rack and cook for 30 minutes at 500°f.
• Remove from the oven and cover the breast with a double layer of aluminum foil.
• Lower temperature to 350°f, insert a probe thermometer in the thickest part of the breast and return to the oven for 2 to 2 & 1/2 hours. The thermometer should read 161°.
• Let the turkey rest, loosely covered for 15 minutes before carving.

BEST BRINE EVER (FOR TURKEY OR CHICKEN)

Steps:

• Combine all the ingredients in a large pot, cover, and bring to a boil.
• Boil for 1 minute, stirring to dissolve the salt.
• Remove from the heat and cool completely, then chill before using. The brine can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
• For turkey, place the thawed bird into a food grade plastic bucket, pour the cooled brine over top, add ice water to completely submerge the bird (nothing peeking out).
• Place the lid on the bucket and keep cold overnight at least 12 hours.
• Remove from brine, take out any of the aromatics that may be hiding in the cavity of the turkey, pat dry and let the turkey come to room temp for a few hours BEFORE you put it in the oven.
• (For my turkey, I added a fresh lemon, one head of garlic and some fresh herbs to the cavity of the bird before roasting).
• For chicken brine the bird UP TO BUT NOT MORE THAN 12 hours, I've not used this recipe on chicken but I've read the warnings of people who have left chicken in this brine for too long and it comes out salty!

ULTIMATE TURKEY BRINE

Steps:

• Bring water to a boil in a large stockpot. Stir salt and sugar into the water until dissolved; bring water again to a boil. Add cloves, bay leaves, peppercorns, rosemary, and thyme to the water, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook mixture at a simmer for about 20 minutes.
• Refrigerate brine until completely cooled.