Orange Turkey Brine Recipes

ORANGE TURKEY BRINE

Steps:

• Combine the orange juice concentrate, orange slices, lemon slices, lime slices, thyme, pepper, garlic, bay leaves, salt, and water in a large stockpot; bring to a boil. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
• Wash and dry your turkey. Make sure you have removed the innards. Place the turkey, breast down, into the brine. Make sure that the cavity gets filled. Place the bucket in the refrigerator. Allow turkey to marinate 1 to 2 days before cooking. Remove the turkey carefully. Drain and discard the excess brine and pat dry.
• Cook the turkey as desired reserving the drippings for gravy. Keep in mind that brined turkeys cook 20 to 30 minutes faster.

CITRUS TURKEY BRINE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Bring 4 cups of water to a low boil in a large saucepan. Add the salt and sugar and stir until they are completely dissolved.
• Cut the lemon, lime, and orange into 8 pieces each.
• Add the lemon, lime, orange, onion, garlic, bay leaves, and thyme to the saucepan. Reduce the heat to low and cover. Let simmer for 30 minutes.
• Pour this mixture into a large pot. Add the remaining water (cold) and refrigerate the brine until it is completely cooled.
• If using a frozen turkey, it must be completely defrosted before brining. Place the poultry and brine in a large plastic container. The poultry should be fully surrounded by the brine. Keep the turkey refrigerated throughout the brining time. Brine for 1 hour per pound. Do not brine for more than 24 hours. Thoroughly rinse all the brine from the turkey before cooking. Otherwise, there will be a salty flavor to the turkey.

SUNNY'S BUTTERFLIED ROAST TURKEY WITH EASY ORANGE SPICE RUB

Steps:

• For the brine: Combine the salt, peppercorns, thyme, sage, orange and 1 1/2 gallons water in a large pot over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and cook until the salt is dissolved and the water is fragrant. Turn off the heat and let cool completely.
• For the turkey: To brine the turkey, place the turkey in a roasting bag, large plastic bag or bowl large enough to fit it with still more space for the brine. Pour in the brining liquid and seal or cover. If there's not enough room for all of the liquid in the brine, be sure to at least include the herbs, orange and peppercorns. Refrigerate at least overnight and up to 3 days.
• When ready to cook, remove the turkey from the brine and discard all of the brining liquid and solids. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels.
• To butterfly the turkey, using kitchen shears or a knife, cut out the backbone of the turkey. Break the breastbone to open up and flatten the bird by gently pressing down with the skin-side up. Flip over and pat dry. Using your finger, gently release the skin from the muscle of the turkey and insert the butter pieces between the skin and meat all over the bird.
• For the rub: In a medium bowl, mix together the cumin, paprika, chili powder, orange zest, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the rub in a small bowl and set aside.
• Drizzle the turkey with olive oil and sprinkle with the rub. Gently rub into the skin. Place the turkey cavity-side down on a rack in a roasting pan and allow to sit on the countertop for about 2 hours to come to room temperature.
• For the glaze: To the reserved 1 tablespoon of rub, stir in the honey and orange juice until smooth. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Add 1 to 2 inches of water to the bottom of the roasting pan. Place the turkey in the oven, lower the heat to 350 degrees F and roast for 30 minutes. Remove the turkey from the oven and brush the glaze over the skin. Return to the oven and continue to roast, glazing every 30 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thigh reads 160 degrees F, 1 to 2 hours.
• Let the turkey rest at room temperature before carving, tented with aluminum foil, until it comes up to 165 degrees F, about 30 minutes. Plate the turkey and garnish with orange slices and sage and thyme sprigs.

TEA- AND ORANGE-BRINED ROASTED TURKEY

Steps:

• The day before, remove the zest from the oranges in wide strips using a vegetable peeler, applying gentle pressure so that most of the white pith is left behind. Reserve the zest, juice the oranges and strain into a medium saucepan. Add the zest strips, salt, bourbon, sugar, tea bags, peppercorns, cloves, 4 bay leaves and 4 cups (1 quart) of water. Bring to a boil, then turn off the heat and let the mixture sit for 30 minutes. Pour the brine into a plastic container or pot large enough to hold the turkey, add 20 cups (5 quarts) of ice water and stir to combine. Submerge the turkey, adding more ice water if needed. Weigh it down with a plate to keep it submerged and refrigerate at least 8 hours and up to 12 hours.
• The next day, drain, rinse and pat the turkey dry. Put on a large paper-towel-lined cutting board and let sit out at room temperature until it reaches room temperature, about 1 hour.
• Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Stuff the onion, garlic, herbs and remaining bay leaf inside the cavity. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan and brush half of it all over the bird. Sprinkle the skin with black pepper. Tie the legs together with twine. Tuck the wings under the body and put the turkey breast-side-up, on a rack in a roasting pan. Tent the turkey with aluminum foil and roast 2 hours.
• After 2 hours remove foil from turkey and increase oven temperature to 425 degrees F and continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thigh registers 165 degrees F, about 1 hour more.
• Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 30 minutes. Before serving, remove the vegetables and herbs and discard.
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HAPPY ORANGE TURKEY

Steps:

• Finely grate zest from oranges. Cut the fruit into wedges. Combine softened butter and orange zest. With fingers, carefully loosen skin from the turkey; rub butter mixture under the skin., Pat turkey dry. Combine the garlic powder, salt and pepper; rub over the outside and inside of turkey. Drizzle with melted butter. Place the oranges, onion, rosemary and thyme inside the cavity. Skewer turkey openings; tie drumsticks together., Place flour in oven bag and shake to coat. Place oven bag in a roasting pan. Place turkey, breast side up, in bag. Pour Champagne and orange juice over turkey. Cut six 1/2-in. slits in top of bag; close bag with tie provided., Bake at 325° for 3-3/4 to 4-1/4 hours or until a thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh reads 170°-175°. Remove turkey to a serving platter and keep warm. Let stand for 20 minutes before carving. If desired, thicken pan drippings for gravy.

BOURBON & ORANGE BRINED TURKEY RECIPE - (3.7/5)

Steps:

• MAKE THE BRINE: In a large stockpot or other container large enough to hold the turkey and brine, combine the water, bourbon, salt, brown sugar, orange wedges (squeeze each wedge to release the juice), bay leaves, peppercorns, and cinnamon stick. Stir to dissolve the salt and sugar. Add the turkey to the brine, breast-side down, weighting it with resealable plastic bags filled with ice or cold water. Refrigerate the turkey and brine for 24 hours. When ready to cook, drain the turkey and discard the brine. Blot the turkey dry with paper towels and knock off any solid bits of spices. Remove any large gobbets of fat at the front of the main cavity. Put the orange wedges and herbs in the main cavity. Tie the legs together with butcher's string and fold the wings behind the back. Combine the butter and Grand Marnier, if using, and coat the outside of the turkey. Start your grill, oven or roaster - set to 350°F. Roast the turkey until it is deeply browned, the skin is crisp, and the internal temperature of the thickest part of a thigh is 165°F when read on an instant-read meat thermometer. If deep frying - heat oil to 375°F. When lowering the turkey into the oil it is recommended to turn off the burner. Once turkey is fully submersed light the burner and cook maintaining 350°F oil temperature. Cook 3 to 4 minutes per pound. Internal temperature should be 165 to 170°F in the breast, 175 to 180°F in the thigh. Remove and let grease drain. Set on paper towel to rest for 15 minutes.

CITRUS TURKEY BRINE

Steps:

• Rub salt onto your turkey, and place remaining salt, lemons, oranges, onion, garlic, bay leaves, thyme and pepper into a large pot. Place the turkey in the pot, and fill with water. Refrigerate overnight. Discard brine after removing turkey.

TURKEY BRINE

Steps:

• Fill a large container or stock pot with 1.5 litres cold water and set aside. The pot should be large enough to hold your turkey plus 3 litres water. Pour another 1.5 litres cold water into a large pan over a low-medium heat. Tip in the salt, sugar, bay, thyme, peppercorns, orange zest and coriander seeds, and whisk until the salt and sugar have completely dissolved. Remove from the heat, then pour into the container or stock pot and leave to cool completely.
• Weigh the turkey and carefully add it to the container, ensuring it's completely submerged in the brine. Leave to brine for roughly 1 hr per 500g to ensure succulent meat and a flavourful bird, then drain well (discarding the aromatics), pat dry and roast.