Brine it baby!

Several years ago I discovered what amazing results you can get by simply brining your meats before cooking.  I now brine all of my pork, chicken and turkey.  The results are always juicy and flavorful.  My favorite brining recipe is my Thanksgiving turkey.  It is from B. Smith and it makes, by far, the best turkey I have ever eaten.

Here is the recipe with my added comments:

Recipe: Herb Roasted (Brined) Turkey

By B. Smith

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups kosher salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons dried thyme
• 2 teaspoons ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon coarsely ground white pepper
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 18-to-20 pound turkey (I always cook a smaller bird but choose the right size for you)
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
• Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste

Preparation

The day before cooking, combine salt, sugar, cayenne, dried thyme, allspice, cloves, ginger, white pepper, and bay leaves in a stockpot. Fill pot halfway with water and bring to a boil. Cool to room temperature. Remove giblets and neck from turkey and rinse bird well. Place in cooled spice mixture, breast side down. Refrigerate overnight or up to 24 hours.

To Roast: Heat oven to 425 degrees. Remove bird from brine, gently wipe dry, and bring to room temperature. Combine butter, olive oil, fresh thyme, and rosemary, mixing well. Season turkey generously inside and out with salt and pepper. (I disagree here.  I found that if you do this the drippings are far too salty for gravy.  I found that rinsing the turkey with water and then patting dry with paper towels leaves all of the flavor while avoiding the salt lick drippings.)

Set turkey on a rack in a roasting pan. Rub seasoned butter lavishly over turkey breast and legs. Roast 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue to roast, basting every half hour, until temperature reaches 175 degrees or until juices run clear, about 3 hours, Let bird rest 30 minutes before carving.

I have been cooking this recipe for about 10 years and while I think about switching it up ever y now and then, I always come back to this.  I serve it with pan gravy and a sausage cornbread pecan dressing.  You could make it your own by changing up the spices, adding bourbon or apple juice, you name it.  

Every year we go to Tom’s parents for Thanksgiving and then I cook a turkey for the two of us on Saturday.    I will be able to add a picture of this year’s bird next weekend.

Have a Happy Turkey Day!