BRINE FOR TURKEY
12-18 lb Turkey
22 -Quart container
3 -gallons of cold water
2 -Cups Kosher Salt
1 -Cup Sugar
1-2 -Tablespoon Pepper Corns
2 -Garlic Cloves
3 -Stalks Celery
Rosemary
Thyme
Sage
4 -Bay Leaves
· Dissolve salt and sugar in two cups of hot water. Stir in remaining cold water.
· Remove giblets and neck from turkey and rinse the bird off.
· Immerse turkey in brine and refrigerate for at least eight hours but no longer than 24 hours.
Check back this weekend when I post if this recipe is waste basket or recipe box.
Brining the turkey is an excellent way to adds moisture to the turkey making it very moist and tender. What you have to be aware of is the amount of salt you add as it will penetrate the turkey. In this case I felt the brine was too salty, either that or the turkey should have been much larger. I liked how moist and tender the turkey was and will brine again. Next time however, I will use half the amount of salt which will give me a moist flavorful turkey without tasting too salty. In saying this, Jonah our Chef in the family thought it was perfect.
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A number of you asked, “Why brine the turkey?”
ReplyDeleteBrining makes the turkey moist. Salt from the brine causes the meat tissues to absorb water and flavoring. This means that even after roasting your turkey the meat remains tender and juicy.