The Ultimate Brined Turkey

The moistest turkey you'll ever have!

4-5 days before cooking your turkey (if frozen):
Thaw wrapped turkey in refrigerator, on a pan, to catch any drippings. If turkey still feels frozen within a day of brining, then place wrapped turkey in sink, and thaw with a slow constant trickle of cold water. Then return to refrigerator until ready to brine.
Supplies Needed:
Turkey
Baking Sheet

3 days before cooking the turkey, prepare the Brine solution:
Supplies Needed:
4 (32 oz. boxes each) vegetable broth *NOT low or sodium free
1 cup Kosher salt, NOT table salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 Tbsp. whole black peppercorns
1/2 Tbsp. whole allspice *Found in the spice section of the grocery store (McCormick brand)
1/2 Tbsp. crystallized or candied ginger *Found in the spice section of the grocery store (McCormick brand)

Boil all ingredients in a large pot, until sugars dissolve. Remove from heat and cool to room temp. Then chill, covered, in refrigerator.

Night before cooking the turkey:
Supplies Needed:
Clean 5 gallon bucket with lid
Prepared Brine Solution
Iced water
Pot for weight

Place brine solution in a clean 5 gallon bucket, along with 1 gallon of heavily iced water. Remove giblets from turkey. Place THAWED turkey in bucket, breast side down (as pictured). May have to sink bird with weight, if floating to top. We do so by placing a pot on top of the turkey, and filling the pot with water or something heavy in it. Cover bucket with tight lid. (If your turkey is not thawed completely, place it in your sink first, under a slow trickle of cold water.)
Once turkey is in brining bucket, make sure the turkey stays cold at all times, to prevent spoiling. We actually place our sealed bucket outside overnight, since temp. are typically cold during the November month. Some place it in their garage, if it will get cold enough. If you have an additional refrigerator, you can remove the shelves and stand the bucket up inside there. You can brine it indoors too. Which ever option you choose, just make sure there is always ice in the brine solution, keeping the turkey cold.

Just prior to cooking the turkey, prepare aromatics to stuff in cavity of turkey:
Supplies Needed:
1/2 of  a white onion, sliced thick
1 red apple, unpeeled and sliced thick
1 cup cold water
1 whole cinnamon stick *Found in the spice section of the grocery store
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
6 fresh sage leaves

In a microwavable bowl, heat the onion, apple, and cinnamon stick in water, 3-5 minutes, or until softened. Drain the water, and stuff the cavity of turkey with heated items, along with the fresh rosemary, and sage leaves.

Cooking the turkey:
Supplies Needed:
Butchers twine
Paper towels
Vegetable oil or Butter
Meat Thermometer
Foil
Roasting pan w/ rack


Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
Rinse the brine solution off the turkey with cold water, both inside and out. Turkey should be completely thawed at this point. Stuff turkey cavity with aromatics from above. Tie legs of turkey together with butchers twine. Tuck wings under bird, to prevent from burning. Pat turkey dry with paper towels. Rub oil or butter all over turkey. Make a triangle shape out of foil, coat foil with oil, and shape it on top breast of the turkey. Remove foil and set aside, to be used later, keeping the shape. Place digital probe in the deepest part of the white meat, on the breast. Hit the ribs with the probe, then pull back about an inch. Place turkey in oven, on roasting rack and pan, uncovered, legs first (as pictured), at 500 degrees F for 30 min. Top of turkey should be 6" from top of oven, adjust your oven racks accordingly.

Remove turkey and re-apply shaped foil (as pictured) to breast of turkey. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F. Place turkey pan back in oven sideways, and cook until thermometer reaches 165 degrees F.

Remove turkey from oven. Let meat rest in the roasting pan, with the whole turkey covered tightly with foil, and thermometer still in place, for 20-30 minutes, prior to carving. Use meat drippings from bottom of roasting pan to make Homemade Gravy (see recipe under Sauces/Gravy tab).

Carving Tips:
With electric knife, cut legs off first. Make horizontal slice into side of turkey. Then, begin to cut slices vertically. Repeat on the other side. The cut of the meat actually increases the tenderness of the meat!

Guidelines:

• 14 Lbs. should take approx. 2 to 2 1/2 hours total cooking time, and feed approx. 8-10 people.
• To thaw turkey in water: 1 hour for every 2 Lbs, in package, with slow trickle of cold water over it.
• To thaw turkey in fridge: 5 hours for every 1 Lb, or 3 days prior to brining. Thaw turkey on tray to catch drippings.