Soaking
a turkey in brine is the best way to make it moist and delicious.
The salt
soaks into the meat and tenderizes the bird. Here's how you do it.
Get a large
CLEAN bucket and pour in half of the cooled brine.
Make sure you only put half! The weight of the turkey will make the water level
rise.
Brining
a turkey '2004'
In gredients:
1 gallon vegetable broth
2 TB molasses
1 cup salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 TB black peppercorns
1/2 TB allspice berries
1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger
1 gallon iced water
Combine
all the brine ingredients (not the iced water) to a boil then cool
down to room temp.
Now add
the iced water to the brine, and mix.
Then
lower the bird into the bucket - partially filled with the brine...
Now
pour in the rest of the brine, covering the turkey as best you can.
Cover with foil and place in the fridge overnight. Approx. 8 hours.
In
the morning, remove the bird from the brine and pat the turkey dry. Mix up a
rub of garlic, thyme, salt and pepper and rub it on the outside - don't forget
the inside too...very important for flavor!
Now
to add even more aromatics, chop an apple in half and throw it inside the cavity.
We just happened to have an apple but you can use an orange or an onion just
as well.
Throw
that sucker in the oven. The best way to test to see if a turkey's done is to
use a probe thermometer. When it reaches approx. 165, you're pretty good to
go.
Here
is the lovely finished product. Make sure you let the turkey rest for at least
20 minutes before you carve it, or else you will lose all of those vital juices.
Now eat
up, you deserve it.