When I wrote my first Thanksgiving book, The Thanksgiving Table (Chronicle Books, 2001), brining a turkey was still a novel method for most home cooks. As I traveled the country teaching Thanksgiving cooking classes, I always demonstrated how to brine a turkey and gave the students an opportunity to taste how moist and flavorful a brined turkey could be. Each year, I respond to lots of preholiday e-mail queries about preparing a turkey and inevitably receive lots of post-holiday e-mails thanking me for my suggestions on brining. After brining and cooking several hundred pounds of turkey each November for my classes, I am convinced that brining produces the juiciest and tastiest turkey I have ever eaten.
YIELD
Makes 3 1/2 quarts brine; enough for a 10- to 25-pound turkey
INGREDIENTS:
Juniper Brine or Apple Cider Brine (recipes follow)
1 (10 to 25 pounds) fresh or thawed turkey
2 oranges quartered (if you are using Apple Cider Brine)
Juniper Brine
2/3 cup kosher salt
2/3 cup sugar
5 fresh sage leaves
4 sprigs resh thyme
2 bay leaves
6 whole cloves
1 teaspoon juniper berries crushed
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns crushed
2 teaspoons whole allspice berries crushed
Apple Cider Brine
2/3 cup kosher salt
2/3 cup sugar
6 quarter-size slices fresh ginger
2 bay leaves
6 whole cloves
1 teaspoon black peppercorns crushed
2 teaspoons whole allspice berries crushed
8 cups unsweetened apple cider or juice
INSTRUCTIONS:
Special Equipment:
2 turkey-size plastic oven bags (see Cook’s Note)
Have ready a heavy roasting pan large enough to hold the turkey. Place a plastic oven bag inside a second one to create a double thickness (see Cook’s Note); then place these bags, open wide, in the roasting pan. Remove the turkey from its wrapping. Remove the neck and bag of giblets from the main and neck cavity of the bird. Store separately in the refrigerator for making gravy. If using the Apple Cider Brine, at this point, stuff the main cavity of the turkey with the orange quarters.
Fold back the top third of the bags, making a collar (this helps to keep the top of the bag open). Place the turkey inside the double-thick bags, stand it upright, unfold the top of the bag, and pour the Juniper Brine or Apple Cider Brine over the bird. Add an additional 2 cups of cold water. Draw up the top of the inner bag, squeezing out as much air as possible; then secure it closed with a twist tie. Do the same for the outer bag. Place the turkey, breast side down, in the roasting pan and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours. Turn the turkey 3 or 4 times while it is brining.
Just prior to roasting, remove the turkey from the brine. Discard the bags, brine, and any cured herbs or spices remaining on the bird. Discard the oranges and ginger if using the Apple Cider Brine.) Rinse the turkey under cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
Juniper Brine
Put all the ingredients in a 3- to 4-quart saucepan. Add 8 cups of water and stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until the salt and sugar have dissolved. Boil for 3 minutes; then remove from the heat. Add 4 cups of ice-cold water, stir, and set aside to cool. Then proceed with the directions for Brined Turkey.
Apple Cider Brine
In a 3- to 4-quart saucepan, put the salt, sugar, ginger, bay leaves, cloves, peppercorns, and allspice. Add 8 cups of apple cider or juice and stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until the salt and sugar have dissolved. Boil for 3 minutes; then remove from the heat. Add 4 cups of ice-cold water, stir, and set aside to cool. Then proceed with the directions for Brined Turkey.
COOKS NOTES
The easiest way to crush whole spices is to use a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder. If you do not have either of these kitchen tools, then place the whole spices in a heavy lock-top plastic bag, seal the bag pressing out all the air, and pound them with the bottom of a small, heavy saucepan.
Plastic oven bags (made by Reynolds) are found with other food storage bags at supermarkets. Buy the turkey-size bags. They are food-safe, plus they are big, strong, tear-resistant, and come with twist ties. I do not recommend using plastic garbage bags because they are not intended for food storage. I use a double thickness of bags as a precautionary measure against leakage. For the same reason, I place the bagged turkey in a roasting pan.
Do Ahead
The brine can be made up to 1 day in advance. Cover and set aside at room temperature.