Interestingly, I have been getting quite a few hits on my site from people looking for more information about brining turkey. Well, now that I have finally arrived at my parents’ house in suburban Great Falls, Virginia I can take a closer look at (and post) the recipe my dad has been raving about. It appears to be a xeroxed copy of a holiday cookbook put out by Wegmans Premium Holiday Turkey – and my dad used and loved this recipe last Thanksgiving.<\/p>\n
1 turkey (10-14#)<\/p>\n
2 tbsp thyme<\/p>\n
1 tbsp peppercorns<\/p>\n
4 bay leaves<\/p>\n
6-inch square of cheescloth<\/p>\n
1 gal water<\/p>\n
1 # kosher salt<\/p>\n
1 c Madeira (fortified wine) such as Marsala or brandy<\/p>\n
1 c honey<\/p>\n
1 tbsp crushed juniper berries (if available)<\/p>\n
1 gal ice water<\/p>\n
1 Reynolds oven-safe cooking bag (big enough to fit the turkey)<\/p>\n
1\/4 c basting oil<\/p>\n
1. Thaw turkey. Remove giblets. Rejoin legs.<\/p>\n
2. Make sachet: Place thyme, peppercorns, bay leaves, and sage in middle of cheesecloth and cinch tight with string.<\/p>\n
3. Boil water, sachet. salt, honey, and berries in large stockpot. Stir, bring to boil. Turn off heat and let rest 20 minutes.<\/p>\n
4. Add ice water – bring temp down below 50 degrees before adding turkey.<\/p>\n
5. Place oven bag in stock pot; pour in mixture. Add turkey and submerge. Marinate in fridge 24 hours.<\/p>\n
6. Remove turkey. Drain brine. Rinse turkey.<\/p>\n
7. Roast as usual.<\/p>\n
This effort had better make a difference. I am tempted to do the two turkeys differently – but one year we did just that and the worse turkey was sorely neglected.<\/p>\n
I am not complaining about cooking anymore as I just saw my friend’s husband last night who is the chef at The Harrison<\/a> in NYC. He is preparing turkey dinner for 250 people!<\/p>\n [I also got more brining tips from FlavorGirl; check this other earlier post<\/a> about Thanksgiving, especially the comments.]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Interestingly, I have been getting quite a few hits on my site from people looking for more information about brining turkey. Well, now that I have finally arrived at my parents’ house in suburban Great Falls, Virginia I can take … Continue reading