Turkey Brining Tweetcipe

As promised, here is a great homemade brining solution that will ensure a flavorful, moist turkey. Brining is necessary when you use a fresh organic turkey that has not been “enhanced” with a saline solution. This recipe comes from one of my favorite Food Network chef-celebs, Alton Brown:

1 cup kosher salt

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 gallon vegetable stock

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

1 1/2 teaspoons allspice berries

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped candied ginger

1 gallon heavily iced water

Combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate for up to 1 week.

Two to three days before you want to cook the turkey, begin thawing it in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F.

Early on the day or the night before you'd like to eat:

Combine the brine, water and ice in the 5-gallon bucket or large cooler. Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining.

That’s the brining solution, but I might as well give instructions on how I would cook this bird, too:

1 (14 to 16 pound) young turkey

1 red apple, sliced

1/2 onion, sliced

1 cinnamon stick

1 cup water

4 sprigs rosemary

6 leaves sage

Grapeseed oil

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.

Place the bird on a roasting rack inside a roasting pan and pat dry with paper towels.

Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add these to the turkey's cavity along with the rosemary and sage. Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with grapeseed oil.

Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Once the meat is browned to your liking, cover with foil. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl for 15 minutes before carving.

Let's Talk Turkey

It’s about that time of year when everyone will be thinking about cooking a turkey – at least at Thanksgiving, although many of us repeat the process a month later for Christmas, as well. If you’re planning on preparing a turkey feast this year, but don’t plan on hunting your own bird, there are a few things you should consider.

Free range birds are touted as the best tasting, because they’re out and about, getting exercise that makes the meat leaner, and eating a variety of foods that contribute to the overall flavor. If the bird is truly free range, it probably will taste better. Unfortunately, many companies will advertise their birds as free range, even though they’ve been bred to have larger breasts, making the bird far too top heavy to do much ranging.

One thing to keep in mind is just because a turkey says “free range” does not mean you’re getting a healthy, humanely raised bird. One way to tell whether or not your bird has been humanely raised is its size – a true free range bird will rarely exceed 14-16 pounds. Another way to make sure you’re getting the right bird is to choose an organic free range turkey.

By choosing organic turkey, you’re buying from a farm that does not inject their birds with antibiotics. However, if you’re buying from a local turkey provider, you may want to talk to them about their actual practice. Becoming organic certified can be expensive, but many small businesses that raise turkeys will raise them organically (without antibiotics) and simply not jump through the hoops of certification.

Beyond choosing a free range, organically grown turkey, the other thing you can do that will ensure high-quality flavor is to buy a bird that hasn’t been frozen. Depending on where you live and what kind of access you have to the marketplace, this may be difficult, and honestly, a frozen turkey won’t ruin the dinner. Just be sure to thaw your turkey slowly and keep it sealed during the thawing process. For the best results, make sure you choose a turkey that is not of the commercial variety – you’re typically paying for empty weight because the birds have been plumped up with saline solution or full of antibiotics.

If you do choose to get a free range turkey this year, check back next week for my Tweetcipe, which will provide you with the instructions for brining your turkey – the perfect way to ensure a moist, delicious bird for your guests.

Until next time, eat well!