Turkey Brine

This year is my first year to EVER make a turkey... I know shocker... Well, since we are not really having family over for Thanksgiving this year as we are in Utah and they are in other parts of the country. We are going to try our hand at a traditional Thanksgiving. I have made hams in the past as my husband isn't a turkey fan. So, this year, I got a turkey and decided it was time I try to make a yummy turkey. I had been reading about the best way to prepare a turkey. The census was to brine the turkey. Monday I started thawing my turkey in the sink with cold water. Rotating my turkey every few hours to evenly thaw. Today is Wednesday, tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I decided that since my bird is thawed I should start brining it. I watched a video of how to brine a turkey, and they said it should brine for 3 days! UGH!!! I don't have three days to brine a turkey. I had my mini heart attack and then read further brining methods and realized it was anywhere between 12 hours and 3 days depending on how long you wanted to brine it. Luckily, my sister called and helped calmed me down... So I stopped stressing and got to work on my brine. This is a compilation of things I read that sounded good and what I had in the house. So, I will post how it turned out. Also, stay tuned for the final turkey preparations in a future blog posting.

Ingredients:

1 12-14 lb turkey, thawed and at room temperature (Not a Kosher or prebrined turkey)

1 cup kosher salt

1 cup granulated white sugar

1 gallon water

6 cups of ice

1 turkey bag

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup diced onions

3 Tbsp Rosemary and Garlic seasoning

1 tsp old bay seasoning

1/2 tsp thyme

1 tsp course ground black pepper

1 cup apple cider vinegar

Ingredients in my Brine

In a large pot, bring to boil the 1 gallon of water. Once the water has a rolling boil, stir in the sugar and salt. Once dissolved turn off the stove and add in all ingredients EXCEPT the turkey bag and the ice. Stir to incorporate all ingredients. Once all other ingredients are incorporated add the ice and stir until dissolved. This will help bring the mixture to room temperature, so that you can start brining your Turkey. In a large 5 gallon bucket. (One I had on hand from Food Storage). I lined with the turkey bag pulling sides up and over the outside of the bucket. Then pored the brine mixture in the bag. Made sure it was room temperature.

Turkey Brine in the Turkey bag inside the 5 Gallon Bucket

Then placed the prepared bird in the brining mixture. Making sure it was completely covered.

Turkey Brining in the Turkey Bag in the Garage

Closed the bag over the turkey and placed in the garage. (We have below freezing temperatures today and tomorrow,) so I am using my garage as the refrigerator today. My refrigerator does not have enough room for the bucket. The other option if you do not use the bucket is to place the bird in the bag with the brine and keep it in your meat drawer turning the bird over half way through the brining process. To ensure even brining. Brine for 12 hours to 3 days, depending on your time and preference.

Once you are ready to cook the bird, remove from brine. Throw away brine (pour down the sink or toilet). Pat turkey dry and then either cover with seasoned butter or canola oil, for a nice brown crisp skin. :) Cook per package directions. Enjoy!

I am hoping this turns out yummy. It sounds good. I will let you know how it goes tomorrow. I am looking forward to a delicious turkey dinner. :)