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I also brined mine for the first time. It turned out great!
INGREDIENTS
1 gallon vegetable broth
1 cup sea salt
1 tablespoon crushed dried rosemary
1 tablespoon dried sage
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried savory
1 gallon ice water
DIRECTIONS
In a large stock pot, combine the vegetable broth, sea salt, rosemary, sage, thyme, and savory. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently to be sure salt is dissolved. Remove from heat, and let cool to room temperature.
When the broth mixture is cool, pour it into a clean 5 gallon bucket. Stir in the ice water.
Wash and dry your turkey. Make sure you have removed the innards. Place the turkey, breast down, into the brine. Make sure that the cavity gets filled. Place the bucket in the refrigerator overnight.
Remove the turkey carefully draining off the excess brine and pat dry. Discard excess brine.
Cook the turkey as desired reserving the drippings for gravy. Keep in mind that brined turkeys cook 20 to 30 minutes faster so watch the temperature gauge.
I brine my turkey also. It's the best! I roast mine in an oven bag. Stuffing with sausage, onions, celery, apple and giblet. Garlic(boiled with potatoes in chicken broth) mashed potatoes with cream cheese, sour cream. Sweet potato souffle, cauliflower cheese gratin, broccoli and corn casserole, three kinds of pies, home made rolls. I love thanksgiving dinner!
Okay, all of you "briners". I've never, ever heard of doing this before... so, please do tell me what it does to the turkey? And, thanks for including your briner recipes... 'cause I wouldn't have even known what to brine one in even if I had heard of it! Sounds like I must try this for Christmas! Also, can you do this to a butterball turkey? And, how long do you fry one? I have heard of this ... but, I've heard some people say that they've cooked it too long and it was too tough to eat. Help! Help!
Okay, all of you "briners". I've never, ever heard of doing this before... so, please do tell me what it does to the turkey? And, thanks for including your briner recipes... 'cause I wouldn't have even known what to brine one in even if I had heard of it! Sounds like I must try this for Christmas! Also, can you do this to a butterball turkey? And, how long do you fry one? I have heard of this ... but, I've heard some people say that they've cooked it too long and it was too tough to eat. Help! Help!
Brining gives a turkey maximum tenderness and moistness.
Once you try it, you never want to go back. The difference is extraordinary.
(BTW--obviously you can do it with chicken, too. Actually, that was the first thing I ever brined.)
I am not sure you can or should do it with a butterball turkey--aren't they injected with stuff? I don't really know for sure.
Anyway, last year we were renting and I did not have any of my kitchen stuff, so I brined the turkey in a cooler in the garage (it was plenty cold.)
It came out great.
This year I had my stuff, and I brined the turkey in a great big covered pot in another refrigerator.
Thanks for the info! In 30 years of cooking, I'd never heard of this before, so I must try it! And, the turning the turkey over trick, will have to try that, too!
Thanks to all of you for sharing your recipes and great tips!
I cooked my first Thanksgiving dinner this year- all in a TEENY TINY communal dorm kitchen! I had to wake up early to claim it early since a dorm of 200 people share one kitchen (though most people went home- I still had to turn away 3 groups hoping to cook) but it was so worth it!.
I made turkey with rosemary and thyme (turned out crazy juicy.. I was shocked), gluten-free spanakopita casserole (basically no phyllo dough), potato kugel, wild rice stuffing, steamed green beans, and rice pudding for dessert. And of course, we also had cranberry sauce from a can. All of that managed on a 2 burner stove and a 1 rack oven barely big enough to fit a 7 pound turkey!
I cooked my first Thanksgiving dinner this year- all in a TEENY TINY communal dorm kitchen! I had to wake up early to claim it early since a dorm of 200 people share one kitchen (though most people went home- I still had to turn away 3 groups hoping to cook) but it was so worth it!.
I made turkey with rosemary and thyme (turned out crazy juicy.. I was shocked), gluten-free spanakopita casserole (basically no phyllo dough), potato kugel, wild rice stuffing, steamed green beans, and rice pudding for dessert. And of course, we also had cranberry sauce from a can. All of that managed on a 2 burner stove and a 1 rack oven barely big enough to fit a 7 pound turkey!
Wow.....sounds like a 4-course meal one would find in a restaurant, but cooked in THAT small of a kitchen!!!!
WOW, WOW, WOW !
"Gotta give ya a reppie point for yer effort on dat!"
I am not sure you can or should do it with a butterball turkey--aren't they injected with stuff? I don't really know for sure.
Yes, Butterball Turkeys ARE injected. The fresh Butterball usually have a higher butter and broth injection, then the frozen ones.
But, nonetheless...those turkeys can STILL be injected (think brown sugar etc), and can STILL be deep fried.
Mine turned out great! I didn't even have to call my mommy!
I smeared it with butter, and sprinkled it with salt and pepper, and fresh rosemary and thyme. No stuffing in the bird, so I stuck a few pats of butter and a couple of sprigs of rosemary in the cavity (when we took it out of the oven, the poor turkey had rosemary coming out its behind!!!). I roasted it breast side down, and although the breast didn't brown and look all pretty, the meat turned out tender and juicy. In our post-Thanksgiving conversation, Mom said next time I could flip the turkey for the last half-hour of roasting if I want the breast to brown.
We had The Fiance's mom and stepdad, and aunt and uncle over. They all loved it. Of course they did. They didn't have to cook. And they all left right after dinner.
We've been eating turkey for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The Fiance wants to roast another turkey next weekend.
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Sounds like I must try this for Christmas! Also, can you do this to a butterball turkey? And, how long do you fry one? I have heard of this 
... but, I've heard some people say that they've cooked it too long and it was too tough to eat. Help! Help!
