by David Maciel
Sponsored by Ray’s Food Place, Furber Plaza
In November comes my favorite holiday Thanksgiving.
But then comes the task of preparing & cooking the turkey so it comes out tender & juicy.
The best way to ensure this is with a brine.
Wet brine is a saltwater solution used to submerge the turkey for 12 to 24 hours before cooking. If you are concerned with sodium intake brine does not increase sodium in the meat
How it works: The salt solution tenderizes the meat by causing the muscle fibers to absorb water through osmosis. This process expands the muscle cells, which helps the turkey retain more moisture during roasting
Benefits: This results in a noticeably juicier, more tender, and more flavorful turkey. Most places that sell turkeys have prepackaged brine mixes that only require water. Here’s my favorite brine recipe.
Apple & Citrus Turkey Brine
• 14-pound Turkey
• 2 gallons liquid (apple cider is my preferred choice; water also works)
• 1 C coarse kosher salt or good quality coarse sea salt
• 1 C brown sugar
• 8 cloves of garlic, smashed
• 2 oranges, halved and juiced
• 2 lemons, halved and juiced
• 4 TBS peppercorns
• 4 bay leaves
• Handful of fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, sage, and parsley.
Instructions
- Transfer about 8 cups of cider or water to a saucepan. Add salt and sugar. Bring it to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Let it go, stirring occasionally, until the salt and sugar have dissolved. When done, set it aside and let the liquid cool completely. (You can speed this up by adding ice.)
- Pour the cooled brine to your brining container. Add the rest of the cider along with the garlic cloves, herbs, and peppercorns. Squeeze the juice from the oranges and lemons into the pot (don’t worry about the pits) and place the squeezed orange and lemon into the pot as well. Slowly and carefully submerge the turkey into the brine (careful, the liquid level will rise). Cover and refrigerate for an hour per pound.
- When brining time is up, carefully transfer the turkey to the sink. (I line mine with plastic grocery bags to try to keep things more sanitary. You could also use plastic wrap.) Carefully but thoroughly rinse the turkey with low water pressure to avoid splashback. This will rinse off excess salt. If you skip rinsing, you will end up with your turkey too salty.
- After the rinse, pat the turkey dry with paper towels and transfer it to a cooking vessel. You can now prepare it and season it as you normally would.
