Ingredients: |
Ingredients: I whole turkey, frozen
For the brine
2 1/2-?? gallons of warm water
1/2 cp canning salt per gallon (Kosher salt or canning salt)
For the inside
1 onion, cut up
2 garlic cloves
2 bay leaves
1 Tbls each of sage, rosemary, thyme.
For the herb butter
1 cube of room temp butter - real butter is better than margarine but margarine will do
2 Tbls sage
1 Tbls thyme
1 Tbls rosemary
2 tsp ground mustard
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
For roasting
1 cp chicken broth
1 cp white wine
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Directions: |
Directions:BRINING - Unwrap the turkey and place it in a cooler big enough to hold it but not to much bigger. Using a 2 qt pitcher fill it with warm water from the tap and stir in 1/4 cp of salt till dissolved and add the water to the cooler. Do this just until your turkey floats. I had a 13 1/2 lb turkey and it took 3 gallons of water. At this point you can add veggies and herbs but I don't feel that they season the turkey at all. Leave the cooler in the coldest place possible. We left it outside where it was in the 30s at night and low 60s in the day and it was fine for 48 hrs. The frozen turkey should keep it cold enough for 24 hrs, at least. After that you could add ice to the water. If brining for longer than 24 hrs do not use more than 1/2 cp salt per gallon of water or your turkey may taste salty. Ours wasn't salty at all and we're pretty sensitive to salt cuz I don't use much in cooking.
PREPARE INSIDE- Remove the turkey from the brine and take the giblets out of the cavity of the turkey. Rinse the turkey with water, inside and out. Pat the outside dry with paper towels. Place the onion, garlic, and herbs inside and set the turkey in your roasting pan. If stuffing your turkey do that instead of adding the onion, etc.
HERB BUTTER - Melt the butter in the microwave and add the herbs and seasonings. Lift the skin over the breasts and thighs and spoon some of the herb butter under the skin. Rub it around over the meat. Get it under as much of the skin as you can.
ROASTING - Put the chicken broth and white wine in the roasting pan. Place the turkey in the pan, breast up. Put in a *325 oven and roast the appropriate amount of time for the size of the bird. Cover with foil for the last 1/3rd of the roasting time.
After you remove it from the oven leave it covered with foil and let it sit for 30 min to 1 hr. Use this time to prepare other things that need the oven like your yams, rolls, etc. The turkey will be juicier if you let it sit so the juices can redistribute.
Weight - Unstuffed - Stuffed
12-18 lbs - 3-3 1/2 hrs - 3 3/4-4 1/4 hrs
19-22 lbs - 3 1/2-4 hrs - 4 1/2-5 hrs
23-26 lbs - 4-4 1/2 hrs - 5-5 1/2 hrs
27-30 lbs - 4 1/2-5 hrs - 5 1/2-6 hrs
STUFFING
I never put my stuffing in the turkey but if you do be sure to cook the turkey long enough. Don't stuff the turkey until right before it goes in the oven. Stuff both the neck and body cavity but don't stuff it to tightly. Do not stuff a turkey that you will be cooking on a grill or in a smoker.
GRAVY
After removing the turkey from the oven to rest, drain the drippings into a bowl. Add a bunch of ice cubes to the drippings – enough so that they take up about twice as much room as they did. Let that sit for a few minutes while attending to other parts of the meal. After a couple of minutes scoop out the ice cubes and the congealed fat along with them. Pour the reduced fat drippings into a measuring cup, add enough water to make the amount that you need. (If you need a lot more use chicken broth and not water)
Pour half of it into a saucepan over med/lo heat. Whisk a 2 Tbls flour for each cp of broth into what’s left in the measuring cup till it’s well blended. Add this to the saucepan and whisk a bit more. Add a bit of salt and pepper to taste. Dice up any cooked giblets if you are adding them. Add the cooked neck for flavor, remove before serving Reduce heat to low and heat till it thickens. More on cooking the giblets in the next section
GIBLETS AND THEIR USES
Giblets can be good in your gravy or dressing. The liver is the slimy bit, put in in a small bowl with a bit of milk to soak awhile. This will help it be less bitter. The heart is the solid piece and the gizzard is the bit that's like two segments attached to each other. The neck is the long piece...duh.
When you start the dressing sear them all in the skillet with a Tbls or so of oil for about 10 min. Remove them from the pan and start sauteing the veggies for the dressing. When you've added the bread to the dressing toss the gizzard in whole just for the flavor as the dressing continues to cook. Remove it before serving. Dice up the heart and liver and add it to the gravy or the dressing. Add the neck to the gravy just for flavor as it simmers. Again, remove it before serving. |
Personal
Notes: |
Personal
Notes: This year, 2017 I brined my turkey for the first time and the difference was amazing!! The turkey was soooo juicy it was unbelievable! However it was not more flavorful in spite of adding 4 onions and several Tbls of herbs so from now on I'm just going to do the water with the salt and not put any onions or seasonings in with it. The herb butter seasons the meat much better than the brine did.
Oh, also thawing the turkey in the cooler full of brine worked really well. Part of the reason I've never brined is because I don't have room in my fridge for a big pot full of brining turkey. I started it with a frozen solid turkey on Monday night about 8pm and I took it out of the brine to get it in the roasting pan about 10pm on Wed night and left it in the fridge over night.
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