I've seen the thread on brining a turkey. It isn't of any help to me. I really
want an honest recipe to brine the turkey for T-Day. I had one, but a computer
crash deleted it. Too bad--it made for the juiciest turkey we ever ate.

There are links for recipes, but I thought I would get a couple from the experts
here.

Can anyone help me out?

Thanks,

Mark

Mark Filice wrote:
> I've seen the thread on brining a turkey. It isn't of any help to me.
> I really want an honest recipe to brine the turkey for T-Day. I had
> one, but a computer crash deleted it. Too bad--it made for the
> juiciest turkey we ever ate.
>
> There are links for recipes, but I thought I would get a couple from
> the experts here.
>
> Can anyone help me out?

Someone will post Hound's Citus Bine recipe. I only have a hard copy of it
now. If no one does, I'll post it later. Another good brine is the one
demonstrated by Alton Brown.

Wait... I did have Hound's recipe on file:

Hound's Citrus Brine

(Recipe Doubled For Turkey)

2 gal water
1-1/2 cups kosher salt
3/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1 each juice of 6 oranges
1 each juice of 6 limes
1 each juice of 6 lemons
Rinds from the oranges, limes and lemons
2 sliced white onion
2 head of garlic, crushed
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
4 serranos to taste
4 tbs rough ground cumin
4 tbs rough ground coriander
1/2 cup chili powder
1/2 cup onion powder
1/2 cup garlic powder


Soak bird for 12 – 24 hours. I use a big camp cooler. Use an 8 lb bag of ice
in place of 1 gal water. Frozen soda bottles, or ice can be used to keep
the cold.

An hour before cooking take the bird out and thoroughly wash it down with
cold water for at least 30 seconds.

You can place aromatics like garlic heads, apples, and citrus in the cavity
of the bird for the cooking. I like also to place orange slices between
skin and meat.

(Recipe courtesy of Cuchulain Libby, a.k.a. Hound.)

(Editor's note: this method sounds crazy and the brine looks terrible, but
IT WORKS! You won't believe it is chicken. Flakes apart like fish. You
must try this and it works on turkey.)

Alton Brown's Recipe for Brine and Turkey

1 (14-16 pound) frozen young turkey

The brine:

1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 gallon vegetable stock
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1/2 tablespoon allspice berries
1/2 tablespoon candied ginger
1 gallon iced water

For the aromatics:

1 red apple, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup water
4 sprigs rosemary
6 leaves of sage
Canola oil

Combine all brine ingredients, except ice water, in a stock pot and bring to
a boil. Stir to dissolve solids, then remove from heat, cool to room
temperature refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. Early on the day of
cooking, (or late the night before) combine the brine and ice water in a
clean 5 gallon bucket. Place thawed turkey breast side down in brine, cover,
and refrigerate or set in cool area (like a basement) for 6 hours. Turn
turkey over once, half way through brining.

A few minutes before roasting, heat oven to 500 degrees. Combine the apple,
onion, cinnamon stick and cup of water in a microwave safe dish and
microwave on high for 5 minutes.

Remove bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard
brine. Place bird on roasting rack inside wide, low pan and pat dry with
paper towels. Add steeped aromatics to cavity along with rosemary and sage.
Tuck back wings and coat whole bird liberally with canola (or other neutral)
oil. Roast on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove
from oven and cover breast with double layer of aluminum foil, insert probe
thermometer into thickest part of the breast and return to oven, reducing
temperature to 350 degrees. Set thermometer alarm (if available) to 161
degrees. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of
roasting. Let turkey rest, loosely covered for 15 minutes before carving.
Yield: 10 to 12 servings



--
Dave
What is best in life? "To crush your enemies, see them driven before
you, and to hear the lamentation of the women." -- Conan

In article >, Dave Bugg says...
>
>Someone will post Hound's Citus Bine recipe. I only have a hard copy of it
>now. If no one does, I'll post it later. Another good brine is the one
>demonstrated by Alton Brown.
>
Thanks Dave--that is what I was looking for...

Mark

Mark Filice wrote:
> In article >, Dave Bugg
> says...
>>
>> Someone will post Hound's Citus Bine recipe. I only have a hard copy
>> of it now. If no one does, I'll post it later. Another good brine is
>> the one demonstrated by Alton Brown.
>>
> Thanks Dave--that is what I was looking for...

You're welcome, Mark. Say, how are you cooking the boid? This year, for the
first time in a loooong time, our's will be oven-roasted and not brined. I
just can't manage to use the pit and stuff, so Jill will need to do the
bird. I'll have to live vicariously through all you guys doing turkeys in
the pit
--
Dave
What is best in life? "To crush your enemies, see them driven before
you, and to hear the lamentation of the women." -- Conan

On Nov 20, 12:00*pm, "Dave Bugg" > wrote:
> Mark Filice wrote:
> > I've seen the thread on brining a turkey. It isn't of any help to me.
>
> Someone will post Hound's Citus Bine recipe. I only have a hard copy of it
> now. If no one does, I'll post it later. Another good brine is the one
> demonstrated by Alton Brown.


Not to forget Fatman's Brine

THE FAT MAN'S BRINE

2 Gallons Water
1-1/4 Cup Pickling Salt
3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
3 Tbsp. Garlic Powder
1 Tbsp. Chili Powder
1 Tbsp. Ground Sage
2 Tbsp. Crushed Red Pepper
1 Tbsp. Black Pepper
4 Each Bay Leaves
1 Tbsp. Old Bay Seasoning
1 Tbsp. Dave's Insanity Sauce
2 Tbsp. Italian Seasoning

In article >, Dave Bugg says...
>
>>You're welcome, Mark. Say, how are you cooking the boid? This year, for the
>first time in a loooong time, our's will be oven-roasted and not brined. I
>just can't manage to use the pit and stuff, so Jill will need to do the
>bird. I'll have to live vicariously through all you guys doing turkeys in
>the pit

I am smoking it on my GrillDome Ceramic Smoker. I have a pizza stone that sits
on a grill between the coals and the grill at the rim of the dome. I use a water
pan to catch drippings. I will most likely use apple chips for the smoke. It
never takes as long to cook as I plan for--a 15 lb. bird gets done in about 4-5
hours tops starting at 300 and settling in at about 240 for the rest of the
time.

I smoke turkey breasts from time to time throughout the year and the occasional
whole turkey because we all like it so much.

My sister has T-Day dinner at her house every once in a while. She insists on
trying to cook it in a convection oven and never gets it right. So I put myself
in charge of the turkey whether it is at my house or hers.

Mark Filice wrote:

> I am smoking it on my GrillDome Ceramic Smoker. I have a pizza stone
> that sits on a grill between the coals and the grill at the rim of
> the dome. I use a water pan to catch drippings. I will most likely
> use apple chips for the smoke. It never takes as long to cook as I
> plan for--a 15 lb. bird gets done in about 4-5 hours tops starting at
> 300 and settling in at about 240 for the rest of the time.

Damnation, man, I sense incredible danger afoot. You'll need to do the
turkey now, ship it to my address, and I will render a proper evaluation of
edible-ness.

I'll need a 20# bird, though.

--
Dave
What is best in life? "To crush your enemies, see them driven before
you, and to hear the lamentation of the women." -- Conan

In article >, Dave Bugg says...
>
>Damnation, man, I sense incredible danger afoot. You'll need to do the
>turkey now, ship it to my address, and I will render a proper evaluation of
>edible-ness.
>
>I'll need a 20# bird, though.
>
You have no idea of the danger. My mother-in-law is coming over this year for
T-Day. 8^0

I may go for a larger turkey this year. My wife is pretty heavy handed with the
leftovers she sends home with everyone. We didn't end up with enough of them
last year.

My daughter is home from college tonight and will be here for a week. She will
need her fix of pulled pork shoulder and maybe some ribs. That school cafeteria
food ain't got no 'Q on the menu.

Mark

You didn't ask for easy. This is the five star
brine for birds. I've done it several times. I
have also used TFM's brine. I have used this brine
in two ways. 1. I used all fresh citrus. 2. I used
bottled citrus and no rinds. I preferred the number
two version, but both are good. Of course the
number 1 version produces the freshest, brightest
flavor, but it is pretty assertive.

Hound's Citrus Brined Chicken

Prepare the brine:
1 gallon water
1 cup Kosher salt or 1/2 cup table salt
juice of 3 oranges
juice of three limes
juice of three lemons
rinds from same
1 sliced white onion
1 head of garlic, crushed
stems from a bunch of cilantro, chopped
serranos to taste, minimum of 4
rough ground cumin and coriander 2 Tbsp each
1/4 cup chili powder or any ground chile you prefer
(1/4 cup onion powder is optional)
(1/4cup garlic powder is optional)

Place the bird(s) and plenty of brine solution in a ziploc bag(s) and
leave refrigerated overnight prior to cooking. A cooler works fine also. I
use a 5 gal beverage cooler for all but the biggest turkeys. Frozen soda
bottles, or ice can be used to keep the cold. {8 lbs of ice= 1 gallon of
water} An hour before cooking take the bird out and
thoroughly wash it down with cold water for at least 30 seconds. You
can place aromatics like garlic heads, apples, citrus in the cavity of
the bird for the cooking. I like also to place orange slices between
skin and meat. Smoke rear end of chicken toward the fire for 45
minutes/lb @ 225°F until the thigh is about 170°F. You can rotate as
necessary to avoid charring. Cooking this way will result in inedible
skin, but juicy chicken. If you like the crispy skin then place the
chicken near the firebox. This works for either chickens or turkeys.
If you eliminate the brine (salt and water) the rest of the recipe makes an
excellent marinade for grilled chicken.

Okay, so it says chicken. It works equally well for any kind
of bird. Credit Cuchalain Libby aka 'The Hound' for this brine.
RIP 'Hound'.
--
Brick (Youth is wasted on young people)

"Mark Filice" > wrote in message
...
> In article >, Dave Bugg
> says...
>>
>>Damnation, man, I sense incredible danger afoot. You'll need to do the
>>turkey now, ship it to my address, and I will render a proper evaluation
>>of
>>edible-ness.
>>
>>I'll need a 20# bird, though.
>>
> You have no idea of the danger. My mother-in-law is coming over this year
> for
> T-Day. 8^0
>
> I may go for a larger turkey this year. My wife is pretty heavy handed
> with the
> leftovers she sends home with everyone. We didn't end up with enough of
> them
> last year.

the best Thanksgiving I recall is when my mom cooked two turkeys, just to
avoid this problem.

"Dave Bugg" > wrote:
> Mark Filice wrote:
> > I've seen the thread on brining a turkey. It isn't of any help to me.
> > I really want an honest recipe to brine the turkey for T-Day. I had
> > one, but a computer crash deleted it. Too bad--it made for the
> > juiciest turkey we ever ate.
> >
> > There are links for recipes, but I thought I would get a couple from
> > the experts here.
> >
> > Can anyone help me out?
> []
> Hound's Citrus Brine
> [ . . . ]
> Alton Brown's Recipe for Brine and Turkey
> [ . . . ]

And don't forget TFM's brine:

The Fat Man's Brine
2 Gallons Water
1-1/4 Cup Pickling Salt
3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
3 Tbsp. Garlic Powder
1 Tbsp. Chili Powder
1 Tbsp. Ground Sage
2 Tbsp. Crushed Red Pepper
1 Tbsp. Black Pepper
4 Each Bay Leaves
1 Tbsp. Old Bay Seasoning
1 Tbsp. Dave's Insanity Sauce
2 Tbsp. Italian Seasoning

--
Nick, KI6VAV. Support severely wounded and disabled Veterans and their
families: https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/ Thank a Veteran!
Support Our Troops: http://anymarine.com/ You are not forgotten.
Thanks ! ! ~Semper Fi~ USMC 1365061

I'm not sure how anyone else roasts their 'boids' <g>, but I like to add
strips of bacon or fatback (cook's choice*) over the bird when it
initially cooks the first two-thirds of the way. The bacon or fatback
work well as automatic "basters"! If one doesn't want the smokey bacon
taste, then use the fatback. Remove the bacon or fatback for the third
or quarter of the cooking time so the outside/skin can get golden brown
and nicely crisped.

Sky

--
Ultra Ultimate Kitchen Rule - Use the Timer!
*Ultimate Kitchen Rule -- Cook's Choice!!

"Mark Filice" > wrote in message
...
> I've seen the thread on brining a turkey. It isn't of any help to me. I
> really
> want an honest recipe to brine the turkey for T-Day. I had one, but a
> computer
> crash deleted it. Too bad--it made for the juiciest turkey we ever ate.
>
> There are links for recipes, but I thought I would get a couple from the
> experts
> here.
>
> Can anyone help me out?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Mark
No disrespect to Hound, rest his soul but I never did like his brine at all
and I recommend you do a sample on a chicken,

Hands down to me The Fat Man's is the best I ever came across.
Double for a 20 pound bird.

2 quarts water
1/3 cup pickling salt (or Kosher)
3 tablespoons brown sugar

2 1/4 teaspoons garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon chili powder
3/4 teaspoon ground sage
1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
3/4 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
3/4 teaspoon Dave's Insanity Sauce -- optional
1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

piedmont

On Nov 20, 4:06*pm, Tutall > wrote:
> On Nov 20, 12:00*pm, "Dave Bugg" > wrote:
>
> > Mark Filice wrote:
> > > I've seen the thread on brining a turkey. It isn't of any help to me.
>
> > Someone will post Hound's Citus Bine recipe. I only have a hard copy of it
> > now. If no one does, I'll post it later. Another good brine is the one
> > demonstrated by Alton Brown.
>
> Not to forget Fatman's Brine
>
> *THE FAT MAN'S BRINE
>
> * 2 * * *Gallons Water
> * 1-1/4 Cup * * *Pickling Salt
> * 3/4 * *Cup * * *Brown Sugar
> * 3 * * * Tbsp. * Garlic Powder
> * 1 * * * Tbsp. * Chili Powder
> * 1 * * * Tbsp. * Ground Sage
> * 2 * * * Tbsp. * Crushed Red Pepper
> * 1 * * * Tbsp. * Black Pepper
> * 4 * * * Each * *Bay Leaves
> * 1 * * * Tbsp. * Old Bay Seasoning
> * 1 * * * Tbsp. * Dave's Insanity Sauce
> * 2 * * * Tbsp. * Italian Seasoning

+1 for TFM's brine!
Rob

On Nov 23, 3:20*pm, "piedmont" > wrote:

> No disrespect to Hound, rest his soul but I never did like his brine at all
> and I recommend you do a sample on a chicken,
>
> Hands down to me The Fat Man's is the best I ever came across.
> Double for a 20 pound bird.
>
> 2 quarts water
> 1/3 cup pickling salt (or Kosher)
> 3 tablespoons brown sugar
>
> 2 1/4 teaspoons garlic powder
> 3/4 teaspoon chili powder
> 3/4 teaspoon ground sage
> 1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
> 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
> 1 bay leaf
> 3/4 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
> 3/4 teaspoon Dave's Insanity Sauce -- optional
> 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
>
> piedmont

No disrespect to Hound, TFM, you or anyone else but most of those
seasonings go to waste in a brine. The bird won't taste like sage,
chilies, old bay or any of the other ingredients. You are better off
saving those for a rub.
The brine I use is 1 gallon water, 1 cup kosher salt and the juice
from 12 ugly lemons. My local chinese grocery sells ugly lemons for 10
for $2 (Sub pretty lemons if you are a Rockefeller).
If you don't believe me try cooking two chickens side by side, one
with flavoured brine and the other with a simple citrus brine. I did
that and since then I've stopped pouring flavour down the drain when I
discard my brine.

Cam

On Nov 24, 10:03*am, Cam > wrote:

> No disrespect to Hound, TFM, you or anyone else but most of those
> seasonings go to waste in a brine. The bird won't taste like sage,
> chilies, old bay or any of the other ingredients. You are better off
> saving those for a rub.

While I would encourage anyone to cook their birds any way they want,
any time they want, using what ever method they want, over any fuel
they prefer, at any temp they like....

I agree would have to agree that my personal experience is the same as
yours. When the brining rage swept through the smoking community
(after the injecting rage), of course I had to try it.

While I certainly noticed a difference in cooked meat texture and
juiciness of white meat, the spice infusion just wasn't there. With
all the rave reviews of brined poultry, I expected a religious
experience.

I cooked two chickens, one brined for 36 hours, and the other as usual
on the smoker. As noted, a different texture in the meat, but nothing
else noted.

Tried it again later as I was assured that I had used the wrong brine
solution. I used a popular one from Smokingmeats.com.

Same thing.

Then I thought about it. I would have to be some pretty strong stuff
to penetrate an ice cold bird. The marinate spices would have to
penetrate the skin and work their way into the meat while at about 40
degrees.

When using a salt/citrus brine, I can taste a bit of tang from the
citrus, but only if I load up the citrus. (BTW, 12 ought to do it!)

When I brine I like a cup of kosher salt per gallon (seems to be a
standard for this), two tablespoons black pepper (only because I never
use one without the other) and two tablespoons of sugar.

The sugar doesn't do anything to the flavor, but it does help the skin
brown nicely with the little bit that stays on the bird.

Robert

"Cam" > wrote in message
...
On Nov 23, 3:20 pm, "piedmont" > wrote:

> No disrespect to Hound, rest his soul but I never did like his brine at
> all
> and I recommend you do a sample on a chicken,
>
> Hands down to me The Fat Man's is the best I ever came across.
> Double for a 20 pound bird.
>
snip> piedmont

No disrespect to Hound, TFM, you or anyone else but most of those
seasonings go to waste in a brine. The bird won't taste like sage,
chilies, old bay or any of the other ingredients. You are better off
saving those for a rub.
The brine I use is 1 gallon water, 1 cup kosher salt and the juice
from 12 ugly lemons. My local chinese grocery sells ugly lemons for 10
for $2 (Sub pretty lemons if you are a Rockefeller).
If you don't believe me try cooking two chickens side by side, one
with flavoured brine and the other with a simple citrus brine. I did
that and since then I've stopped pouring flavour down the drain when I
discard my brine.

Cam

I brine turkey for 3 days and meat does take in the blend of flavors, not a
specific one but a hearty spicy taste.

On Nov 25, 8:41*am, "piedmont" > wrote:

> I brine turkey for 3 days and meat does take in the blend of flavors, not a
> specific one but a hearty spicy taste.

I've never tried brining for that long. I brine 10-16 hours. Do you
get drippings for gravy when you brine that long? Does the bird get
mushy at all?

Cam

"Cam" > wrote in message
...
On Nov 25, 8:41 am, "piedmont" > wrote:

> I brine turkey for 3 days and meat does take in the blend of flavors, not
> a
> specific one but a hearty spicy taste.

I've never tried brining for that long. I brine 10-16 hours. Do you
get drippings for gravy when you brine that long? Does the bird get
mushy at all?

Cam

I don't 'catch' the dripping because I use a little hickory and figured
drippings would be too smoky, but you could place a catch pan under the
bird, for sure it will give off dripping. As far as mushy no, the breast
texture is changed but for the better as I assure you it will never be dry.
I have had many people tell me they dislike breast meat because they always
get it too dry but they say they do like this way.

"piedmont" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Cam" > wrote in message
> ...
> On Nov 23, 3:20 pm, "piedmont" > wrote:
>
>> No disrespect to Hound, rest his soul but I never did like his brine at
>> all
>> and I recommend you do a sample on a chicken,
>>
>> Hands down to me The Fat Man's is the best I ever came across.
>> Double for a 20 pound bird.
>>
> snip> piedmont
>
> No disrespect to Hound, TFM, you or anyone else but most of those
> seasonings go to waste in a brine. The bird won't taste like sage,
> chilies, old bay or any of the other ingredients. You are better off
> saving those for a rub.
> The brine I use is 1 gallon water, 1 cup kosher salt and the juice
> from 12 ugly lemons. My local chinese grocery sells ugly lemons for 10
> for $2 (Sub pretty lemons if you are a Rockefeller).
> If you don't believe me try cooking two chickens side by side, one
> with flavoured brine and the other with a simple citrus brine. I did
> that and since then I've stopped pouring flavour down the drain when I
> discard my brine.
>
> Cam
>
> I brine turkey for 3 days and meat does take in the blend of flavors, not
> a specific one but a hearty spicy taste.
>
I use the assertive seasonings, like clove and allspice, grind them in a
peppercorn, and heat the initial sugar salt mixture in the microwave. I
think something acidic helps, like lime, lemon, or even cider vinegar in
small amounts. For today's I roughly pounded a head of garlic and put that
in the brine.
The turkey has been drained of brine, and is now airdrying for 18 hours.

Kent

BTW, for a 12lb bird I brine in a 2.5 gallon Hefty bag. You need less brine
solution. It fits easily in the frig. A 12lb bird is completely covered with
one gallon of brine. Suck the remaining air out of the bag to collapse it.
It makes it all much easier.


>

On Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:11:43 -0500, "piedmont" > wrote:

>
>"Cam" > wrote in message
...
>On Nov 25, 8:41 am, "piedmont" > wrote:
>
>> I brine turkey for 3 days and meat does take in the blend of flavors, not
>> a
>> specific one but a hearty spicy taste.
>
>I've never tried brining for that long. I brine 10-16 hours. Do you
>get drippings for gravy when you brine that long? Does the bird get
>mushy at all?
>
>Cam
>
>I don't 'catch' the dripping because I use a little hickory and figured
>drippings would be too smoky, but you could place a catch pan under the
>bird, for sure it will give off dripping. As far as mushy no, the breast
>texture is changed but for the better as I assure you it will never be dry.
>I have had many people tell me they dislike breast meat because they always
>get it too dry but they say they do like this way.

I may have to try the 3-day brine sometime, Piedmont (obviously, not
today! :-)


Desideria

On Nov 20, 3:00*pm, "Dave Bugg" > wrote:
> Mark Filice wrote:
> > I've seen the thread on brining a turkey. It isn't of any help to me.
> > I really want an honest recipe to brine the turkey for T-Day. I had
> > one, but a computer crash deleted it. Too bad--it made for the
> > juiciest turkey we ever ate.
>
> > There are links for recipes, but I thought I would get a couple from
> > the experts here.
>
> > Can anyone help me out?
>
> Someone will post Hound's Citus Bine recipe. I only have a hard copy of it
> now. If no one does, I'll post it later. Another good brine is the one
> demonstrated by Alton Brown.
>
> Wait... I did have Hound's recipe on file:
>
> Hound's Citrus Brine
>
> (Recipe Doubled For Turkey)
>
> 2 gal water
> 1-1/2 cups kosher salt
> 3/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
> 1 each juice of 6 oranges
> 1 each juice of 6 limes
> 1 each juice of 6 lemons
> Rinds from the oranges, limes and lemons
> 2 sliced white onion
> 2 head of garlic, crushed
> 1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
> 4 serranos to taste
> 4 tbs rough ground cumin
> 4 tbs rough ground coriander
> 1/2 cup chili powder
> 1/2 cup onion powder
> 1/2 cup garlic powder
>
> Soak bird for 12 – 24 hours. I use a big camp cooler. Use an 8 lb bag of ice
> in place of 1 gal water. *Frozen soda bottles, or ice can be used to keep
> the cold.
>
> An hour before cooking take the bird out and thoroughly wash it down with
> cold water for at least 30 seconds.
>
> You can place aromatics like garlic heads, apples, and citrus in the cavity
> of the bird for the cooking. *I like also to place orange slices between
> skin and meat.
>
> (Recipe courtesy of Cuchulain Libby, a.k.a. Hound.)
>
> (Editor's note: *this method sounds crazy and the brine looks terrible, but
> IT WORKS! *You won't believe it is chicken. *Flakes apart like fish. *You
> must try this and it works on turkey.)
>
> Alton Brown's Recipe for Brine and Turkey
>
> 1 (14-16 pound) frozen young turkey
>
> The brine:
>
> 1 cup kosher salt
> 1/2 cup light brown sugar
> 1 gallon vegetable stock
> 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
> 1/2 tablespoon allspice berries
> 1/2 tablespoon candied ginger
> 1 gallon iced water
>
> For the aromatics:
>
> 1 red apple, sliced
> 1/2 onion, sliced
> 1 cinnamon stick
> 1 cup water
> 4 sprigs rosemary
> 6 leaves of sage
> Canola oil
>
> Combine all brine ingredients, except ice water, in a stock pot and bring to
> a boil. Stir to dissolve solids, then remove from heat, cool to room
> temperature refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. Early on the day of
> cooking, (or late the night before) combine the brine and ice water in a
> clean 5 gallon bucket. Place thawed turkey breast side down in brine, cover,
> and refrigerate or set in cool area (like a basement) for 6 hours. Turn
> turkey over once, half way through brining.
>
> A few minutes before roasting, heat oven to 500 degrees. Combine the apple,
> onion, cinnamon stick and cup of water in a microwave safe dish and
> microwave on high for 5 minutes.
>
> Remove bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard
> brine. Place bird on roasting rack inside wide, low pan and pat dry with
> paper towels. Add steeped aromatics to cavity along with rosemary and sage.
> Tuck back wings and coat whole bird liberally with canola (or other neutral)
> oil. Roast on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove
> from oven and cover breast with double layer of aluminum foil, insert probe
> thermometer into thickest part of the breast and return to oven, reducing
> temperature to 350 degrees. Set thermometer alarm (if available) to 161
> degrees. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of
> roasting. Let turkey rest, loosely covered for 15 minutes before carving.
> Yield: 10 to 12 servings
>
> --
> Dave
> What is best in life? * *"To crush your enemies, see them driven before
> you, and to hear the lamentation of the women." -- Conan

We brined our first bird for yesterday's supper. We had only the
immediate family (2 adults, an 11 and an 8 year old), so we got a
small bird and still had plenty of leftovers. We used Alton Brown's
brine and it worked really well. The meat was a bit saltier than I
was expecting, but the entire bird was juicy, a turkey first for me.

Thanks to all for the suggestions and recipes, and I hope you had a
fine Thanksgiving!

Rock

On Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:51:48 -0600, Mark Filice
> wrote:

> I've seen the thread on brining a turkey. It isn't of any help to me. I
> really
> want an honest recipe to brine the turkey for T-Day. I had one, but a
> computer
> crash deleted it. Too bad--it made for the juiciest turkey we ever ate.
>
> There are links for recipes, but I thought I would get a couple from the
> experts
> here.
>
> Can anyone help me out?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Mark
>
Turkey Day is over, but I would like to let you know that the turkey brine
bag I got a World Market resulted in the best turkey I have ever done. I
do not know what's in that stuff, but part of it is pure magic! I also
reluctantly tried the high temperature roasting: 475F/I hour for a 11 lb
bird. The butcher I bought the bird from recommended doing it that way.
The bird must be elevated 2 inches above the pan and the drum sticks needs
to be covered with tin foil in advance. I also had to place a sheet of tin
foil on top of the bird after about 40 minutes. The bird must rest for
30-45 minutes before carved. It was perfect! The high temperature "sears"
the bird so juices can't evaporate so easily, and the short roast doesn't
leave much time for anything to evaporate.

--
//ceed

On Sat, 28 Nov 2009 09:02:29 -0600, Sqwertz >
wrote:


>
> Where id you end up getting your fresh turkey?
>
> -sw

I ended up having to travel so no time to go to any of the farms suggested
here. I got the bird at Randalls' Its was an organic turkey store branded.
It was a little bit more expensive than the normal ones, but boy was it
good!
--
//ceed

On Sat, 28 Nov 2009 11:57:37 -0600, Sqwertz >
wrote:

> On Sat, 28 Nov 2009 10:44:46 -0600, ceed wrote:
>
>> On Sat, 28 Nov 2009 09:02:29 -0600, Sqwertz >
>> wrote:
>
>>> Where did you end up getting your fresh turkey?
>>
>> I ended up having to travel so no time to go to any of the farms
>> suggested
>> here. I got the bird at Randalls' Its was an organic turkey store
>> branded.
>> It was a little bit more expensive than the normal ones, but boy was it
>> good!
>
> Randall's! I knew somebody in town shopped there. You must have
> paid a couple employee's salaries that day ($1.25/hour).

Randall's is not what it used to me. They are now owned by Safeway. The
one I go to in Round Rock (TX) is actually a very good grocery store. It's
only Randall's in name these days. Almost everything there is Safeway.
They have good specials on brisket though: 99c/lb at times.
>
> -sw


--
//ceed

On 28-Nov-2009, Sqwertz > wrote:

> On Sat, 28 Nov 2009 10:44:46 -0600, ceed wrote:
>
> > On Sat, 28 Nov 2009 09:02:29 -0600, Sqwertz >
> > wrote:
>
> >> Where did you end up getting your fresh turkey?
> >
> > I ended up having to travel so no time to go to any of the farms
> > suggested
> > here. I got the bird at Randalls' Its was an organic turkey store
> > branded.
> > It was a little bit more expensive than the normal ones, but boy was it
> >
> > good!
>
> Randall's! I knew somebody in town shopped there. You must have
> paid a couple employee's salaries that day ($1.25/hour).
>
> -sw

Wondering why Steve Wertz would post a comment like that.

--
Brick (Youth is wasted on young people)

On Nov 28, 3:36*pm, Sqwertz > wrote:

> last straw for me) are more than HEB's regular prices. *And the
> meat/seafood and produce doesn't even compare to that of HEB's.
>

Sounds like a Safeway. They went draining into the shitter 10-20 years
ago. Introduction of their own meat grade was the last flush.