Brining & Roasting The Perfect Holiday Turkey #holidayrecipe (2024)

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If you watch a lot of cooking shows like I do you probably already know that it’s virtually impossible fill a turkey with stuffing and not dry out the breast. By the time the stuffing reaches the safe cooking temperature of 160 degrees the turkey breast is overcooked. If the turkey is only cooked until the breast is done, then the stuffing is questionable to eat because it isn’t hot enough to kill any bacteria from the turkey… For me, there is nothing worse than a dry Turkey when you have a large crowd over to eat. I hate it and I feel embarrassed if I cook for people and I’m not proud of what I’ve made. Holiday Turkeys are a time and money investment and you’re feeding a large crowd. No worries though. I think I’ve gotten the method dialed in.

Thaw Your Turkey First

Before you can brine your turkey it has to be thawed out so that the brine can affect the turkey the same way that it affects mine.

Brining The Turkey

Before creating your brine, think about the flavors you want the turkey and gravy to have. Do you want something traditional like onions, garlic, thyme, rosemary, and sage? Maybe you want to mix it up and try something like rosemary and apple cider. Apple cider and bacon?

Initially I saute a diced onion and half a dozen chopped cloves of garlic in a large stock pot. Then I add the dry herbs and spices such as bay leaf, rosemary, peppercorns, and thyme to wake them up a bit. Some recipes call for apple cider and others chicken stock, I’ve used both with great success. After sauteing the onion and spices I fill an 8 quart stockpot about half full with my liquid of choice. After I add the liquid I add the fresh herbs: thyme, sage, and celery leaves. Many brine recipes call for slightly more salt than sugar, but my husband and I have decided we like equal amounts of both. I stir everything together and bring it to a boil. Turning down the heat I let it simmer for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors infuse into the brine.

When you are happy with the flavor of the brine. (It will be salty if you taste it.) Add ice to the brine to cool it off. We don’t want to poach our turkey with warm liquid so make sure it’s as close to 40 degrees Fahrenheit as possible.Thankfully this time of year cold water from the tap is pretty cold but I also use a fair amount of ice (8-12 cups) to help cool down the brine solution. You will see some of the salt/sugar precipitate but don’t worry.

Brining Is All About Ratios

The ratio of liquid to sugar/salt is critical for the number of hours the turkey is brining. If the solution is too concentrated or the turkey is left to brine too long then it will taste salty. On the flip side if the turkey doesn’t brine long enough or if the solution is too diluted then the benefits will be diminished. In my opinion it’s still better to brine a little than not at all. It is also better to buy low sodium chicken broth and add salt to the gravy at the very end to make sure it isn’t too salty.

Prep The Brining Container

While the brine simmers prep the turkey to soak. Some recommend either a cooler, a large plastic tub that will fit in the refrigerator, or simply use an unscented trash bag in a roasting pan. The first time I brined a turkey I didn’t have a cooler or a plastic tub large enough. I needed to put the turkey in the solution right away; thankfully my resourcefulness kicked in and I used my roasting pan and a trash bag. I put the turkey in the bottom of the trash bag sitting in the roasting pan. After owning several roasting pans[amazon_textlink asin=’B01KXYR1MM’ text=’ I bought this one’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’jphphc-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’5ad7f381-c824-11e8-ad10-61d050286d0b’] because I can put in on a stove burner to make gravy; it’s a tank. I can easily pass it down through the generations.

Since I first wrote this article I’ve since tried to reduce my environmental footprint and also remove plastic from my life, especially my food, as much as possible. If you have a large stock pot that will fit the turkey and the brine together then please use that. This year I may have a pot that big since I bought my husband a beer making kit last year. Simply do the best you can with what you have.

Add The Brine Solution

Add the cooled brine to your brining container of choice.I have a scratch piece of paper with a few recipes scribbled down to give you different ideas for different sized turkeys, salt and water ratios, and length of brine time.

• For a 12lb turkey and 12 hour brine one recipe calls for 8 cups of apple cider, 4 cups of ice, with 2/3 cup of salt, 1/2 cup of sugar, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, and 1/4 cup of maple syrup.
• Another recipe combines 8 quarts of liquid with 3/4 cup of salt with 1/3 cup of sugar and a brine period of 2-3 days for the same size turkey.
• Depending on the length of time available you can adjust the concentration of your brine accordingly. I typically use 8 quarts of liquid and a cup of both salt and sugar each. In the refrigerator I’ll brine the turkey for 24 hours turning it over after the first 12 hours.

After the turkey has brined discard the solution and all of it’s contents. Then rinse the turkey and pat it dry with paper towels.

How Beautiful Turkeys Are Made: Butter

The brine will give the turkey an excellent flavor and help it retain moisture but in my opinion I think a butter rub takes it to a higher level. Depending on the size of turkey you’ll need 1 or 2 sticks of butter softened. To the butter I add thyme, sage, parsley, rosemary, salt, pepper, and garlic and onion powder. Since raw garlic has a tendency to burn and become bitter I opt for the powder.

Mix the herbs with the butter and rub the mixture all over the turkey, inside and out. Then, gently slide your hand between the skin and the breast and rub the butter all over the breast. Make sure to leave the skin in tact because it will help keep the breast meat from drying out. If needed, any remaining butter can be used to make stuffing or gravy, but whatever isn’t used should be discarded.

Stuffing Your Turkey Without Stuffing

In place of the traditional stuffing the bird cavity can be filled with onion slices, garlic cloves, apple or orange wedges, sprigs of fresh herbs, celery, or whatever flavor combination you desire. I think it helps keep the cavity moist while providing excellent flavor to the drippings you’ll use for gravy. The vegetables also add extra insurance that the breast will stay moist.

Brined Paleo Holiday Turkey Recipe

Use these recipes as a guide for creating your own flavors. The ratio of water and salt and the length of the brine are the most critical things.