Prepping for Thanksgiving

There are two kinds of people. Those who brine their Thanksgiving turkey and those who don’t.
I used to be a non-briner, but then, one year, about two weeks before Thanksgiving, I got the flu. I spent days in bed watching Food Network shows.
It was like an entire culinary education, condensed. Well, not exactly. But, I did take many pages of notes. One of the things I learned about is the who, what, where, and why of brining.
And, I am converted.
It makes the meat so moist and tender and full of flavor.
If you are doing a turkey this year…give it a shot. You’ll never look back.

Roast Turkey

1 14-16 lb. turkey
For the brine:
1 C. kosher salt
1/2 C. light brown sugar
1 gallon vegetable stock
1 T. black peppercorns
1/2 T. allspice berries
1 gallon ice water
For the aromatics:
1 red apple, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
1 C. water
4 sprigs rosemary
6 sage leaves
canola oil
.
Combine all brine ingredients, except ice water, in a stockpot, and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve solids, then remove from heat, cool to room temp, and refrigerate till throuoghly chilled.
The night before cooking the turkey combine the brine liquid and ice water in a clean 5 gallon bucket. Place turkey in bucket and cover. Place in a cool area (like a basement or garage) Turn turkey over once half way through brining.
***The ice water and chilled brine will keep the bird cold enough so bacteria isn’t a problem.
A few minutes before roasting, heat oven to 500 degrees. Remove turkey from brine and rinse inside and out with water. Place aromatics inside turkey cavity. Rub skin with canola oil.
Place bird on roasting rack and roast for 30 minutes.
Lower temp of oven to 350 degrees. Roast for another 2-2 1/2 hours. Until the internal temp. reaches 161 degrees. Let turkey rest for 15 minutes before carving.