When it comes to holidays, I don’t feel like pre-marriage counseling prepared me for figuring out how to split them up. Note to all the marriage counselors out there, add this to your curriculum because it’s going to be a biggie and it’s going to happen every single year… for as long as we both shall live. It’s so hard. And you throw in a divorce or two in there and you’ve got family parties zig-zagging you all over the place. Not to mention the fact that maybe you want to start some traditions of your own, in your own home. Which brings me to Thanksgiving. Dave and I decided from the beginning, that on Turkey day we would be spending it at our Florida house every year, God willing. We have gladly informed friends and family that they are welcome to join us, but they need to get to the Florida Panhandle if they want to spend Thanksgiving with The Millers.
It’s wonderful to have your own traditions to start building upon. I can’t wait to bring in Baby Girl Miller to the mix and all the gobble gobble Turkey fun! Fingers crossed, toes too if you’re that dexterous – and all wish bones allotted to getting us a little one before the holiday season next year! Now, on to the good stuff(ing). The turkey brine process.
I started brining my turkey from year one and have done so for five years running! Here’s how to start.
- First and foremost, you need your bird fully thawed before Tuesday afternoon/Wednesday Morning so it can have a full 24+ hours to brine before you pop it in the oven on Thanksgiving. And you need a non-brined bird so check out your packaging carefully. I buy a fresh bird each year so I don’t have to worry about thawing. BIG NOTE HERE: It can take a few days to fully thaw a turkey if it’s frozen, so be sure to start that soon so you’ll be ready to brine Tuesday or Wednesday.
- Find a brine recipe that sounds good to you. The year I started Thanksgiving, Food Network Magazine created a mix and match brine + rub article and I’ve been using it ever since. The online link is here. Bookmark that baby and print out a back-up. I have used the Orange-Tea-Bourbon brine every year, and then rotated all the different butter rubs to find a favorite. More on that later. Back to the brine.
- Before you start the Brine, be sure you have a set-up that will work. It needs to brine in a refrigerated environment. Either outdoors/in a garage if it’s cold enough or in your fridge. You also need a brine bag, or a large stock-pot. I’ll link everything I use below. I use my canner pot to brine in. It does take up a lot of room in the fridge though so I always re-arrange the fridge and make room for the pot before starting this process. A brine bag is probably easier and takes up less room.
- Prepare your brine. Here’s what Food Network says to do:
- Fill a large pot with 2 quarts water; add the zest (in wide strips) and juice of 5 oranges (I usually just buy OJ), 2 cups kosher salt, 1 cup sugar, 12 black tea bags, 4 bay leaves, 6 cloves, 12 peppercorns and 1 cup bourbon.
- Bring to a boil, then simmer 10 minutes. (I do this in a regular sized pan, then dump it in my big canner pot to cool and add the additional water from step 3 to the canner pot (or your brine bag)
- Add 4 quarts cold water and let cool. Submerge the turkey in the brine, adding water to cover, if necessary. Refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight. **DO NOT ADD THE TURKEY TO THE BRINE IF IT’S STILL HOT. THE BRINE MUST BE FULLY COOLED.
- I let mine go a full 24 hours. Remove the turkey from the brine; rinse and pat dry. Rinse it really well with cold water or else it’ll taste salty!
- Make your choice of flavored butter; reserve 4 tablespoons, then rub the rest under the turkey skin on the breasts and legs. Rub 2 tablespoons of the reserved butter on the skin; chill and save the rest for your gravy. Let the turkey stand 30 minutes at room temperature before roasting. Click here for butter ideas. I’ve tried the Asian Ginger, Classic Herb and Rosemary Lemon. I think the classic herb has been our favorite. I use the leftover herbed butter for the stuffing and some in the gravy as well.
- Just follow the instructions on your turkey for cooking it. I place mine in a big roasting pan and that’s it. I don’t baste it, I don’t open the oven a million times and mess with it. I set a timer, then start to watch for the little red thing to POP and indicate the turkey is done cooking. Then we remove it from the oven, place on a serving platter and cover with foil so it’ll stay warm while we use the drippings to make gravy.
That’s pretty much it! A brined and buttered bird is a juicy and flavor-ful bird! Good luck and be sure to post pics and tag me if you decide to brine your bird for the first time!