How to Make the Moistest Turkey Ever

Thanksgiving is one of the only times during the year for some people to enjoy a whole, roasted turkey. This is unfortunate because turkey is such a healthy and delicious meal, but for various reasons many people don't consider it feasible to serve it more often. Since turkey is usually the main event of the Thanksgiving meal, unless you're a vegetarian, of course you want to serve the moistest bird possible. In my opinion brining a turkey will ensure that and it's a lot easier than you might think.

The basic recipe for brining a turkey is to heat approximately 8 cups of water with 2/3 cup of kosher salt and 2/3 cup of sugar, and then let it cool to room temperature. If you want to make it even easier, heat only a cup or two of the liquid with the other ingredients and then add the rest of the water. This will help it cool down faster also.

That is just the starting point however. You want to infuse your turkey with as much flavor and moisture as possible, so think about the flavors you desire when formulating your custom brine. It's a good idea to heat the herbs and other spices with the liquid and salt for maximum flavor. If you go the traditional route add peppercorns, bay leaves, orange or lemon rind or zest, sprigs of thyme, rosemary and oregano. Perhaps you want a southwest style bird. In that case make half of your liquid a good quality beer and add sliced chili peppers, peppercorns, sage leaves, coriander seeds and fresh oregano leaves. For some French flair use herbs de Provence, chicken or turkey stock, lavender, and if you're lucky enough to have some, black or white truffles. What kind of sugar do you want to use? Try brown, turbinado, white, honey, molasses, etc. Play around with the flavors for your brine, but don't use too much citrus juice or anything too acidic because it will toughen the turkey.

Chances are that your refrigerator will be packed at Thanksgiving, with no room to house a turkey sitting in a roasting pan full of brine. You can brine the turkey in turkey oven bags; just make sure you triple bag them to avoid leakage. You may also want to brine your turkey in a cooler. Make sure the cooler seals well and doesn't have any leaks. Brine the turkey in the oven bags, but set it in a pan or pot and cover it with a couple of kitchen towels before layering the ice over it. This will ensure that the ice doesn't pop the bag open.

You should let the turkey marinate in the brine solution for 12-24 hours. Then simply stuff it, season it lightly, and roast it for a tender, moist and flavorful bird that melts in your mouth.