Use Brining Solutions to Moisten Your Thanksgiving Turkey

Over the years I had tried many things to try to make my Thanksgiving turkey moist (butter under the skin, roasting it breast side down, filling it with apples, injecting it with marinade), and nothing ever worked. Then, last year, I learned about brining a turkey before cooking, which was supposed to make it juicy. I was skeptical, but having run out of options, I decided to try it.

I was forever sold. Brining your Thanksgiving turkey is the single best way to assure that it is moist and juicy. Even the leftovers were moist! My entire family was pleased at my discovery, and it was only then that I realized how awful my previous turkeys had truly been.

To begin, you will need a cooler that is large enough to contain your Thanksgiving turkey and a stock pot large enough to prepare the brine.

Here are the brine ingredients:
2 cup kosher salt
1 cup brown sugar
2 gallon chicken or vegetable stock
2 tablespoon black peppercorns
2 gallons iced water

To prepare the brine, combine the salt, sugar, stock and peppercorns to a large pot and bring it to a boil to dissolve the salt and sugar. Let this brine mixture cool and refrigerate it.

After the brine has cooled, place the turkey in the cooler and add the brine to it along with the two gallons of iced water. The turkey will have a tendency to float, so it can be weighted down with a cast iron frying pan, or other similar object.

Place the cooler in a cool spot (outside, or in the garage or a basement) overnight, turning the turkey once.

Remove the turkey from the brine and rinse it thoroughly, inside and out. Prepare your turkey as you would normally prepare your Thanksgiving turkey adding aromatics such as apples or onions to the cavity. (As a reminder, you should never cook stuffing in the cavity of your turkey for safety reasons.)

Begin roasting the brined turkey uncovered at 500 degrees for half an hour. This will crisp the skin and seal in the juices. After that, turn the temperature down to 350 and continue to roast the turkey for about 10 minutes per pound. A 15 pound turkey should take about 2 ½ hours too cook. When the internal temperature in the thickest part of the thigh or breast is 161 degrees, remove the turkey from the oven. Let the turkey set on the countertop for 15 minutes before carving, otherwise the juices will run out too quickly.

Brining a turkey entails considerably more work than mere roasting (which on Thanksgiving day is not always appealing), but it is worth every minute of extra effort.