Brining A Young Turkey

Total Time: 2 hrs 50 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 2 hrs 20 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 1 frozen turkey
• brine
• 1 cup kosher salt
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 gallon vegetable stock
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 1/2 tablespoon allspice berry
• 1/2 tablespoon candied ginger
• 1 gallon water, iced
• 1 apple, red sliced
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 cup water
• 4 sprigs rosemary
• 6 leaves sage
• canola oil

Recipe

• 1 combine all brine ingredients, except ice water, in a stock pot, and bring to a boil. stir to dissolve solids, then remove from heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.
• 2 early on the day of cooking, (or late the night before) combine the brine and ice water in a clean 5-gallon bucket. (corrosive free container). place thawed turkey breast side down in brine, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area (like a basement) for 12 hours. turn turkey over once, half way through brining.
• 3 a few minutes before roasting, heat oven to 500°f combine the apple, onion. cinnamon stick and cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. this makes sure the stuffing is cooked properly.
• 4 remove the bird from the brine and rinse inside and out with cold water several times. discard brine.
• 5 place bird on roasting rack inside wide, low pan and pat dry with paper towels. add steeped aromatics to cavity along with rosemary and sage. tuck back wings and coat whole bird liberally with a neutral oil. (canola comes to mind).
• 6 roast on lowest lever of the oven at 500°f for 30 minutes. remove from oven and cover breast with double layer of aluminum foil, insert probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and return to oven, reducing temperature to 350°f set thermometer alarm (if available) to 161°f a 14 pound bird should require about a total of 2 to 2 1.2 hours of roasting. let turkey rest. min of 15/20 minutes before serving. tent the bird while resting.
• 7 enjoy a brined turkey.