Hey everyone! It’s that wonderful time a year where we eat turkey and shop until we drop the next day! Well, our family actually goes to Apple Hill to get our Christmas tree on Friday, rather than braving the Black Friday madness. This year, we are a little ahead of the game because the weather was so nice this last weekend that we decorated most of the outside of the house already. Ah, Turkey Day! To this day, I still cook my turkey low and slow like my mom and grandmothers did. There’s just something special about having the aroma of turkey wafting throughout the house, honing everyone’s appetite to a razor’s edge by dinner!
While there are many different ways to prepare a turkey (and I’ve tried quite a few!), my favorite way is to start two days ahead of the big day and brine my turkey. A shorter period of time will work, but I think two days is perfect. This amazing brine enhances the flavor of the bird and makes it incredibly moist.
For this brine, start by combining apple cider, some kosher salt, herbs, brown sugar, garlic, peppercorns, quartered lemons, bay leaves, and some water in a pot. Boil the mixture to dissolve the salt and sugar, then cool it completely—you can even throw in some ice to speed up the cooling process. Next, get your DEFROSTED turkey into a container of some sort for the brining (e.g., a pot, a brining bag or bucket, whatever you’ve got). The container just needs to be big enough for the turkey and all of the brine, ideally submerging the turkey completely, yet small enough to fit in the fridge or an ice chest to keep cold. This year, I don’t have very much room in the fridge, so I put my turkey in a big stock pot in an ice chest surrounded by a bunch of ice. After brining the turkey for two days, rinse and soak the turkey in fresh water for about 15 minutes and pat it dry with paper towels. Do whatever you want to the turkey next, following your favorite method or recipe to cook the bird–butter and herbs under the skin, lemon and herbs in the cavity, stuffed, surrounded by veggies, deep-fried, air-fried (please only deep- or air-fry outside!!). However you like to cook your turkey, by adding the brine to your preparation, you’ll make the most flavorful and moist turkey, ever. Enjoy and have a Safe and Happy Thanksgiving!
