Brine for a Super Moist Thanksgiving Turkey!

A brine is a great way to ensure that your Thanksgiving bird will be delicious and moist. This is a simple process....but it does take up some space in the fridge so be prepared! A turkey marinated in a brine solution will also cook a little faster. I suggest not stuffing the bird  because, in my case the bird was done before the stuffing. I also found that there were less drippings from the bird that was soaked in a brine solution. With all that said this had to be one of the most moist turkeys I had ever eaten! I will never roast a turkey again without putting it in a brine solution first.

Turkey Brine

Ingredients:
1/2 gallon vegetable broth
1/2 gallon apple juice
1 cup sea salt
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
1 tablespoon dried sage
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried savory
1 gallon ice water

Preparation:

1. In a large stock pot combine the broth, juice, salt, rosemary, sage, thyme and savory.
2. Bring to a boil and stir frequently, until salt is dissolved.
3. Turn off heat and cool to room temperature.
4. When brine is cooled place the brine in a food storage container large enough to fit the turkey and brine so that the turkey will be completely submerged in the brine.  Add the cold ice water.
5. Remove the innards and rinse and dry turkey.
6. Submerge the turkey breast side down in brine, make sure cavity is filled with brine. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
7. Remove turkey from brine, rinse and pat dry. Discard excess brine.
8. Cook turkey as desired.

Notes:

• If you have not checked it out... the Butterball website is a great source of information. There are guides on how to find the right turkey, buy the right size, thawing times, cooking times, etc.