The Perfect Brine

Did you know there’s a turkey hotline? 1-800-Butterball (1-800-288-8372)

You can call anytime, and they will help you with your turkey troubles! (Is there anything we haven’t though of?)

Have you ever brined a turkey?

I never had until we started hosting Matt’s (my husband) family Thanksgiving at our home a few years ago. Now it’s one of my FAVORITE things about Thanksgiving.

There’s something about cooking the bird. Scary, but fun when you find the perfect recipe.

I brine because it adds tons of flavor to the bird, and it comes out amazingly juicy!

Here is my favorite brine recipe… credit to The Pioneer Woman, whose recipe I found and tweaked!

Ingredients

• 3 c. apple juice or apple cider
• 2 gallons cold water
• 4 tbsp. fresh rosemary leaves
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 c. kosher salt
• 2 c. brown sugar
• 3 tbsp. peppercorns
• 5 whole bay leaves
• Peel of three large oranges

Directions

1. Combine all the ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil, stirring until the salt and sugar dissolve. Turn off heat, cover and allow the brine to cool completely. 
2. Place the uncooked turkey in a large brining bag or pot, pour in the brine solution to cover the turkey, and refrigerate for 16 to 24 hours. 
3. Before roasting, remove the turkey from the brine (discard the brine) and submerge the turkey in a pot or sink filled with fresh, cold water for 15 minutes. This removes excess salt from the outside. 
4. Remove the turkey from the water, pat dry, and cook according to your normal roasting method.