I've always heard or read that you should brine a turkey before cooking it. Usually, I am lucky to get it completely thawed in time to cook, much less try to brine it. Plus I felt just a bit weird about putting a turkey into a cooler in my garage.
I mean, yeah, it's cold out there (hello! I live in Ohio) but just not really sure it's cold enough to keep Mr Turkey from starting to go bad.
Well, I had the brine recipe I wanted to use and finally saw where someone brined their turkey in the refrigerator in the meat or vegetable bin. I went, "Hmmm, that might work." So we cleaned and sanitized the drawer. Next up, we put the bird in an oven roasting bag (wound up having to use 2 due to a small hole somewhere). The bag helps keep the brine around the bird and allowed us to get air out. Placed the bagged bird into the drawer, breast side up, then poured in the brine and added a bit of ice to make sure things stayed chilled. We put the drawer back into the refrigerator and let birdie sit for about 22 hours or so. About halfway through the brining process, I had hubby turn the birdie over. Birdie was really tasty after we deep-fried it.
Maple Bourbon Turkey Brine
What you need:
1 quart hot water
1-1/2 cups kosher salt (don't substitute, although, you can use regular salt, but only 3/4 cup; but never use sea salt, you would need too much)
1/2 cup brown sugar
-----------
4 quarts cold water
1 cup bourbon
1 cup pure maple syrup
1 onion, peeled and quartered through the root end
3 to 4 strips of orange peel
3 bay leaves, broken into pieces
2 tablespoons black peppercorns
1 tablespoon whole cloves
3 quarts ice
-----------
1 10- to 14-pound turkey, thawed
Glaze:
1 stick butter, melted
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/8 cup bourbon
Directions:
In a large stockpot combine 1 quart hot water, kosher salt and brown sugar. Heat just until salt and sugar are well dissolved. Do not let boil - keep it below 195 degrees. Remove from heat. Add bay leaves, peppercorns, and cloves to warm liquid to open up their flavors. Let sit for 10 minutes. Add the additional water, bourbon, maple syrup and onion; stir until well mixed. Add the ice.
Rinse the turkey, inside and out, under cold running water. Remove giblets and discard or save for another use. (Some turkeys come with a gravy packet as well; remove it, too.) Add the turkey to the brine and refrigerate 8 to 12 hours, or overnight.
*Note: Do not use a kosher turkey or a self-basting turkey for this recipe as they have already been enhanced with a salt-solution.
Pull turkey from brine, discard brining liquid. Pat dry, inside and out, with paper towels and roast, grill or fry as desired making sure to cook according to conventional guidelines checking with an instant read thermometer for doneness. A brined turkey will take a less time to cook, as well, so keep that in mind and check with your thermometer (if frying, use the lesser amount of time per pound).
Mix butter, maple syrup and bourbon for glaze. Brush glaze all over turkey.