Brined Turkey recipe
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 gallon vegetable stock
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1/2 tablespoon allspice berries
1/2 tablespoon candied ginger
1 gallon iced water
5 heads of garlic
1 cup pre-made meat marinade
2 stalks of celery
2 apples, sliced
2 lemons, cut up
2 onions, quartered
1 piece of cheesecloth
2 cup butter, melted
2 cup chicken broth1. The night before, combine salt, brown sugar, vegetable stock, peppercorns, allspice berries and ginger in a stock pot and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve solids, then remove from heat, cool to room temperature 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. Place thawed turkey breast side down in brine, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area, like a cooler with ice, for 6 hours. Turn turkey over once, half way through brining.
3. Thanksgiving morning, take your hand and gently run it between the skin on the breast and the meat, separating the two very gently. Take whole peeled garlic cloves and stuff under the skin.
4. Use your favorite marinade and, using a turkey/meat syringe, inject marinade all over your turkey. Strain marinade before using or it will clog up the syringe.
5. Stuff turkey with celery, sliced apple, cut up lemons and quartered onion. Take a double up length of cheesecloth, enough to cover the turkey, and soak in melted butter.
6. Take about 4 heads of garlic and whack them with a glass to break apart. Don’t peel cloves. Scatter in turkey pan.
7. Put in the oven at 500 degrees F and cook for 1/2 hour. Decrease temperature to 350 degrees F and cover turkey with butter soaked cheesecloth. Baste with chicken broth right over the cheesecloth to keep the cheesecloth moist.
8. Cook until internal probe thermometer reads 161 degrees F. Remove from the oven and let rest for at least 15 minutes, loosely covered with foil.
