How to brine a turkey? If you are thinking what makes the turkey so juicy and delicious, the answer is the brine. If you can master this task, you will be able to serve your guest with a beautiful turkey on Thanksgiving. It is a way of marinating and adding more flavors to the turkey. It makes the meat tender and delicious. It is kind of like marinating but exactly not that because while marinating we cover the meat with spices and the major difference is the presence of salt and water. Here is how you do it.
Related articles about How to brine a turkey
Step 1: If you have a frozen turkey, leave it out until it is totally thaw and wait for it to happen naturally. Do not use any other method to melt the ice. Wait for the turkey to be soft and light. If you do not want the trouble of thawing and additionally you prefer fresh food, purchase one and then continue cooking. For a standard 13 to 23-pound turkey you will require 2 lbs. of salt, preferably sea salt and 15 oz. of brown sugar. You may require a large pot or container that is big enough to embrace the turkey when wholly flooded in liquid. Utilize a meat thermometer to know the temperature.
Step 2: Put the turkey, sugar and salt in the pot and add 15 liters of water. Make sure the turkey is fully covered in water and move it here and there to make it come in contact with the salt and water. Keep it in the refrigerator or somewhere cold for six hours. You can utilize ice to keep it cold. Make sure that the salt and sugar is completely mixing with the water.
Step 3: Take away the turkey from the brine and let it sit below flowing water of low temperature. Put in the refrigerator without the lid for one night. The process will give the right color of the turkey and get rid of too much moisture.
Step 4: Polish the turkey with butter, crushed pepper and herbs (thyme, oregano, rosemary, mint, sage, coriander) or spice blend. Pack the inside of the turkey with new herb twigs, cloves of garlic and big sliced pieces of onion, celery and carrot. Add 15 ounces of water and you need to get yourself a roasting rack before preparing the turkey. Grease it with butter or fat.
Step 5: After you remove it from the brine, you need to let it dry. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and put the turkey in there. It is ready for being a roasted turkey. Carry on the roasting procedure according to the size of the turkey and the time it needs to cook.
Tips
• Not all turkey you find at the market are for brining. Some of them are injected with the solution of sodium and you can look at the packaging for more information
• You can keep it in bags called brining bags
• If it is too salty, put a potato in the mixture.
