any great ideas about brining a 20#+ turkey...

I use a Rubbermaid 21 qt plastic can only used for T-Day, line

with a plastic trash bag and store in the garage fridge where I take a shelf out so the can stands upright. It's one heavy load though!

I use the Martha Stewart turkey brining recipe and it's very T&T. Super moist, dark skin and the gravy is not salty.

I have read where people use a cooler, but that makes me a little nervous.

Never too early to think about the holidays! smileys/smile.gif

 
lacking a garage fridge (no room considering the 8 pianos)...

i'll hafta use a cooler, but i'll keep a thermometer in it and watch like a hawk.

i'll squelch my gag reflex and check out the ms brine.

since i'm planning on slow-smoking the turkey, i'm beginning to think about doing 2 12# birds in different brines.

 
My T&T....I love the Chez Panisse Brine

CHEZ PANISSE'S TURKEY BRINE
INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 gallons cold water
2 cups kosher salt
1 cup sugar
2 bay leaves, torn into pieces
1 bunch fresh thyme, or 4 tablespoons dried
1 whole head of garlic, cloves separated and peeled 5 whole allspice
berries, crushed
4 juniper berries, smashed

INSTRUCTIONS: Place the water in a large non-reactive pot that can easily hold the liquid and the turkey. Add all the ingredients and stir
for a minute or two until the sugar and salt dissolve. Put the turkey into the brine and refrigerate for 24 hours. If the turkey floats to
the top, cover it with plastic wrap and weight it down with a plate and cans to keep it completely submerged in the brine.

Note: You may halve or double the recipe. The important thing is to prepare enough brine to
cover the turkey completely. For roasting: Remove the bird from the brine and drain well. Pat dry.

 
rvb....your "gag reflex comment was funny. Martha Stewart has created an empire doing what you feel

the need to gag about. If you really think about her and the person she is......she loves animals, has a community of them who are well cared for and loved - by her. She loves to garden as is evident by her fingernails. She grows a lot of her own food, her hens give her eggs. She loves to sew, cook, hike, sail her boat, help upstarts, what is so bad??????
Oh, I forgot, she is wonderful to her aging mother, actually donated millions to a hospital for a geriatric unit to study aging proglems, has helped her daughter stay afloat through financial problems, and served time in prison with flair and grace for I might add, telling a lie! Ca'mon rvb, don't you like her just a little? smileys/wink.gif

 
prolly, but i'm not about to admit it.

i've made progress, too.

now i let laur bring home martha stewart sheets without ripping off the lables.

 
As cheap as coolers are...

I got one of the big beverage coolers - perfect for a turkey! Before I did it in a bag in a cooler on ice but it was messy and hard to control the temp. This is perfect since you just put ice in the brine mixture and the cylidrical shape is perfect. When I have fridge space, I have three of the clean square food service containers - they are indespensible!

 
Rick, I use a round 5-gallon cooler like you see on a work crew truck..

The bird slips right in, no extra spaces that require more brine, and you can fill it with Kool-Aid when the grandkids come!

 
For those who may not mind, here's the MS brine recipe smileys/smile.gif

1 18- to 20-pound turkey
7 quarts water
2 cups coarse salt (about 9 ounces)
1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1 cup mild-flavored (light) molasses
2 bunches fresh thyme
1 bunch fresh sage

Line a plastic trash can with a large white kitchen garbage bag. Rinse turkey inside and out. Place turkey in plastic bag. Combine 7 quarts water, salt, sugar, molasses, 1 bunch thyme, and 1/2 bunch sage in large bowl or pot. Stir until salt and sugar dissolve. Let cool. Pour brine over turkey in plastic bag. Gather top of bag together, eliminating air space above brine; seal bag. Refrigerate turkey in brine 18 to 20 hours.

Remove turkey from brine. Drain very well; discard brine. Pat turkey dry inside and out.

Ready for roasting.

 
thanks mo. i had already googled and copied her recipe for brined turkey with quince glaze (inside)

Roast Turkey with Quince Glaze from "Martha Stewart Living," November 2006

Ingredients
Serves 12 to 14
FOR THE BRINE
2 cups coarse salt
2 cups sugar
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
4 bay leaves
8 sprigs fresh thyme
4 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
4 strips (3 inches) fresh lemon peel

FOR THE TURKEY
1 fresh whole turkey, (about 16 pounds), rinsed and patted dry, giblets and neck removed
14 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
6 cups homemade stuffing
3/4 cup hot Quince Syrup
QUINCE SYRUP
Quinces and thyme sprigs, for garnish

Directions
Make the brine; put ingredients into a large, wide stockpot. Add 6 quarts water. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar and salt have dissolved. Remove from heat; let cool completely.
Submerge turkey, breast side down, in brine. Cover; refrigerate 24 hours, turning turkey once. Remove turkey, and pat dry with paper towels. Let stand at room temperature 2 hours. Discard brine.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. with rack in lowest position. Stir 12 tablespoons melted butter and the wine in a medium bowl. Fold a very large piece of cheesecloth into quarters so that it is large enough to cover breast and halfway down the sides of the turkey. Immerse cloth in butter mixture.
Place turkey breast side up, on a rack in a roasting pan. Fold wing tips under. Season inside turkey with salt and pepper. Loosely fill body and neck cavities with stuffing (about 5 cups in the body and about 1 cup in the neck). Tie legs together with kitchen twine. Fold neck flap under; secure with toothpicks. Rub turkey all over with 1/4 cup softened butter; season with salt and pepper.
Remove cheesecloth from butter mixture, squeezing gently into bowl; reserve butter mixture for brushing. Lay cheesecloth over turkey. Place turkey, legs first, into oven. Roast 30 minutes. Brush cheesecloth and exposed turkey with butter mixture. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees. Roast, brushing with butter mixture every 30 minutes and rotating once, 2 1/2 hours; tent with foil if browning too quickly. Pour 1/2 cup water into pan if juices are very dark brown.
Discard cheesecloth; rotate pan. Baste turkey with pan juices. Roast, rotating pan halfway through, until skin is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees.(stuffing should also register 165 degrees., 1 1/2 to 2 hours more. Stir remaining 2 tablespoons butter and the quince syrup in a bowl; brush over turkey during last 10 minutes in oven. Transfer to a platter. Set pan drippings aside for gravy, if desired. Let turkey stand at room temperature 30 minutes, tented with foil, before carving. Garnish with quinces and thyme.

 
Ah, this one is a little different, looks good. smileys/smile.gif I do use the cheesecloth method

but I haven't seen her recipe with the addition of quince syrup.
I think the original brine recipe with the molasses helps in creating the dark mahogany turkey skin. I have to say, it's a gorgeous turkey when it comes out. People actually take pictures of it. LOL. :)Thanks for posting!!

 
i've been debating whether or not i want a bird to that sweet...

since i'm gonna do 2 turkies, maybe i'll give it a try.

in any case, warm-smoking the turkies over pearwood will give them the rich mahogany color.

choices choices.

 
Hehe, well you are making progress. Martha should have you on her show

to assist her with some cooking, or - making beds! smileys/wink.gif

 
Mark, I'd be afraid to use it for juice later (paranoia ). Do you line the cooler with a bag?

I agree, the size sounds perfect, but I'd be wary that the spout would harbor yucky germs.

Do you line the cooler with a bag, and put the brine and bird in the bag? If not, how do you wash the spout?

 
kudos... most guys rebuild cars in their garage... another sign you're not a redneck smileys/smile.gif

 
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