barbara-in-va
Well-known member
Would love to know your favorite brine recipe please? I have an approx 22 lb defrosted turkey that I need to get cooking!!
Thank you Judy! I will give this a try on the fresh/frozen chicken I have in the freezer!!I have used this recipe for smaller birds, but it would work as well for your big one.
* Exported from MasterCook *
Brined Turkey (Or Chicken)
Recipe By :Nanna (Epi Swap post)
Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Poultry
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 8 To 10 Lb Turkey
1 Cup Coarse Salt - I use Diamon Crystal Kosher salt, but only about 3/4 cup.
4 Tablespoons Sugar
2 Tablespoons Herbes De Provence
1 Tablespoon Chile Pepper - use ancho, cayenne or whatever heat level you wish. It doesn't add much heat to the meat.
2 Teaspoons Black Peppercorns
3 Bay Leaves
2 Cinnamon Sticks
10 Whole Cloves
Water
1 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1 Medium Onion -- coarsely chopped
1 Orange -- cut in sections
1/2 Lemon -- cut in sections
3 Tablespoons Oil
Defrost the turkey almost completely and remove neck and gizzards. Combine salt, sugar, herbs and spices in a saucepan, add 1 litre (4 cups) water and bring to the boil, stirring until sugar and salt is dissolved. Let cool completely. Place turkey in a nonreactive container, preferably well-fitting. Add 2 litres (8 cups) ice-cold
water to the brine and pour over turkey; it need not be completely covered with brine.
Refrigerate for 12-24 hours and turn the bird in the brine occasionally. Remove from brine (discard it) and bring to room
temperature. (I rinse the bird as I don't want a lot of salt left on the skin.
Frpm here on, the recipe is for roasting a smaller bird at high temp.
Preheat oven to 250 C (485 F). Season turkey cavity with ground pepper and stuff with onion, lemon and orange but
reserve 1 orange section. Pour the oil into a roasting pan, arrange turkey in pan breast side up and squeeze juice from reserved
orange over the turkey. Place in oven. After 15-20 minutes, move the bird around slightly with a wooden spatula. Repeat every 10-15
minutes or so to prevent it sticking to the pan. If the skin darkens too much too soon, cover loosely with a double layer of foil.
An 8-pound turkey should only need slightly more than an hours roasting, a 10-pounder maybe 10 minutes more, but to be on the safe
side, use a roasting thermometer placed in the thickest part of the thigh. When it reaches 75-77 C (170 F), remove it from oven, place in a heated serving dish, cover with a double layer of foil and a thick
towel, and let stand for at least 30 minutes. Remove and discard onion and fruit stuffing before serving, if wished.
I don´t stuff the turkey, as I always prefer to bake the stuffing separately, and here stuffing would mess up the roasting times
anyway.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 9193 Calories; 467g Fat (46.6% calories from fat); 1057g Protein; 149g Carbohydrate; 46g Dietary Fiber; 3488mg Cholesterol; 93753mg Sodium. Exchanges: 4 1/2 Grain(Starch); 143 1/2 Lean Meat; 1 1/2 Vegetable; 1 Fruit; 11 Fat; 3 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.
NOTES : Judy's notes: I've also used this brine for chicken, and it was terrific. The main thing I use the brine for is turkey breast that will be put into the smoker. It keeps the meat moist and flavors it, and also protects it from absorbing too much smoke flavor.
I'm also going to try this same brine for pork roast.......will let you know the results!
I reduce the amount of salt to 3/4 cup, to reduce the salty taste.
WOW!! this sounds wonderful!! Thank you so much!!Joe posted the following on November 28, 2008. I used his recipe from epicurious back then and every year since. The turkey is delicious, and the gravy is superb! The brine recipe follows the turkey & gravy recipes which are both from epicurious.com. I am not sure where Gary, Joe's friend, found the brine recipe he used. Wigs
My friend Gary's turkey was the best I've had! He followed this recipe, but brined it first.
I have to get his brining technique because Jacques won't shut up about the turkey, and he doesn't even like turkey. I had tried this same recipe years ago and thought the gravy was the best, but my bird was dry--not so last night. It probably also helped that we were running behind on side dishes so the turkey got a good long rest before carving.
Roast Turkey with Herb Rub and Shiitake Mushroom Gravy
Bon Appétit | November 1994
Yield: Serves 16
For turkey:
3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary or 1 1/2 tablespoons dried
3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried
3 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried
1 tablespoon ground pepper
2 teaspoons salt
1 20- to 21-pound turkey, neck and giblets reserved
Fresh herb sprigs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, melted
4 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
For gravy:
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup dry Sherry
3 tablespoons butter
12 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, sliced
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary or 2 teaspoons dried
4 cups (about) canned low-salt chicken broth
1/3 cup whipping cream
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon or 1 teaspoon dried
Make turkey:
Mix first 5 ingredients in small bowl. Pat turkey dry with paper towels and place on rack set in large roasting pan. If not stuffing turkey, place herb sprigs in main cavity. If stuffing turkey, spoon stuffing into main cavity. Tie legs together loosely to hold shape of turkey. Brush turkey with oil. Rub herb mix all over turkey. Place turkey neck and giblets in roasting pan. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead if turkey is not stuffed. Cover and refrigerate. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before roasting.)
Position rack in lowest third of oven and preheat to 425°F. Drizzle melted butter all over turkey. Pour 2 cups broth into pan. Roast turkey 45 minutes. Remove turkey from oven and cover breast with foil. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Return turkey to oven; roast unstuffed turkey 1 hour (roast stuffed turkey 1 hour 30 minutes). Remove foil from turkey; pour remaining 2 cups broth into pan. Continue roasting turkey until meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 180°F. or until juices run clear when thickest part of thigh is pierced with skewer, basting occasionally with pan juices, about 1 hour 40 minutes longer. Transfer turkey to platter; tent with foil. Let stand 30 minutes. Reserve liquid in pan for gravy.
Meanwhile, prepare gravy:
Mix flour and Sherry in small bowl until smooth paste forms. Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and rosemary and sauté until mushrooms begin to soften, about 3 minutes. (Can be made 3 hours ahead. Cover flour paste tightly. Let paste and mushrooms stand at room temperature.)
Discard turkey neck and giblets from pan juices in roasting pan. Transfer pan juices to large glass measuring cup. Spoon off fat. Add enough chicken broth to measure 5 cups; add to saucepan with mushrooms. Add flour paste and whisk until smooth. Bring mixture to boil, stirring frequently. Boil until thickened to light gravy, about 10 minutes. Mix in cream, thyme and tarragon. Season with salt and pepper. Serve turkey with gravy.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/f...with-Herb-Rub-and-Shiitake-Mushroom-Gravy-801
And here is the brine recipe. (Supplied by Joe's friend, Gary. Wigs)
Totally thaw out the turkey and remove giblets by the morning before roasting. Pat dry and poke a few holes through the skin. Immerse in the following brining solution for at least 24 hours:
For each gallon of water:
1 cup sea salt
2 tablespoons black peppercorns
2 tablespoons red pepper flakes
6 cloves garlic - chopped
1 cup whiskey
1 cup honey
2 teaspoonfuls thyme
Hi, Barb! Those recipes from Joe and Joe's friend, Gary, yield the best tasting turkey (or turkey breast) and gravy I've ever made and served. And I always use charlie's stuffing recipe along with==>WOW!! this sounds wonderful!! Thank you so much!!