Turkey Brine Seasoning
In case you're not fluent in the art of brining here's a quick recap. The basic process involves soaking meat in a tub, bucket or cooler full of heavily salted water overnight (most turkey brines are in the 5 to 8% salt range by weight water). During the brining process a good deal of moisture remains inside the turkey even after the meat is cooked. Typically an unbrined turkey loses about 30 percent of its weight during cooking, most of which is water which is responsible for its desired juicy moisture. By brining your bird you can reduce this moisture shrinkage to as little as 15%.
Ingredients
Hand blended from coarse sea salt, brown sugar, white peppercorns, orange peel, garlic flakes, black peppercorns, toasted minced onion, rosemary, pink peppercorns, allspice berries, juniper berries, green peppercorns, thyme, basil, oregano, sage and bay leaves.
Directions
1-pound Turkey Brine
12-14 pound Turkey **COMPLETELY THAWED
Preparation
Add the brine seasoning to two gallons of water (or one gallon of water and one gallon of vegetable stock) and then bring to a boil.
Remove from heat and allow brine solution to completely cool before adding the turkey.
The turkey should sit in the brine at least overnight (8 to 24 hours with 12 hours being optimal) in your refrigerator or cooler. If using a cooler add the turkey and brine liquid to a large re-sealable bag and then place the bag of turkey in ice water to stay cool during the brining process.
Remove the turkey from the brine (discard brine) rinse the turkey with cool water and then pat dry with paper towels.
Proceed with your normal roasting method!!