How to Brine and Roast a Turkey

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A few weeks ago, I read that there was a need for an Instructable on roasting a turkey. So I beat feet to the store and grabbed a gobbler. Several days later, I found karencv's guide to roasting a turkey. Don't that beat all?

Despite this setback, I pressed forward. My technique uses a brine, which differs somewhat from Karen's recipe. Credit to Alton Brown of Good Eats for much of this recipe.

Why brine? A brined bird is juicier, and can be much more flavorful. The meat is amazingly tender--some people will defy that your bird is really finished cooking!

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Step 1: Gather the Hardware

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I follow AB's recipe fairly closely, with a few important differences. But basically, here's what you'll need:

HARDWARE:
oven capable of reaching 500F
1 medium-large roasting pan
1 5gal bucket, run thru dishwasher if possible
1 large pan
1 in-oven probe thermometer (with alarm, if possible)
heavy-duty aluminum foil
1 large ladle (helpful, not mandatory)
1 gallon pitcher (helpful, not mandatory)
tongs
tray or cookie sheet
paper towels
knife or kitchen shears

AncientWays says: Oct 7, 2007. 1:11 PM

I started brining a few years back...it is THE best way to cook turkey and chicken. One caution...do not let your mother put lemon on the skin so that "it comes out nice and brown"...it was the one time my turkey did not come out great. It was ok, but not great. This instructable look slike a good recipe and I'll be trying it soon.

doc_howell (author) in reply to AncientWaysOct 8, 2007. 5:08 PM

Ha ha...I've never heard of the lemon juice trick. Does it make the skin taste sour?

Mersix in reply to doc_howellDec 30, 2012. 6:42 AM

Some Turkey's are prebrined, check ingredients. I stuff my birds with oranges or lemons, or both. And I bake breast side down. And baste baste baste. Oranges give a richer flavor, lemons lemony, but not at all sour. !/8 tsp of salt per pound, btw. Good instructable, vege's on the bottom would make amazing soup broth and gravy! Thanks for all the great tips.

TheLodgeShop says: Nov 21, 2011. 3:50 PM

this looks so delicious.

Ghostgoku says: Nov 23, 2010. 9:33 AM

That's were I saw how to do this recipe...I did it last year and turned out to be the best Turkey I have ever had....I actual had some of the breast meat.......Great Job.......Thanks

momof4medinas says: Dec 23, 2009. 8:08 PM

Thanks for the info, I'm sure it will come out great thanks to your advice.

midevilwarrior says: Nov 29, 2009. 9:32 PM

Haha, you got this from good eats like I did, didnt you?

doc_howell (author) in reply to midevilwarriorNov 30, 2009. 6:12 AM

Sure! I have been a GE fan from the start. But note I have my bird sitting on a bed of old veggies and a little water instead of a rack. When I did AB's recipe as-is, my oven smoked like a 3-alarm. Add a little water to the bottom of the pan and it keeps the rendered fat from burning. Oh, and the apple juice gave this bird a beautiful mahogany hue...tasty!

jsummerlin says: Nov 27, 2009. 8:45 AM

Injecting a bird with salt water or salt water and spices added works good because the salt has a tendency to make the skin soft and spongy. For crispy skin inject.

doc_howell (author) in reply to jsummerlinNov 30, 2009. 6:01 AM

You should do an I'ble of your own!

Crash2108 says: Nov 21, 2007. 12:52 PM

I know someone watches Alton Brown.

firstmate1122 says: Nov 18, 2007. 2:53 PM

Your MOST welcome!! You have a GREAT T Day too!

firstmate1122 says: Nov 17, 2007. 6:33 AM

The best most concise instructions. Even a non-kitchen oriented person could cook a bird with these great pictures and directions.

doc_howell (author) in reply to firstmate1122Nov 17, 2007. 5:32 PM

Hey, thanks! I'm glad you like it. Happy T'Day!

Zetheros says: Oct 7, 2007. 9:32 AM

Wow! I'm bookmarking this for thanksgiving or Christmas, looks tasty.

doc_howell (author) in reply to ZetherosOct 8, 2007. 5:11 PM

Thanks! I hope it works well for you. When I did my first brined turkey, I followed Alton Brown's recipe exactly. The bird sat in rack above a bare roaster pan and smoked like a 3-pack-a-day-habit. It was less than 40F outside, and I didn't have a blower. So we opened all the doors and windows and cracked the oven enough to let out the smoke. The fire house was less than a block away and I heard them test their sirens...I almost died of embarrassment. Since then, I do the old veggie trick.