How to Brine and Roast a Turkey

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!

Step 1 Gather the Hardware

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

Comments

[TheLodgeShop]

this looks so delicious.

[Ghostgoku]

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]

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

[midevilwarrior]

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

[doc_howell]

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]

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]

You should do an I'ble of your own!

[Crash2108]

I know someone watches Alton Brown.

[firstmate1122]

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

[firstmate1122]

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

[doc_howell]

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

[Zetheros]

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

[doc_howell]

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.

[AncientWays]

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]

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