Jan Buhrman

Recipes

Martha's Vineyard Catering, Culinary & Agricultural Experiences

Turkey to Brine or not to brine and to roast ...

To Brine or not to brine Turkey……….First, to brine or not to brine the turkey . . . Brining simply means to soak your turkey in a water and salt solution and naturally, I suggest orange juice and herbs and spices to bring it up a niche in flavor. Other ingredients can be  added to the brine, such as honey or maple  syrup. The purpose of a brine is to produce a more tender and flavorful turkey. But safety first. You must keep the bird below 39 degrees (average temp of a fridge) and you need space. Most home refrigerators don't have enough room for a pot with a soaking bird, so one needs to plan well because the bird needs to stay cold while brining.

Brine 

Make this brine a day ahead so you have plenty of time to allow it to cool. Mix the dry ingredients ahead a few days before so all you need to do is heat the apple cider, add the fresh ingredients with the dry, and allow to cool. This is perfect for a 12-pound turkey. For a 20-pound turkey, make 1.5 times the recipe.


Dry Ingredients:

1.5  cups kosher salt

4 bay leaves

2 tablespoons dried rosemary

2 tablespoons  dried thyme

3 tablespoons peppercorns 

To add to brine:

  • 1 gallon apple cider

  • 4 cups ice-cold water

  • 3 6-inch sprigs fresh rosemary

  • 10 cloves garlic, minced

  • 2 cups brown sugar or 2 cups maple syrup or 2 cups date puree

  • Three large organic oranges, with skin, each cut into 8 pieces

Bring apple cider and water to a boil in a 3-gallon stockpot. Add the dry ingredients and dissolve. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook mixture at a simmer for about 20 minutes.

Refrigerate brine until completely cooled.

Pour cooled brine into a nonreactive container large enough to hold your turkey. Add  turkey; add brine to cover the turkey with liquid. Refrigerate overnight up to 12 hours. 

Remove the turkey from the brine and let it sit on the counter about 2 hours before roasting. 

Each year over 40 million turkeys are eaten at Thanksgiving. Most of those turkeys were raised in a  factory and lived a miserable life. The “free range” turkeys  live in a building with thousands of other birds and are given  between 2-4 sq feet of space per bird, fed a diet of grains that have been grown with chemical fertilizers, pesticides and heavy application of glyphosates. The turkeys are miserable and in pain their entire  15 weeks of life. Support a Local farmer!

To Roast

  • This recipe is for an 18-pound whole turkey.

  • This turkey is not stuffed with stuffing

  • Butter: Salted butter, rubbed onto the skin, ensures a juicy roast turkey every time.

  • Salt and pepper: 

  • Turkey stock or a rich vegetable stock: Brodo broth is a good storebought brand

  • Stuff and season the turkey: Fill the cavity with 2 oranges cut into 8 pieces each, a handful of fresh sage and a whole onion cut up into 8 pieces. Rub the skin with butter, (or duck fat) and season with salt and pepper. Pour two cups of stock into the roasting pan and loosely tent the turkey with foil.

  • Roast the turkey: Roast, basting with stock every 30 minutes, for about two and half hours. Add more stock as the drippings evaporate. Remove the foil and continue roasting until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165 degrees F.

An 18-pound turkey is roasted for about four hours at 325 degrees F. If your turkey is larger or smaller than 18 pounds, you'll have to adjust the cooking time. 




Jan BuhrmanComment