Dave's BRINE!
1 c....Sea salt, coarse
½ c....Molasses
½ c....Maple Syrup
½ c....Lemon Juice
¼ c....Black pepper
2 tbs..Onion Powder
2 tbs..Ground Garlic
1 gal..H2O
Brining Turkey in Ice Chest, Keep it Cool!
I brine my Turkey in an enameled large Stock Pot, a large plastic bucket (like a pickle bucket) works great too. Place thawed (fridge temperature) Turkey in Stock Pot. Most store Turkeys have the giblets removed, or the Turkey giblets are packaged in plastic bags, make sure to remove this. With Turkey in Stock Pot, add Brine. If necessary, you can place a small plastic container filled with water (and sealed) on top of Turkey to keep whole Turkey submerged in Brine. Place lid on Stock Pot and put in large Ice Chest. Fill Ice Chest with ice. Depending on outside temperature, you can fill Ice Chest with ice half full or up to top of Stock Pot to KEEP YOUR BIRD COOL!
Brining Times:
Whole Turkey (18 to 20 lbs) 12 to 24 hours
Turkey Breast (8 to 10 lbs) 5 to 10 hours
Brine Preparation:
Mix Sea Salt, Black Pepper, Onion Powder, Ground Garlic and a quart of water in a pot and bring to a low rolling boil. Take off the heat and add Molasses, Maple Syrup and Lemon Juice. Stir all together. Let cool to room temperature.
Tip: With Turkey in Stock Pot, first add half gallon of water. Then add prepared Brine mixture. Add more water to completely cover bird.
Dave's Slow Roasted Maple Turkey!
I use a Roaster Oven to cook my Brined Turkey. A Roaster Oven self bastes, so you just set temperature and let it go.
Turkey Preparation:
Remove Turkey from Brine and drain. Place Turkey on cooking grate in Roaster Oven. The cooking grate lifts the Turkey about one inch off of the bottom of the Roaster Oven.
I mix one small bottle pure maple syrup (room temperature) and one stick of butter (melted), to make Maple Butter.
Pour Maple Butter over top and sides of turkey.
Set Roaster Oven temperature to 225F, place lid on Roaster Oven, and let your bird Slow Roast!
An 18 to 20 lb Turkey takes around 5 hours to Slow Roast. A Brined Turkey roasts faster, so depending on Brine strength, the roasting time can vary. Use a Meat Thermometer to check in thickest part of breast (not touching bone) for a minimum internal temperature of 165F. For more information about Turkey preperation and cooking, check out USDA
When your Turkey is done roasting, remove from Roaster Oven, and let stand about 20 minutes. Then carve and serve...
A GREAT THANKSGIVING TURKEY!
