Polly’s Secret For The Juciest Turkey

Whether you’re making your first turkey for Thanksgiving or your hundredth, I’ve got a recipe I found last year for the moistest, juiciest bird you’ll ever eat.  But it’ll take some planning ahead of time.  It’s called brining.  You soak the bird in a salt marinade for 24 hours before you roast it.  OMG YUM!

First remove the giblets and neck from the inside of your thawed bird. Rinsed the turkey thoroughly, inside and out and pat it dry with paper towels.  Now its ready for the brine.

Ingredients you’ll need:
12 cups water, divided
1 cup kosher salt
2 cups sugar
1 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons sage
2 tablespoons thyme
2 tablespoons rosemary
1 tablespoon pepper
4 cups ice

Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add salt and sugar. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Turn off heat and stir in 8 cups cold water, apple cider vinegar, sage, thyme, rosemary, pepper, and ice.

Cover the turkey with the brine in a large soup pot bigger than the bird and cover with a lid. Allow the turkey to marinate for 12 hours for a small turkey (8-10 lbs) and up to a full day for a bigger bird. I don’t have a pot big enough so I put my bird in a large bag with the brine, tied the top and put in my bottom fruit tray in the fridge.  Make sure nothing else is in there and put down paper towels in case it leaks a little.  You’ll need to wash the drawer when you’re done.

Rinse turkey and pat dry before adding additional seasoning, butter, or oil before roasting.  I also like to stuff my bird  before roasting at 375 for 20-30 minutes per pound.  Although I have a meat thermometer that attaches to my stove to tell me when its done.  And most turkeys have the insert in them that pops up when its done.

Thanks Alice for sharing your recipe online.  I won’t make a turkey without it again.  And the leftovers don’t last long.  It tastes ever better the next day between two pieces of bread with mustard and pepper, or however you eat your leftovers.

Do you have a secret recipe you use every Thanksgiving?

Source: Savory Sweet Life