Let’s Talk Turkey Brining

Name: Citrus Brined Turkey
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: Brine for a 7.5 lb turkey breast
Ingredients: 1 Gallon Water; 1/2 C Kosher Salt; 1/2 C Sugar; 1 Lime, quartered; 1 Lemon, quartered; 1 Orange, quartered; 2 Bay Leaves; 2 Cinnamon Sticks; 1 Star Anise; Handful of Whole Cloves; 7.5 lb. Turkey Breast, bone-in

November 16, 2014

Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away, so it’s time to start thinking about your turkey dinner. I will be posting several times over the next week with various recipes for you to gobble up with your friends and family.

First thing’s first…you need to brine your turkey.

Citrus Brined Turkey

Brining a turkey is a simple step that MUST be done ahead of time in order for it to do the job of keeping the meat moist. This can be done with an entire turkey or just your favorite cuts of the bird.

Prep Time

5 minutes

Total Time

5 minutes

Ingredients

Yield: Brine for a 7.5 lb turkey breast

1 Gallon Water
1/2 C Kosher Salt
1/2 C Sugar
1 Lime, quartered
1 Lemon, quartered
1 Orange, quartered
2 Bay Leaves
2 Cinnamon Sticks
1 Star Anise
Handful of Whole Cloves
7.5 lb. Turkey Breast, bone-in

Instructions

Step 1

Fill a large container with water and dissolve salt & sugar. Add other ingredients. Cover with a lid and refrigerate for 6 hours to 1 day.

Notes

Source: Adapted from Dave Lieberman

Short Cut: Sorry, but there’s no going around this one.

Think Out of The Icebox: Try adding some of your other favorite barmy spices to the brine.

BRINING is a process similar to marinating, in which the turkey meat soaks in the brine (salt added to cold water) for a period of time. The brining period ranges from 6 hours to a few days depending upon the size of the meat (the larger the turkey, the longer time it takes for brining). The purpose of brining is to make the meat moister.

Note: I have a new camera man (a.k.a. my loving and funny husband Steve) and this is his first gig…so please forgive the shaky video of my demo below.