Reviewed: Nov. 25, 2011

i was so nervous about this brine- my husband chose the recipe, and when it was hot it smelled AWFUL! i let it cool, and it smelled a little better, but just a little. i made just a turkey breast (though it was huge!), so i brined it about 12 hrs, then roasted it with butter and maple syrup glaze (martha stewart has a good recipe). my husband's fave holiday is thanksgiving- he took me aside to say it was by far the best turkey he's ever had. not bad for the vegetarian chef!

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
16 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

melissa

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Lansing, Michigan, USA

Living In: Brooklyn, New York, USA

Reviewed: Dec. 25, 2011

This is a great brine, the soy sauce gives the turkey a lovely rich color and the turkey was very juicy. I put the garlic cloves in the cavity for cooking and people were fighting for them! For smaller birds, use a shorter time in the brine to keep it from being too salty.

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
13 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Wendy Nail

Reviewed: Jan. 7, 2012

Oh my, this was good. I left out the bay leaf, subbed Maker's Mark for the sour mash and marinated a pork rib roast overnight. Roasted it at 450 for 15 minutes, dropped the temperature to 350 until the roast was just barely pink. What wonderful flavor. It was so good I boiled the marinade and used it as a sauce alongside the roast and simmered the leftovers to reheat. I will use this often-thanks for sharing.

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
11 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

dsz5463

Reviewed: Nov. 23, 2012

This will be the brine that I use from now on. It was excellent. I put it together the Tuesday night before Thanksgiving so that it could chill over night and I could start brining the turkey on Wednesday. I did a taste test after it was simmering for several minutes and decided to up the maple syrup to 2 cups instead of 1 because I wanted more of a maple flavor. With this addition, it was perfect for my taste. The finished turkey turned out neither too sweet nor too salty and so moist. I cooked a small turkey - just under 11 lbs. and the amount of brine this reciped yielded was perfect for that. You might want to consider doubling the recipe if you are doing a large turkey. Thanks for a great recipe!

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
2 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

crystalv1olet

Reviewed: Nov. 27, 2012

This brine is amazing. This was my first turkey ever and i wanted something sweet and maple like and this brine seemed perfect on paper but was just awesome on the turkey. My turkey was thawed on Tuesday morning and brined for two full days. I substituted crushed red pepper for black peppercorn and did not use the whiskey as my brother in law is in rehab. I also used "Dark Soy Sauce" since i had it open. The dark meat is where this recipe just shines and you can taste the maple and garlic and sweetness. The breast is better the next day cold from the fridge. I think i might poke several holes in the breast next time i use this. Which will be really soon and possibly on chicken.

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
1 user found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Webigail

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Reviewed: Dec. 5, 2012

I used this brine for my Thanksgiving turkey this year and it made the most delicious bird I've ever tasted! The color was incredible, too. The maple flavor wasn't as strong as I would have liked, but the bird was so tender and juicy it didn't matter. If you're going to brine, this is the way to go.

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
0 users found this review helpful