Reviewed: Dec. 2, 2008

This is a REALLY great Brine recipe. That turkey was the moisest one I have ever eaten. It really spoiled me, so when I went to my cousin's house the next day for the big family dinner I didn't really like their turkey (even though it was perfectly fine) just because it wasn't outstanding. :) I pretty much used this as a base recipe, because I did make a few changes to fit it more to me and my family's tastes. The only changes I made to this was I used a gallon of apple cider instead of vegetable broth (because I do not care for the taste of vegetable broth and did not want it to come out too salty). I also used fresh herbs instead of dry, kosher salt instead of sea, and added 4 smashed garlic cloves to the mix. I brought the cider, salt, herbs, and garlic to a boil in a large stock pot in order to help the salt dissolve better and to infuse the cider with the spices. I then let it cool to room temperature, added the gallon of ice water and inserted the 15 lb turkey. We kept it in the fridge overnight and then roasted it using the "Homestyle Turkey, the Michigander Way" recipe (with a few modifications) and it was the BEST turkey I had ever eaten. Thank you SO much for a GREAT brine recipe. I will continue to use this for many more holiday meals. I can't wait until Christmas now. ;)

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LGilbert

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Grenada, Mississippi, USA

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Reviewed: Dec. 1, 2008

"The best white meat I've ever had," according to my brother. Very moist and flavorful. I roasted two 15-pound turkeys for Thanksgiving this year (big family!). The one done in my (gas) oven was perfect in about three hours, while the one in my sister's (electric) oven was a little over-done in the same time (but still tasty) -- use a good thermometer. So delicious, my other sister even tried to take the credit!

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ANCHELY

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Reviewed: Dec. 1, 2008

Awesome! The best Thanksgiving turkey I've ever made!

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shea999

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Reviewed: Dec. 1, 2008

I've never been a white meat lover, but I've switched. This was THE best breast I've ever tasted and it was from a frozen turkey. Simple to make. Let time do the work. I brined this one 15 hours for a 15 lb whole turkey. Next year, I plan to buy the biggest breast I can find and brine only that. It took only 2 hrs and 20 minutes to cook and the skin was perfectly browned and crisp with no added butter or salt to the turkey. I only added a light sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper.

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ChromeCookie

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Beaufort, South Carolina, USA

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Reviewed: Dec. 1, 2008

We used this and the turkey fryer and it came out very good. I have always read that this makes the turkey cook faster, but I wasn't sure about the fryer. Next time we will fry the turkey for a shorter amount of time.

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fishdelsol

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 30, 2008

next time I will add more salt, I brined it for 18 hours and it was not salty just plain turkey meat.... I did add three cloves of garlic and fresh tyme, so the turkey smelled good I would add 2 cups of salt instead of one or brine it for 2 days.

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liliya P

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Anoka, Minnesota, USA

Living In: Ramsey, Minnesota, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 30, 2008

This was totally awesome! My turkey was soooooo moist and yummy!!!!! Thanks so much! I will use this every time I cook a turkey!

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Tina

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Calhoun, Georgia, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 30, 2008

There is really no way to mess up a brine, in my opinion, as long as you have the fundamental ingredients of water and salt. All the extras just add to the flavor and that's why I gave this recipes 5 stars. I used the combo of spices and my bird turned out so juicy and flavorful. I didn't have vegetable broth (and didn't really want to spend the money on a gallon of it) so I used 4 oz. of apple cider and 12 oz. of cold water. I didn't exactly follow the directions to a tee because I was too lazy to boil everything and then bring it to room temperature -- I simply mixed everything together cold and started brining right away -- and it still turned out great. I also added a handful of peppercorns. Brining is definitely the way to go. I used a 13 lb. bird and a turkey brining bag that I got at Bed, Bath and Beyond. I was able to fit my bird in the bag standing on end inside a tall stock pot. I gathered the top of the bag with a rubber band to make sure the brine completely covered the top of the turkey. I didn't have to bother with flipping the turkey 1/2 way through because it was completely saturated from head (or, rather, neck?) to toe. My dad (who has been the turkey chef in the family, up until now) applauded me for the juiciest turkey breast he has ever tasted. The juices were literally dripping down the breast as he carved it. I am now a brining devotee and would never go without brining again!

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Julie N

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Skokie, Illinois, USA

Living In: Chicago, Illinois, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 29, 2008

This made my turkey juicier than I thought possible. Great taste to the meat. Gravy was really salty-I diluted with extra chicken broth.

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THESHANDAN

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Mexico, New York, USA

Living In: Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 29, 2008

The turkey was very moist. I couldn't really taste the spices in the meat but it made the best gravy ever! Veggie broth was too expensive so made my own like other reviewers suggested: tomatoes, celery, onions, carrots & parsley. It was in the 30s outside so I put brine (including veggies from the broth) & the 20lb turkey in a cooler on the balcony for about 24 hrs. Turkey still took 8 hrs to cook. Will definitely use this for all poultry in the future. Thanks for sharing!

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Heather

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Reviewed: Nov. 29, 2008

This is the first time I tried brined a Turkey and it came out great. Also if you are going to stuff the turkey I would cut down on the stuffing seasoning. It came out a little salty for me but I don't like alot of salt, no one else complained about stuffing being saltly. Thanks for sharing.

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mskinue

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

Living In: Tacoma, Washington, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 28, 2008

I was very excited about making my turkey with this brine because of all the reviews. I followed the recipe, except that I used chicken broth rather than vegetable broth. I also used 1/4 cup less sea salt since I ran out. I roasted the turkey (20 lb) in a bag with lemon, celery, onion and carrot stuffed in the cavity and around the bird. We oiled the outside with olive oil and pats of butter under the skin on the breast. We roasted the turkey in a convection oven for about 3.25 hours - until the temp of the thigh was 180. About an hour later when we carved the turkey for dinner, the meat was a little dry. The flavor was wonderful, but the white meat was dryer than when we just roast in a bag only. I don't think I did anything wrong and I understand the theory of brining, but it didn't work for us. It was a lot of extra work for the little difference we saw. Roasting in a bag has always worked for us and we'll stick to that. Thank you.

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MINDYZIEGLER

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Noblesville, Indiana, USA

Living In: Rotonda West, Florida, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 28, 2008

BRINED A 14.5 LB BUTTERBALL OVERNIGHT &DID NOT CHANGE ANYTHING. TURKEY WHITE MEAT WAS MOIST AND DELICIOUS WITH A GOOD FLAVOR. WILL DEFINITELY USE AGAIN. HOWEVER, I DO HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THE GRAVY. I DID NOT HAVE ANY DRIPPINGS TO MAKE THE GRAVY! IS THIS THE WAY IT IS? LUCKY FOR ME THAT I WAS COURIOUS ABOUT THE "MAKE-AHEAD TURKEY GRAVY" AND MADE IT USING THE 3 TURKEY LEG THAT I HAD ON HAND. THIS, MY FRIENDS, SAVED MY LIFE! THANKS TO SUE1956 AND SHERI GAILEY FOR MAKING OUR THANKSGIVING ESPECIALLY DELICIOUS. PEGGY

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PEGGY

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Reviewed: Nov. 28, 2008

I have brined before, but every year I stress all night while it is brining...just a worry about how the turkey will take to it. This year I used this recipe and my fiance could NOT believe how moist the turkey was. He thought I was crazy when I started brining the night before, he had never even heard of it....my turkey was done 2 hours before we were supposed to eat and when we cut into it it was WONDERFUL. All I did was cover it in butter, and place butter under the skin and bake at 330. Didn't have to do anything else. The flavor and moist factor were perfect.

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jokenaround2

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Nov. 28, 2008

made this with my "homestyle turkey, the michigander way" for my very first turkey experience. incredible!

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okiedokewino

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Nov. 28, 2008

I had a HUGE turkey to cook on Thanksgiving (22 lbs.!!!) so I doubled the dry ingredients in the recipe. However, I took a cue from another reviewer and added 1 gallon of Apple Juice instead of the ice water. I also added all my apple peels from 4 Granny Smith and 2 MacIntosh apples from a pie I made. I did dump about 2 pounds (by measure) of ice into the holding container after I poured in the cool liquids. I stuffed the Turkey with Rosemary, Sage,Thyme and 2 cut Lemons.

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Leigh

Cooking Level: Professional

Home Town: Warrenton, Missouri, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 28, 2008

Yes, it was slightly more moist than it might have been without the brining, but it didn't change the flavor of the meat much if it all. I was so excited to give this a try, but I'm not sure it was really worth the extra work.

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anniebanana

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: San Diego, California, USA

Living In: Post Falls, Idaho, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 28, 2008

Not to gloat, but I ROCKED the Thanksgiving table with this turkey! It was my first ever, and I don't need to look any further. After brining, I rubbed the bird down with melted butter, salted and peppered, then filled the cavity with a mixture of orange juice concentrate, cloves, 3 garlic cloves, celery salt, and onion powder (kind of an experiment). I'm not sure which, that or the brining, flavored the meat so beautifully. Regardless, it made the meat, even the white stuff, moist and chock-full of flavor. And the gravy? Don't get me started! Like I said, I'm the self-proclaimed hero, and everyone else agreed. Oh, and I roasted the bird in a Reynolds Turkey Bag and let it sit for 45 minutes before carving it.

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JAZZYMADDY

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Alpine, Utah, USA

Living In: Charlotte, North Carolina, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 27, 2008

The best turkey ever!!!! I used 1/2 gallon of vegetable stock and 1/2 gallon of apple juice. Everything else was the same. It made the juciest turkey and the best gravy. It did not cut my cooking time as stated in the recipe and other reviews...Thanksgiving was still on time though. Thanks for sharing!!!

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hebpo4

Cooking Level: Expert

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Reviewed: Nov. 27, 2008

Mmm... Definitely made the white-breast meat more edible. My wife and I varied it by substituting vegetable broth with white cranberry juice. We also added 1 pack of peach jello and sliced oranges to provide extra citric sweetness. Oven roasting took much longer than in past (> 1.5 hrs, 375 deg). It took about 2.5 hrs. We used an electronic thermometer ($25, Oregon Scientific) to accurately cook the meat.

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RADIO

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