Reviewed: Apr. 15, 2008

I've used Alton Brown's turkey brine recipe for 3 years. While his is great, this one is better! Easy to put together, much more economical and the taste was fabulous. I brine turkeys in a 5 gallon bucket with a lid. I reduce the liquid in the recipe and put ice in the bucket after placing the turkey in it. I set the bucket in the garage and in the cooler months the ice stays frozen overnight and well into the next day. In the warmer months I add ice as needed.

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Reviewer:

DEAHA

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Rocky Mount, North Carolina, USA

Living In: High Point, North Carolina, USA

Reviewed: Sep. 3, 2008

WOW. I used a 7 pound chicken instead of a turkey for this recipe, roasted it in a roasting bag according to the instructions, then served it with some Brazilian-style black beans and rice with traditional fixings. Everyone said it was the best chicken they had ever had! Incredibly moist and great flavor. I also put the fruit and bay leaves in the cavity when I roasted it for maximum flavor. This recipe is a MUST try.

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35 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Kristen

Cooking Level: Expert

Reviewed: Dec. 15, 2008

I have brined in the past but this recipe was fantastic this Thanksgiving. I will use this again. The turkey was so moist. I stuffed the turkey with an orange, lemon and an onion. I massaged melted butter all over and salt & peppered inside and out. Go easy on the salt. Make sure you rinse the turkey real well before and after brining. Debra

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31 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Debra

Reviewed: Jan. 31, 2010

This is a very forgiving recipe. It allows for a slight(and I mean slight) citrus taste but what it really does is help to keep the bird nice a moist while cooking. I made it once and all I had was pink lemonade concentrate and my family loved it(my husband is a chef mind you) So go ahead and brine!!!!! It makes meat that can tend to be dry much, much juicier. Enjoy and play with the flavors...any kind of juice is nice

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15 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Bettyc

Reviewed: Dec. 3, 2008

i used this recipe on a grocery store brand of 13# turkey that I paid $3.27 for! The turkey was moist and had a delicous flavor. I only brined it for 14 hours because I started late. I'll never hesitate again to purchase a "store brand" turkey knowing that brining really works!

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15 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Carolyn

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Reviewed: Nov. 29, 2008

Amazing! I was an absolute hit at the dinner table all thanks to this recipe. I brined the turkey for 48hrs, washed it out and let it sit for an hour while preparing the stuffing. Then I put my Martha Stuart reading materials to use and stuffed the bird with help of a cheese cloth. Shortly after I lathered my hands up with butter and went to work on the bird. We squeezed a bunch of lemon on it when all was buttered & ready to cook. Then, I based it a few times while cooking, but not all that frequently. The brining really kept the bird sufficiently moist and tender without the nuisance of constant basting. Both the dark and white meat was extremely moist and tender. My family were truly amazed and we will definitely do this again next year! (now that they know what brining is)*

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15 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Liliya

Home Town: Lynbrook, New York, USA

Reviewed: Oct. 12, 2008

Delish! Turkey was juicy and had a lot of flavor without be too citrusy.

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14 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Poppy127

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Bay City, Michigan, USA

Reviewed: Dec. 15, 2010

I have shared this recipe several times. Quick hint: When cooking the brine use half the water and the rest with ice to speed up the process. I give a quick rinse

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Reviewer:

bernie

Reviewed: Sep. 26, 2009

I made this in a smaller proportion for a chicken. It was a hit with my in-laws, and they asked for the recipe. I left it in the brine for 24 hours,and I basted the chicken with butter while it was roasting. It didn't have a strong orange flavor, but just enough flavor to make it interesting to the taste buds.

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8 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

JennaPlum

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Reviewed: Nov. 29, 2008

My turkey came out nice and moist. I'm almost entirely happy with this recipe. The only thing I don't like is that it gets heated and needs to be cooled. To cool this safely within proper time and temperature constraints takes too much time, attention, ice, and patience than I really had on Wednesday. I wonder whether this wouldn't be equally effective without the heating step. If you're happy to do that extra work, I'd say you'll be happy with this recipe, just as I was. Next time, however, I'm going to seek out another recipe for brining.

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8 users found this review helpful