Brine the turkey…
For my 20-lb turkey that my husband proudly purchased for $ .57/lb, of which, I am gladly gobbling about–
I have it thawed from four-days thawing time in my vintage Hotpoint ‘frig. I love all the tools of the trade that I happen to be master of in my own comfortable kitchen, and my vintage clutter, iceboxes included… It makes it simpler to prepare a festive holiday meal that you only get to eat once or twice a year when you have finally collected all that you need to have to work with throughout the years. It might be junk to many, but it’s good junk– Bragging rights?– possibly so… Pure excitement for the holidays and the good grub hours ahead of schedule! Let’s get started:
Turkey Brine ~
~ Skirt in the Kitchen ~
(for a 20-lb turkey)
6 quarts of water
1 1/2 cups Kosher salt
6 bay leaves
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
2 tablespoons peppercorns
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
sprig of rosemary
1 teaspoon thyme or 1 sprig of thyme
4 whole anis stars
32 Fl oz bottle of apple cider vinegar
2 yellow onions, sliced fairly thin
6 garlic cloves, crushed
Cook water and spices to a simmer on the stove until it reaches good warmth to dissolve salt and mingle spice flavors together. Remove from the fire and let cool, completely, before adding the turkey to submerge and rest back into the refrigerator, in it’s seasoning water for 24 hours before oven-roasting. (It would not hurt to throw in some ice chips or cubes to help the water cool quicker, when in the ‘frig after a short while, aiming to keep the bird cold as is necessary.) This will help moisten the turkey, tremendously, also giving it a good interior flavor, one of the first levels of taste that is needed to be locked in for a good foundation before baking.
P. S. Be sure to weigh it down with a heavy lid or plate to submerge it in the water as much as possible. Carefully take the turkey out of the brining pot halfway through it’s brining stage to turn it over the other way in which it has been brined.
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