So..... With 2 prep days to go before I make turkey dinner I make a homemade brine.... Yes, I brine my turkey :) I find that it makes a very noticeable difference in the taste and texture of the meat.
Here's what I used this year... And I say this year, because cooking is an adventure to me and I'm always making improvements and alterations to recipes until they are perfect...
Basically, a brine comes down to this: equal(ish) amounts of salt and sugar dissolved in water... You can add whatever spices you like to infuse your turkey with flavour.
I used 1 1/2 cups of kosher salt and the same amount of brown sugar. I put this in my large stock pot with a gallon of water.
Here comes the fun part. Adding the flavours that will make my turkey the tastiest one ever.
2 apples - quarted and seeds removes
The zest of 1 lemon
1 tbsp whole cloves
2 tbsp mixed peppercorns
8 bay leaves
1 fistful of sage from my garden
2 whole star anise
1 dash of ground cinnamon
1 tsp smoked salt
1 fistful of lemon thyme from my garden
1 fistful of rosemary from my garden
Put all of this yummy flavour in the stock pot and bring it to a boil. After it boils for a couple minutes, turn the heat off and let it cool to room temperature before refrigerating it. You will want your brine to be cold before adding the turkey!
So.... Now my brine is cooling down.
Looks good, eh?
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