J — To brine or not to brine.
That is the question … however, I think Shakespeare’s Hamlet had an easier time answering To Be or Not to Be, than we have with our question. Somehow, to brine or not can be a life or death question for some people at Thanksgiving. We decided it wasn’t THAT important for us.
Well, I won the coin toss … but, we’re not brining next year. Fair enough.
Basically, brining is adding salt in some amount via some method to the protein, so it will retain more water … hence, will be more moist. Simple enough. We all know this from dieting, right?! Execution, as is in all situations, becomes the critical issue.
Our brine is “dry” … that is, we add a small amount of salt without the big, sloppy water bath. Wrap it in plastic and refrigerate for 24 hours or so. Wash thoroughly to remove excess salt. Presto. We have reasonably good brined turkey. BTW, reasonably is only relevant to the purists … we’re not purists. The result is quite good.
Next, you roast the bird.
Set oven to 425 degrees. Place bird breast-side-down and “blast” for about 25+ minutes. Larger birds will need a bit more. The skin should begin to be golden.
| Thanksgiving Turkey |
- 1 turkey, giblets removed, about 15 pounds
- 1 Tbsp kosher salt per 5 pounds
- Plastic wrap
- Roasting pan and rack
- Butcher twine
- 1 granny smith apple, large dice
- 2 ribs celery, rough chopped
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, or more for a really large bird.
- Wash turkey and discard excess fat. Dry.
- Using your flat hand or a small wooden spoon, separate skin from muscle around the whole bird, and rub-in salt as you go.
- Wrap turkey tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 24 hours.
- Remove turkey 2 hours before roasting and wash salt off thoroughly, inside and out. Dry.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees
- Stuff with apple and celery
- Truss legs. Fold wings under body.
- DO NOT SEASON BIRD
- Place bird breast-side-down on rack and roast for about 30- to 45-minutes depending on size. Skin should begin to turn golden.
- Flip bird over and reduce oven to 325 degrees.
- Baste with melted butter after another 30-minutes. Baste again if needed.
- Turkey is done at 160 degrees.
- Remove from oven and rest for at least 20 minutes.
- Reserve pan drippings for gravy.
Then, flip bird and reduce temp to 325 degrees. Roast until internal temperature is 160 degrees. Baste at 30 minute intervals with melted butter.
Remove bird and let rest for 20 minutes before carving.
Happy Thanksgiving!