Perfectly Brined Turkey

Preparing your pasture-raised turkey in a brine, like most chefs do, will make it so tender and juicy, perfectly seasoned and tastier than ever.

It’s a common practice for store-bought turkeys to be injected with a solution of seed oils, artificial flavoring, water, salt, emulsifiers and other not-so-great ingredients. Brining your turkey at home will put you in control of what goes into it.

Since water is a great conductor of heat, brining will help your bird cook faster and stay moist, even if slightly over cooked.

Ingredients:

1 cup salt - sea, pink or any you prefer

1 gallon water - filtered water or spring water works great

1/2 cup sugar - honey also works well

1 bunch fresh sage - optional

1 bunch fresh thyme - optional

3 tablespoons black pepper - optional

Directions:

1 - Bring all ingredients to a boil, then allow to cool in the refrigerator.

2 - Put the turkey in a deep roasting pan, food-grade 5 gallon bucket, brining bag, or something where it can be mostly submerged in the solution.

3 - Add the cooled brine and make sure to cover with plastic wrap or a lid.

4 - Place turkey in refrigerator.

5 - Turn turkey every few hours, if needed, to make sure all of it gets submerged.

6 - Leave the turkey in the brine for 12-24 hours before cooking.

7 - When ready to cook, remove the turkey from the solution, rinse off with water and pat dry with paper towels.