Well,
Turkey Day is almost here do you have your menu all figured out yet?
Do you go with a very traditional menu or do you modernize those
traditional flavors a bit?
At
our house we start “auditioning” recipes for the big day sometime
in mid October. I actually start looking for recipes and collecting
ideas in about January but things start to come together about a
month or so before the holiday. This auditioning of the recipes is a
long standing tradition and we take it very seriously. If you happen
to be at our house for dinner on one of the nights we are doing this
you will be expected to join in the conversation. We discuss at
length the merits and downfalls of each dish over dinner. We compare
it to other recipes in the same category that we may have tried
recently and with those recipes we have served other years. We
discuss if the recipe will “play well” with the rest of the meal.
It really is a fun tradition, you should try it at your house.
This
year I had run into this different brine recipe for the turkey, I
always brine my turkey (actually any poultry I am going to roast/
grill whole) and I have shared my traditional recipe on this blog in
the past (check it out here just double the ingredients for a turkey) This year I wanted to try something a
bit different, a bit more special. I was looking through my cookbook
collection and found this recipe well, I found the starting point for
this recipe since I can never leave any recipe alone. I did make some
changes from the original. Last week we gave it a try with a turkey
breast and it was amazing! The only really problem I found was that
the skin got very dark very quickly. I think because of the higher
sugar content of the brine from the one I use normally. It still
tasted fantastic not burnt at all it was just dark in color. The
flavor the brine gave the meat was so fantastic definitely worthy of
a place on the holiday menu this year.
I
also now have my gravy for Thanksgiving Day in the freezer waiting
for me. This is important since we almost always cook our turkey on
Thanksgiving on the grill. We love the flavor that the charcoal grill
gives the meat but it doesn't work very well for gravy because the
drippings always get ashes in them. For this reason I always make my
gravy up a week or two before the holiday and freeze it. I then
defrost it the day before and put it in my small (1 quart) slow
cooker to re-heat for dinner. So easy and one less thing to have to
think about when company arrives.
You
will need a large container to hold your turkey and the brine, I use
my cooler. I add plenty of ice and let it sit in my kitchen which
tends to be a pretty cold room. If you have a garage that would also
be a good place to let your turkey do its time in the brine.
Remember
to allow plenty of time for the turkey to defrost if you are buying a
frozen one. I find that since I keep my fridge a bit colder than most
people do I need to allow an extra day or two from what most of the
websites say. Also you will need to have your turkey thawed out the
day before you are going to cook it since it will need to sit in the
brine for a good 18 hours.
For
the apple juice in this recipe you don't need anything fancy just
make sure it is actually apple juice and not a “juice cocktail”
with a lot of added sugar. You do need a 100% juice for this. I am
going to probably use the correct amount of frozen concentrate with
water for mine depending on what is the better value. I am assuming
you are oven roasting your turkey so I am including the recipe for
the fantastic gravy.
Apple
Juice Brined Turkey
Brine
and turkey
1
gallon of apple juice (no sugar added)
2
cups brown sugar
1
cup kosher salt
½
cup chopped fresh (or 2 Tablespoons dry) sage
½
cup fresh thyme leaves (or 2 tablespoons dry)
2
Tablespoons whole peppercorns
1
Turkey, thawed if purchased frozen (rinsed, neck and giblet package
removed)
water
and ice as necessary to cover turkey
1
onion (cut in quarters)
1
lemon (cut in quarters)
a
few springs of fresh thyme
a
few sprigs of sage
melted
butter or oil to coat turkey
Gravy
and basting sauce
½
cup butter
1
Tablespoon fresh sage
5
cloves garlic (minced or grated)
¼
cup all purpose flour
2
cups chicken or turkey broth
salt
and pepper to taste
Reserve
1 cup of the apple juice to use in the basting mixture (be sure to
refrigerate)
In
a large container combine the rest of the apple juice, the brown
sugar, kosher salt, ½ cup fresh sage (or 2 Tablespoon dry) ½ cup
fresh thyme (or 2 Tablespoon dry) and the whole peppercorns. Stir
until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Add the turkey to the brine
mixture and add enough water to completely cover the turkey. If you
are brining in a cooler add ice with the water.
Allow
to brine for about 18 hours.
Remove
turkey from brine 1 hour before time to begin cooking. Rinse turkey
to remove excess brine and allow the skin to dry. Place quartered
onion, lemon and sprigs of fresh herbs in cavity of turkey.
Tuck
wing tips under back of turkey and tie legs together. Coat skin well
with melted butter or oil.
Roast
at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for time needed for the size of your
turkey. (there are many charts online and in cookbooks to find the
correct time)
Combine
the reserved apple juice with the remaining ½ cup butter and garlic
in a small saucepan. About an hour before the turkey is expected to
be done begin basting the skin with this mixture about every 15
minutes, using all the mixture.
Check
the temperature of the turkey in the thigh to be sure it is cooked.
Don't rely on the pop up timer, I have rarely had them give me an
accurate indication of doneness.
When
your turkey is done remove from oven allow to rest for at least 15
minutes.
Meanwhile
pour the drippings into a measuring cup. Skim off and reserve the
fat.
In
a medium saucepan combine ¼ cup of the fat from the drippings with
the flour to form a roux. Add the liquid from the drippings along
with the 2 cups of broth stirring to make a gravy. After the gravy
comes to a boil taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
