I do brine my turkey! It’s one of the first things my husband and I did, after we’d gotten married and discovered that we liked cooking together so much.
Somewhere, I’ve got a picture of me and that first huge turkey (we had lots of guests that year.)
So far, we’ve only done the salt water brine; but I’d like to try something spicy.
-JT
Psst, the bird was already brining at the grocery store. Look at the ingredient list for the amount of salt and water that has been injected into it.
I always buy a Kosher turkey because it comes brined. But this year, we’ve decided to go to a nice restaurant to suit my brother who just moved back to NYC. So my turkey will have to wait until Christmas.
I just made a squash dish from BBC Good Food in which you slice a butternut squash, layer it in a casserole dish, then layer it with sauteed onions (in butter), smother with gruyere cheese and float it in a garlic and sage-infused cream sauce. Cover the dish and stick it in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Even my husband - notoriously anti-gourd type food ate it with relish. Next time I’ll nix the squash and substitute white potatoes. Then perhaps a dash of nutmeg in the cream sauce.
For several years I also did a wet brine for our turkey. Although it turned out moist and flavorful, I didn’t care all that much about the texture. It was too “ham” like. I found a recipe online called “Genius Brined Turkey” and have used it for the last two or three years. It is a DRY brine which means the salt and herbs are rubbed inside and out and the turkey is placed in a brining bag and refrigerated. The night before the turkey is taken out of the bag and is left in the fridge uncovered which helps dry out the skin so it becomes browned and crispy when roasted. The flavor, moistness and texture are wonderful. What a huge difference dry brine makes! Give it a try.