Brine Your Turkey

Thanks giving in is exactly two weeks and the other day I got two turkeys from Kroger for about $5 each. I just love a good bargain! I didn't matter that's it's not the major brand of turkey. I don't need to buy the butter drenched kind anymore. I can cook any turkey now, even the store brand and have it come out moist every time. I'm serious. EVERY TIME!

First of all, you've got to brine it. Brining, soaking in a salted solution, tenderizes the meat and infuses it with more flavor and moisture. I have been brining all my turkeys since I learned how to brine turkey using ingredients that I normally have in my pantry anyway. No need to get special ingredients or tools. I use the biggest pot I have and go from there.

Next, don't overcook it. Of course, you'd want to make sure your turkey is totally cooked. You don't want an under baked turkey ruining your Thanksgiving. Consult the Turkey Calculator to figure out how long to keep your turkey in the oven. As a general rule, turkey is thoroughly cooked when its internal temperature reached 165 degrees F. Use a meat thermometer for this, don't rely on the pop up things that come with some turkeys and make sure your thermometer is stuck into the meatiest portion of your turkey without touching a bone.

I usually vary the herbs and aromatics I put on my turkey depending on what I have from the garden and in my pantry. Check out my basic roasted turkey recipe for a starting point.



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