That’s it. Tomorrow’s the big day. T-Day. A day full of food, football, family and full glasses of bourbon just to deal with it all. At this point you probably have all of your sides planned, maybe some even started. And let’s face it, you’re probably already two drinks in, ya lush. And that turkey, that’s all planned out. You got the right size, it’s thawing out as we speak, you’ve got your brine planned–
Wait, what’s that? You don’t brine your turkey? Mother of God. That’s like saying you hate puppies, or that Ron Swanson isn’t a god amongst fictional and nonfictional men. Brining is essential. It is the easiest way to awesomize a turkey that there ever was, and it won’t burn down your house either (unless you’re doing something really, really wrong). I know you’re already stressed out and, like Jack Bauer, you’re running out of time! (I’m full of tv references today), but that’s ok. This will only take a few minutes and you probably already have everything you need to do it.
So let’s tart with the basics. What is brining anyway?
At the very least, you need water and salt. That’s it. You would have a perfectly moist, delicious turkey once you’re done. I like to add other flavors though. You can either buy brining mixes or make your own–I’ve added links to some recipes below to give you ideas. Josh and I brine all of our turkeys, and sometimes chickens too. For Thursday, I’m doing an apple cider brine. Basically, I’m going to
- use apple cider and chicken stock in place of water, and mix in salt, brown sugar, pepper, sage, a cinnamon stick and apple peel. All of that will be boiled together until the salt dissolves and then cooled downl
- put a fresh garbage bag in a bucket or a clean trash can. Put the turkey, cleaned (and empty the cavity, too) inside the trash bag.
- pour the brining liquid over the turkey, close the bag and let it sit overnight or up to 24 hours in a cool place.
- pull the turkey out of the brine when I’m about ready to put it in the oven, drain the water and pat it dry
- cook my turkey as normal (which in my case is roast it first at a high temp of 450-500F for a half hour, then lower the temperature to 350F and cook for about 20 minutes per pound).
- nom nom nom!
That’s easy, right? Right.
Well here’s some recipes to get you started:
- Cider Brine from MyRecipes
- Apple-rosemary brine from Babble.com
- Maple brined turkey from Burp Recipes
- Citrus and herb brine from SkinnyTaste
- PatioDaddioBBQ’s Ultimate Thanksgiving Brine
- Soy sauce brined turkey from Gastronomy Blog
- Hate a wet bird? Try this dry brine from The Galley Gourmet
- Or this orange dry brined turkey from The Local Kitchen Blog
So try it. Believe you me, your tastebuds and grateful family members will thank you. And most of all…have a happy, healthy, tasty holiday and try not to stress too much. It’s just a bird. 
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