Brined Turkey

Prep time: 20 min
Servings: 16
Yield: 16 servings

Description

Soak your Thanksgiving centerpiece in heavily salted water with herbs to get your bird ready for roasting.

Ingredients

2 quarts water
2 cups kosher salt
1 cup white sugar
2 gallons cold water
3 sprigs fresh rosemary, or more to taste
3 sprigs fresh thyme, or more to taste
1 tablespoon crushed garlic
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (16 pound) whole turkey, neck and giblets removed

Directions

1 Bring 2 quarts water to a boil in a large pot; stir kosher salt and white sugar into the water to dissolve completely. Remove from heat and let cool somewhat before transferring to a large food-safe container large enough to hold the brine and turkey, but small enough to fit in your refrigerator. Pour 2 gallons cold water into the container; add rosemary sprigs, thyme sprigs, garlic, Allspice, and black pepper.
2 Gently submerge turkey into the brine; refrigerate for 12 to 36 hours.
3 Remove turkey from the brine and rinse both inside and outside thoroughly. Discard brine.