Best 3 Alton Brown Brine Frozen Turkey Recipes

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Thanksgiving is a time for family, friends, and delicious food. And no Thanksgiving meal is complete without a perfectly roasted turkey. If you're looking for a juicy, flavorful turkey that's sure to impress your guests, you'll want to try Alton Brown's brine method.

Alton Brown's brine method involves soaking the turkey in a flavorful solution of water, salt, sugar, and spices for several hours before roasting. This process helps to tenderize the meat, lock in moisture, and infuse the turkey with flavor. The result is a turkey that is cooked to perfection, with crispy skin and moist, succulent meat.

In this article, we'll provide you with step-by-step instructions for Alton Brown's brine method, as well as recipes for three different brines: a classic brine, a citrus-herb brine, and a maple-bourbon brine. We'll also share our tips for roasting the perfect turkey, so you can be sure to have a delicious and memorable Thanksgiving meal.

Let's cook with our recipes!

ALTON BROWN TURKEY BRINE AND GOOD EATS ROAST TURKEY



Alton Brown Turkey Brine and Good Eats Roast Turkey image

Alton Brown's turkey brine recipe from Good Eats will give you a flavorful Thanksgiving turkey with juicy white and dark meat.

Provided by Alton Brown

Categories     Thanksgiving     Turkey     Poultry     Christmas     Fall     Christmas Eve     Winter

Yield At least 10-12 servings

Number Of Ingredients 17

For Turkey Brine
One 14-16-pound frozen natural, young turkey
1 gallon vegetable broth (homemade or canned)
1 cup kosher salt
½ cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1½ teaspoons allspice berries
1½ tablespoons candied ginger, chopped
1 gallon H2O, iced
For Roasting
1 red apple, quartered
½ onion, quartered
1 stick cinnamon
1 cup H20
4 sprigs rosemary
6 sage leaves
Canola oil

Steps:

  • Two to three days before roasting, thaw the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38° F, tops.
  • To make the turkey brine: Combine the broth, salt, sugar, peppercorns, allspice, and finger in a large stockpot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir until the salt and sugar dissolve. Remove from the heat. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate the brine.
  • The eve before roasting, combine the brine and the iced water in a cooler. Place the thawed turkey (guts, neck, and whatnot removed) breast side down in the brine. Seal up the cooler and use it as an ottoman. Target bring time: 12 hours; flip the bird once about halfway through.
  • On roasting day: Heat the oven to 500°F. Remove the bird from the brine and rinse inside and out. Discard brine.
  • Place the bird on a roasting rack and place inside a roasting pan. Pat the bird dry (inside and out) with paper towels.
  • Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon, and water in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add to the turkey's cavity, along with the rosemary and sage. Truss, if you like.
  • Lightly coat the bird with canola oil. Roast the bird on the lowest rack of the oven for 30 minutes.
  • Insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.
  • Roast until the thermometer registers 155°F, about 2½ hours.
  • Remove from the oven, cover closely with aluminum foil, and let rest for a least 15 minutes before carving.

GOOD EATS ROAST TURKEY



Good Eats Roast Turkey image

This holiday season, serve Alton Brown's most-popular recipe: a brined and roasted turkey from Good Eats on Food Network.

Provided by Alton Brown

Categories     main-dish

Time 9h45m

Yield 10 to 12 servings

Number Of Ingredients 15

1 (14 to 16 pound) frozen young turkey
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 gallon vegetable stock
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 1/2 teaspoons allspice berries
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped candied ginger
1 gallon heavily iced water
1 red apple, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup water
4 sprigs rosemary
6 leaves sage
Canola oil

Steps:

  • Two to three days before roasting: Begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F.
  • Combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.
  • The night before or early on the day you'd like to eat: Combine the brine, water and ice in the 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining.
  • Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.
  • Place the bird on roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels.
  • Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add steeped aromatics to the turkey's cavity along with the rosemary and sage. Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with canola oil.
  • Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl for 15 minutes before carving.

ALTON BROWN'S BRINED TURKEY



Alton Brown's Brined Turkey image

A salt water brine changes the cellular structure of the turkey and allows it to both hold in the moisture, as well as pull the seasonings deep into the meat. It's actually a very simple process that will yield beautiful and delicious results. My mom told me how good Alton's recipe was and that she was going to repeat it again this year. I decided to try it myself. It's, hands-down, the best roasted turkey we've ever had. The brine and aromatics create an amazing symphony of flavors that starts with the aroma of making the brine and follows right through to the rich, full gravy. I've also used this recipe on a whole fresh chicken by halving the recipe and adjusting the cooking times.

Provided by Tinkerbell

Categories     Whole Turkey

Time P2DT3h

Yield 12-14 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 15

1 (14 -16 lb) whole turkey, frozen
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 gallon vegetable stock
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 1/2 teaspoons allspice berries
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped candied ginger
1 gallon water, heavily iced
1 red apple, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup water
4 sprigs rosemary
6 leaves sage
canola oil

Steps:

  • 2 to 3 days before roasting:.
  • Begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F.
  • Combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.
  • The night before you'd like to eat:.
  • Combine the brine, water and ice in the 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining.
  • Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.
  • Place the bird on rack of roasting pan and pat dry with paper towels.
  • Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add steeped aromatics to the turkey's cavity along with the rosemary and sage. Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with canola oil.
  • Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and cover the breast with a foil triangle. Then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl for 15 minutes before carving.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 666.1, Fat 31.1, SaturatedFat 8.8, Cholesterol 263.4, Sodium 9696, Carbohydrate 12, Fiber 0.6, Sugar 10.7, Protein 79.3

Tips:

- Use fresh or thawed turkey for the best results. - For a more flavorful bird, use a combination of salt and sugar in the brine. - Brining the turkey for a longer period of time (up to 24 hours) will result in a more tender and juicy bird. - If you don't have time to brine the turkey for a full 24 hours, even a short brine (as little as 30 minutes) will make a difference. - Be sure to pat the turkey dry before roasting to ensure crispy skin. - Roast the turkey uncovered for the first half of the cooking time to allow the skin to crisp up. - Cover the turkey with foil for the second half of the cooking time to prevent the turkey from drying out. - Let the turkey rest for at least 15 minutes before carving to allow the juices to redistribute throughout the bird.

Conclusion:

Brining a frozen turkey is a great way to ensure a moist and flavorful bird. By following the tips above, you can achieve perfectly cooked turkey that will be the star of your next holiday meal.

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