Thanksgiving is nearly here, and if you're looking for a flavorful and juicy turkey, then you should consider brining it. Brining is a process of soaking the turkey in a seasoned liquid, which helps to enhance the flavor and moisture of the meat. This recipe for apple and herb brine is perfect for a Thanksgiving turkey, as it imparts a subtle sweetness and savory flavor to the bird. The brine also contains a variety of herbs, such as sage, thyme, and rosemary, which add even more flavor and aroma. Once the turkey has been brined, it can be roasted in the oven or smoked, depending on your preference. In addition to the apple and herb brine recipe, this article also includes recipes for a dry brine, a wet brine, and a buttermilk brine. No matter which brine you choose, you're sure to end up with a delicious and moist turkey that will be the star of your Thanksgiving feast.
Check out the recipes below so you can choose the best recipe for yourself!
APPLE & HERB ROASTED TURKEY
My daughter loves to help me make this moist apple turkey. Her job is to hand Mommy the ingredients-if she doesn't eat them first! -Kimberly Jackson, Gay, Georgia
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Dinner
Time 3h20m
Yield 14 servings.
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 325°. Combine sage and rosemary. With fingers, carefully loosen skin from the turkey breast; rub herbs under the skin. Secure skin to underside of breast with toothpicks., Place breast side up on a rack in a roasting pan. Place apple, onion and celery in turkey cavity. Brush turkey with butter., Roast, uncovered, until a thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh reads 170°-175°, 3 to 3-1/2 hours. (Cover loosely with foil if turkey browns too quickly.) Remove turkey from oven; brush with apple jelly. Tent with foil and let stand 15 minutes before removing toothpicks and carving.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 626 calories, Fat 31g fat (11g saturated fat), Cholesterol 262mg cholesterol, Sodium 222mg sodium, Carbohydrate 10g carbohydrate (9g sugars, Fiber 0 fiber), Protein 72g protein.
GARLIC HERB-BRINED TURKEY
Find out just how delicious a turkey can be with our Garlic-Herb Brined Turkey recipe. Our Garlic-Herb Brined Turkey gets its delicious flavor from a combination of rosemary, parsley, garlic and zesty Italian dressing.
Provided by My Food and Family
Categories Thanksgiving Recipes
Time 11h10m
Yield 12 servings
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- Remove neck and giblets from turkey cavities; discard or reserve for another use. Place turkey in plastic brining bag or turkey-size oven bag.
- Bring 3 qt. water, salt, garlic, onions and herbs to boil in 8-qt. stockpot on high heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Add ice water and dressing; stir until ice is melted. Slowly pour over turkey in bag; tightly close bag. Refrigerate at least 8 hours or up to 16 hours.
- Remove turkey from bag; discard bag and brine. Pat turkey dry with paper towels. Let stand at room temperature 30 min.
- Heat oven to 425ºF. Place turkey on rack in roasting pan sprayed with cooking spray. Bake 20 min. Reduce oven temperature to 375ºF. Melt butter; brush onto turkey.
- Bake 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until turkey is done (165ºF). Transfer to cutting board; tent with foil. Let stand 15 min. before carving.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 490, Fat 19 g, SaturatedFat 6 g, TransFat 0 g, Cholesterol 255 mg, Sodium 8260 mg, Carbohydrate 5 g, Fiber 0.8377 g, Sugar 3 g, Protein 70 g
HERB-BRINED TURKEY
For an impressive main course, look here. The moist, flavorful bird will have guests counting the minutes until carving time. - Scott Rugh, Portland, Oregon
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Dinner
Time 4h20m
Yield 14 servings.
Number Of Ingredients 19
Steps:
- In a stockpot, combine the salt, brown sugar, sage, thyme, rosemary and 2 quarts water. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir until salt and sugar are dissolved. Remove from the heat. Add the cold water to cool the brine to room temperature., Place a turkey-size oven roasting bag inside a second roasting bag; add turkey. Carefully pour cooled brine into bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible; seal bags and turn to coat. Place in a roasting pan. Refrigerate for 12-24 hours, turning occasionally., Drain and discard brine; rinse turkey and pat dry. Tie drumsticks together. Place the remaining ingredients in a food processor; cover and process until smooth. With fingers, carefully loosen skin from turkey breast; rub half of the butter mixture under skin. Secure skin to underside of breast with toothpicks. Rub remaining butter mixture over skin., Place turkey, breast side up, on a rack in a roasting pan. Bake at 450° for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 325°; bake 3-1/4 to 3-3/4 hours longer or until thermometer reads 180°, basting twice during the last 30 minutes of cooking. Cover loosely with foil if turkey browns too quickly., Remove turkey to a serving platter; cover and let stand for 20 minutes before carving.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 834 calories, Fat 58g fat (25g saturated fat), Cholesterol 314mg cholesterol, Sodium 658mg sodium, Carbohydrate 1g carbohydrate (0 sugars, Fiber 0 fiber), Protein 73g protein.
BRINED, HERB ROASTED TURKEY
Provided by Food Network
Categories main-dish
Time P1DT3h40m
Yield 6 to 8 servings
Number Of Ingredients 32
Steps:
- For the Brine:
- To make the brining solution, dissolve the salt and sugar in 2 gallons of cold water in a nonreactive container (such as a clean bucket or large stockpot, or a clean, heavy-duty, food grade plastic storage bag). Add the oranges, lemons, thyme, and rosemary. Note: if you have a big turkey and need more brine than this, use 1/2 cup salt and 1/2 cup brown sugar for every gallon of water.
- Remove the neck, giblets, and liver from the cavity of the turkey and reserve for the gravy. Rinse the turkey inside and out under cold running water.
- Soak the turkey in the brine, covered and refrigerated, for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- Remove the turkey from the brine and rinse well under cold running water. Pat dry with paper towels both inside and out. Place turkey, breast side up, in a large, heavy roasting pan. Rub breast side with orange segments and rub on all sides with the butter, stuffing some underneath the skin. Season lightly inside and out with salt and pepper. Stuff the turkey with the onion, remaining orange, celery, carrot, bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, sage and parsley. Loosely tie the drumsticks together with kitchen string. Roast the turkey, uncovered, breast side down for 1 hour.
- Remove from the oven, turn, and baste with 1/2 cup stock. Continue roasting with the breast side up until an instant-read meat thermometer registers 165 degrees F when inserted into the largest section of thigh (avoiding the bone), about 2 3/4 to 3 hours total cooking time. Baste the turkey once every hour with 1/2 to 3/4 cup chicken or turkey stock.
- Remove from the oven and place on a platter. Tent with aluminum foil and let rest for 20 minutes before carving.
- For the turkey broth:
- Heat the oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the turkey neck, heart, and gizzard to the pan and saute until just beginning to brown, about 1 minute. Add the chopped vegetables and bay leaf to the pan and saute until soft, about 2 minutes. Pour the stock and 3 cups of water into the pan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until the stock is reduced to 4 cups, about 1 hour, adding the chopped liver to the pan during the last 15 minutes of cooking. Strain the stock into a clean pot or large measuring cup. Pull the meat off the neck, chop the neck meat and giblets, and set aside.
- For the pan gravy:
- Pour the reserved turkey pan juices into a glass-measuring cup and skim off the fat.
- Place the roasting pan on 2 stovetop burners over medium heat add the pan juice and 1 cup turkey broth and the white wine to the pan, and deglaze the pan, stirring to scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the remaining 3 cup of broth and bring to a simmer, then transfer to a measuring cup. In a large heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium high heat. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, to make a light roux. Add the hot stock, whisking constantly, then simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes.
- Add the reserved neck meat and giblets to the pan and adjust seasoning, to taste, with salt and black pepper. Pour into a gravy boat and serve.
- Slice and serve guests with desired sides.
APPLE AND HERB BRINE FOR TURKEY
A mixture of sweet and savory flavors makes this brine a good choice for preparing the holiday turkey. The Herbs De Provence really adds some depth to the brine. It enhances the taste of the bird without overpowering. Make sure that you rinse the turkey well after brining to remove excess salt.
Provided by bakedapple42
Categories Whole Turkey
Time 35m
Yield 1 pot full of brine, 1 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Combine all ingredients (except olive oil and butter) in a large pot and bring to a boil.
- Turn off heat and let the brine cool completely.
- Place a cleaned turkey (giblets removed) breast-side down into the brine. You can brine it right in the pot if it fits, or in a brining bag.
- Refridgerate turkey in brine for 16 - 24 hours.
- Remove turkey from brine and rinse really well to remove excess salt from surface of the bird. (All the good brine flavor will be inside the meat).
- Pat your turkey dry with paper towels and brush a mixture of olive oil and butter all over your bird.
- Roast your turkey according to your directions. (I roast mine in a roasting bag.).
BRINED HERB-CRUSTED TURKEY WITH APPLE CIDER GRAVY
Provided by Anne Burrell
Categories main-dish
Time P2DT5h
Yield 8 to 10 servings
Number Of Ingredients 28
Steps:
- To brine the turkey: Combine all of the ingredients for the brine in a large container. Add the turkey and let it brine in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.
- To prepare the turkey for cooking: Remove the turkey from the brine the night before roasting and pat it thoroughly dry with paper towels. Combine the rosemary, sage, and butter for the herb crust in a small bowl. Season, to taste, with kosher salt. Work the butter under the skin of the turkey and massage it into the breasts and the legs. Massage the butter on the outside of the skin as well. Tie the legs together over the breast so they will protect it during cooking and help keep it moist and juicy.
- Gravy preparation: Put the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, apples, bay leaves, cinnamon stick and thyme in a roasting pan and season with salt. Arrange the turkey on top of the veggies and refrigerate overnight UNCOVERED! Yes, that's right, uncovered. This will help the skin dry out and become really brown and crispy. Make sure that there is no raw food near the turkey in the refrigerator. After refrigerating overnight, the turkey is ready to go in the oven.
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
- Put 2 cups chicken stock and 1 cup apple cider in the bottom of the roasting pan. Roast the turkey in the preheated oven until the skin gets really nice and brown, about 40 minutes. Lower the oven heat to 350 degrees F for the remainder of the cooking time. Baste the turkey every 30 minutes or so and add more stock to the roasting pan, if needed. Cook about 17 minutes per pound. Once it gets to the proper color, tent the turkey with aluminum foil to prevent it from getting too dark.
- Remove the turkey from the oven when an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the turkey registers 160 degrees F. Make sure that the thermometer is not touching a bone when doing the reading. When the turkey has reached the proper temperature, remove it from the roasting pan to a cutting board and let it rest for at least 30 minutes. Cover loosely with aluminum foil.
- Strain all the veggies over a bowl to separate them from the stock/mixture. Discard the veggies. Skim off the fat and add it to the roasting pan. This is the fat for the roux. Put the roasting pan over 2 burners and over a low heat and whisk in the flour. Cook until the mixture looks like wet sand, about 4 to 5 minutes. Slowly whisk in the remaining 1 cup apple cider, remaining chicken stock and the stock/cider mixture. Cook until the mixture has thickened and reached a gravy consistency. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Pour into a serving pitcher or bowl.
- Carve the turkey, transfer to a serving platter and serve with the gravy.
- Give thanks for such a great turkey!!!
HERB-ROASTED TURKEY WITH APPLE CIDER GRAVY
Categories Fruit Juice Milk/Cream Herb turkey Roast Thanksgiving Apple Brandy Fall Brine Calvados Bon Appétit
Yield Makes10 servings
Number Of Ingredients 24
Steps:
- To brine the turkey:
- Line extra-large pot or bowl with two 13-gallon (or larger) plastic bags, 1 inside the other. Combine 1 quart water, salt, bay leaves, peppercorns, and allspice in large saucepan. Stir over medium heat until salt dissolves. Remove from heat. Add 1 quart cold water and cool to lukewarm. Pour into plastic bags; mix in remaining 6 quarts water. Wrap turkey neck and refrigerate. Submerge turkey in brine to cover completely, gathering bags tightly to eliminate any air; tie bags closed. Refrigerate turkey in brine in pot at least 18 hours and up to 20 hours.
- Line large roasting pan with 4 layers of paper towels. Remove turkey from brine and drain well; discard brine. Place turkey in prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
- For herb butter and gravy:
- Mix parsley, thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, and nutmeg in small bowl. Transfer 1/4 cup herb mixture to small bowl; mix in 1/2 cup butter.
- Combine broth and apple cider in heavy large saucepan. Boil until reduced to 3 cups, about 20 minutes. Pour broth reduction into bowl. Melt remaining 1/4 cup butter in same saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour; stir 1 minute. Whisk in broth reduction, then cream, Calvados, and remaining herb mixture. Bring to boil; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until gravy base is thickened and reduced to 2 3/4 cups, whisking often, about 20 minutes. Cool gravy base slightly. (Gravy base and herb butter can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.)
- To roast the turkey:
- Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 350°F. Remove turkey from roasting pan; drain any accumulated juices from main cavity. Discard paper towels from roasting pan. Melt herb butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Brush bottom of roasting pan with some of herb butter. Return turkey to prepared pan. Tuck wing tips under; tie legs together loosely to hold shape. Place some apple quarters and onion quarters in main cavity. Brush remaining herb butter over turkey; sprinkle with pepper. Scatter remaining apples and onions around turkey in pan. Add reserved turkey neck to pan.
- Roast turkey 1 hour. Baste with 1/2 cup apple cider. Roast turkey 30 minutes. Baste with remaining 1/2 cup cider. Roast turkey until thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 175°F, basting turkey every 30 minutes with pan juices and covering breast loosely with foil if browning too quickly, about 2 hours longer (3 1/2 hours total). Transfer turkey to platter; let stand at least 30 minutes before carving (internal temperature will rise 5 to 10 degrees).
- Discard apples, onions, and turkey neck from pan. Pour pan juices into large glass measuring cup; spoon off fat from surface. Pour degreased juices into gravy base and bring to boil over medium-high heat, whisking occasionally. Boil until gravy thickens enough to coat spoon and is reduced to 3 1/2 cups, about 15 minutes. Season gravy to taste with pepper.
- Serve turkey with gravy.
Tips:
- Use a variety of herbs in your brine to create a complex flavor profile. Some good choices include thyme, rosemary, sage, and oregano.
- Use a combination of salt and sugar in your brine. The salt will help to draw moisture out of the turkey, while the sugar will help to caramelize the skin and give it a golden brown color.
- Brine the turkey for at least 12 hours, but no longer than 24 hours. This will give the brine time to penetrate the meat and flavor it throughout.
- Make sure the turkey is completely submerged in the brine. If it is not, the parts of the turkey that are not submerged will not be flavored as well.
- Use a large enough container for the brine. The turkey should be completely covered by the brine and there should be at least 2 inches of space between the turkey and the sides of the container.
- Keep the turkey brined in a cool place, such as the refrigerator or a cooler. This will help to prevent the turkey from spoiling.
- Rinse the turkey thoroughly before cooking it. This will remove any excess salt and sugar from the brine.
Conclusion:
Brining a turkey is a great way to ensure that it is moist and flavorful. By following these tips, you can create a delicious brine that will make your turkey the star of the show.
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