Thanksgiving Turkey Brine
Prep: 15 min | Servings: 14
Recipe courtesy Alex Guarnaschelli, 2009. For a turkey serving 14 to 16.
Inactive prep: 12 hours.
Ingredients
- 6 qt Water, tap water
- 1 lb Kosher salt
- 1 cup Molasses
- 2 cup Honey
- 1 cup Soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Red pepper flakes, dried
- 1 tbsp Sage, dried
- 1 bunch Thyme, large, fresh
- 2 head Garlic, broken into individual cloves, unpeeled
- 5 lb Ice, cubes
Directions
- In a medium pot, bring 3 quarts of the tap water to a boil over medium heat. Put the kosher salt in a large bowl and slowly (and carefully!) pour the boiling water over the salt. Stir to blend.
- Add the molasses, honey, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, sage, thyme and garlic to the salt and water mixture. Stir to blend. Add the remaining 3 quarts of cool water.
- Add the ice to a cooler or bucket large enough to hold the brine and the turkey. Pour the brine over the ice and use a large whisk to blend all of the ingredients.
- Submerge the turkey, breast side down, in the brine, making sure the cavity fills with liquid. Cover the cooler and allow the bird to sit in the brine overnight or for about 12 hours.