Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey & Leftover Turkey Recipes
If I had a penny for every awful Thanksgiving turkey I have made...well let's not let that happen to you! Learn from my mistakes, and don't forget the brine!
A simple 12-hour bath in brine is a sure-fire trick to avoid this awkward moment that most of us have experienced! Brining improves a turkey's ability to retain moisture, which leads to a juicier bird. Brining also seasons a bird more deeply than merely seasoning before cooking. I'm serving an Organic Turkey from Sprouts for my Thanksgiving meal, so it's sure to be delicious and made even better with the brine!
To brine your turkey, all you need to do is fully submerge your turkey in the brine solution and refrigerate for 12-18 hours. After brining, remove the turkey, dry carefully with paper towels, and roast as you normally would. I know that some people skip brining because, honestly, it does take up a lot of refrigerator space. If you are short on space in your refrigerator, no problem. Simply fill a few two-liter soda bottles 3/4 full of water and freeze them with the lid off. Once frozen, replace the caps on tightly and place the frozen two-liters in a cooler or 5-gallon bucket. If you don't have soda bottles, use smaller bags of ice and then pour your brine mixture into the cooler or bucket. Place the turkey in the brine, and your refrigerator now has room for all of the other Thanksgiving goodies!
Brine Recipe:
8-12 pound turkey-2 gallons of water and 1 1/2 cup kosher salt
13-17 pound turkey 2 1/2 gallons of water and 2 cups kosher salt
18-22 pound turkey 3 gallons of water and 2 1/2 kosher salt
As you can see….the key ingredients are water and salt! Yep, that is all it takes to brine a bird. The following are great flavors to add to your brine to make it even tastier:
2 cups apple cider
2 cups brown sugar
3 tablespoons peppercorns
6 cloves garlic smashed
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
4 sprigs of rosemary, leaves stripped off
Peel of three large oranges, removed in large strips
Now that you have the perfectly moist turkey, you are going to need some yummy recipes for all of your leftovers. Here are just a few ideas for you! Leftover Turkey Recipes:
Turkey Bolognese: This is my own Bolognese recipe. and serve it over Cervasi Pasta….omg, So yummy!
Turkey Pot Pie: This is my favorite pot pie recipe period. Of course, it’s written by my best soon to be best friend Ina Garten. She uses Chicken but it’s just as good with Turkey.
Turkey Chili: A little southwest flair to your leftovers. It uses your leftover butternut squash in it. But no matter, if you don’t have any it’s perfect without it.
Turkey Frittata: Getting eggy with this one. Monterey Jack cheese…mmmm:)
Turkey Panini: It even has your leftover cranberry sauce on it!