Apple Honey Brined Turkey

[Nick Prochilo]

Bryan, when you set it in the refidgerater to dry, I assume its uncovered?

 

[gsmith]

I put a 12 pounder in this brine last night for tomorrows cook. Do you serve this with any kind of sauce or gravy?
How do you think it would be served with a sauce made with cranberries?

 

[zilla]

That looks great Bryan, I copied that brine recipe for next time. :!: Hey is this the same recipe that was listed in the great brine debate of 05 or was that one different?

 

[Dave'sWife]

I just came across this - fabulous brine recipe. I can't wait for thanksgiving to try it out. Gonna try and do this for the holiday weekend. it sounds so easy.

I've been brining turkeys for decades but never in apple juice. I usually use a savory herb brine. I cook up the brine on the stove in a soup pot and then add more water when soaking. I usually stew fresh time, some cloves, peppercorns of various colors except black, mustard seed, coriander, a few cardamom pods, some russian caravan tea leaves (great smokey flavor) and anything else that I have on hand. (Folks here will ntoice I'm big on using tea as an herb and not just a beverage).

Still, I'm gonna try this apple brine. Will report back to the class next week.

 

[Rob D.]

i just used this recipe to do a 14# turkey....i'm cooking a turkey for a wedding reception sunday so i figured i'd do a prototype first....anyhoo, the only change i made to the brine was using some c-grade maple syrup i have instead of honey...then i cooked it at 325* with some cherry for smoke wood.....man, the best turkey i've ever had!!!! gotta remember that the bird will cook a little quicker with all that nice brine sucked up in it (3hrs 15min for 166* in the breast).....

made a sauce to go with it (from "where there's smoke, there's flavor"):

4 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 cup orange juice
2 tbsp. black cherry preserves
1 tbsp. worcestshire sauce
place in saucepan, melt butter and heat up

next time i make it, i'll try a splash of chambord in it, but it's a nice compliment to the turkey

all in all, tough to beat this brine recipe...

Rob

 

[Dave'sWife]

Rob - I used to cook with Chambord all the time but to my mind, they've changed the taste of it in the past 7 to 10 years. Now when I cook with it, I get a hint of an unpleasant cough-syrup type flavor instead of the nice light rasbberry of old. Anyone else detect a downward slide with Chambord? Maybe they got bought out or the formula changed?

I've pretty much stopped using it altogether. It could just be my tastebuds have changed. I'm 42 now and I hear that sometimes onset of menopause can alter your preference for certain flavors. It could also be that they have changed the recipe. Dunno. It tastes more medicinal to me now.

 

[Rob D.]

Dave's wife - i don't think it made a lot of difference with the sauce that i made 'cause i used hardly any of it....never been a big chambord drinker so i can't help ya with the cough syrup flavor....i did drink the rest of the nip bottle and didn't really think it was so great to begin with.....i wouldn't say the sauce was a big hit at that wedding reception i cooked the bird for....didn't matter, the turkey was awesome, it was the only main course that didn't have any leftovers =D> , the first half was gone before i could finish carving the second half...

Rob

 

[Bruce B]

Hey Bryan, good to hear from you again. Hoping you and your family have a Merry Christmas and Great New Year. Quit being a stranger we need your expertise here.