Bourbon Turkey Brine

Submitted by ShoeDiva

"I love my Bourbon Drunken Upside-Down Turkey, but it is a tad bit time consuming. Since Fibromyalgia is an ongoing battle for me, I wanted to make life a little easier and come up with a brine recipe due to a reviewers comment."

 

• Ready In: 48hrs
• Ingredients: 18
• Yields: 1 13-14.5lb Turkey
• Serves: 4-6

ingredients

• 1 oven cooking bag, and 1 flavor injector
• 1 (13 -14 lb) whole turkey (Shady Brook Farms)
• 3⁄4 cup sugar
• 3⁄4 cup kosher salt
• 1⁄4 cup peppercorn
• 7 cups cold water
• 1 cup ice
• 1 1⁄2 cups Bourbon (Jim Beam or Makers Mark)
• 1 bunch fresh rosemary
• 1 bunch fresh thyme
• 1 bunch fresh sage (or Greenways Fresh Organic Poultry Blend Herbs)
• 1 bunch fresh parsley
• 1 bunch fresh marjoram
• 2 heads garlic, halved
• 2 blood oranges, quartered or 2 navel oranges, rind taken off and quartered
• 2 Red Delicious apples, pitted, and quartered
• 2 yellow onions, quartered
• 8 cups Bourbon (Jim Beam or Makers Mark)

directions

1. Add sugar & salt to 1.5 cup of bourbon take HALF of the herbs,1 apple, 1 orange and orange rind, peppercorns,1 garlic head, and 1 onion in saucepan bring to a low boil dissolving the sugar & salt. Remove from heat.
2. Take a potato masher and gently press down the ingredients in the saucepan so all the flavors can release into the bourbon. Add 1 cup of ice to cool down.
3. Line large bucket or pot with brining bag add the OTHER HALF of the herbs, fruit, peppercorns, orange rind, garlic & onion.
4. Place turkey in bag, add 1 cup of bourbon to the inside cavity of turkey, 7 cups of cold water, then add bourbon & ice mixture finish with 8 more cups of bourbon.
5. Stir & submerge turkey in bourbon brine make sure no air is in brining bag. Take the flavor injector, and inject the turkey in several different areas with the brining solution.
6. Refrigerate & rotate every 12 hours.
7. Brine for 48 hours, bring to room temperature for 45 minutes. Pat dry and cook. (SEE BOURBON DRUNKEN UPSIDE-DOWN TURKEY RECIPE).