Well, Thanksgiving is still a week away, but you should start shopping for your ingredients now.  Don’t wait until the last minute or you won’t get the size or brand of turkey you want.  And make sure you get your brining kit ready.  A brined bird is so succulent and moist, you will never “just baste” a bird again.  Alton Brown from the Food Network demonstrates a simple and effective brining process in the video below.

If you want to take a shortcut, you can buy a jar of brining spices.  I got a good kit from World Market this past weekend.  Williams and Sonoma stores carry it and many of the finer grocery stores carry a good brining kit too.  Or you can make your own.  The only key is to use a cup of salt and ice cold water to soak the turkey. 

Here is a sample recipe:

  • 1 cup salt
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 apple, cut into wedges
  • 1 orange, cut into wedges
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 4 bay leaves
  • 1 tablespoon dried thyme
  • 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
  • 1 1/2 gallons icy cold water
  • 1 thawed turkey with giblets and neck removed

    • Dissolve the salt and sugar into a gallon of boiling water.  Let the water cool to room temperature, and add the rest of the items and the turkey into a clean 5 gallon bucket or ice cooler.  If you have a brining bag, you can use that, but store the mixture somewhere cold, in a spill-proof container.  Let the turkey brine for 24 hours.