I brine our Thanksgiving turkey every year. We had our dinner on Sunday, so hubby and I are just relaxing today! But all brines that I have seen contain both sugar and salt. The brine I use is 1/2 cup of kosher salt and 1/2 cup of brown suger per gallon of water, plus about 12 whole pepper corns and about 6 whole garlic cloves. I have a large canning kettle and can fit up to a 20 lb. turkey. This year we had a 13 pound turkey so I made 2 gallons of brine. The salt and sugar should first be dissolved in the water, then stir in the pepper corns and garlic cloves. We have a second refrigerator that the kettle fits in, and I brine the turkey the night before. I remove the turkey from the brine at least 1 hour before roasting, rinse thoroughly and pat dry. I leave it on the counter to come close to room temperature so that the turkey is not ice cold before roasting. No other seasoning is necessary before roasting, but I do spread a compound butter with some rubbed sage between the skin and meat. Then rub the whole turkey with olive oil. It is always tender and juicy. I haven't tried a pre-injected turkey with brine yet, but maybe I'll buy one to try for Christmas to compare.

Do you have your mind set on brining? If not, you might want to try the presalting method instead. I switched a couple of years ago from brining to the pre-salt method. It produces a very moist flavourful bird without the hassle of a big pail of water. The turkey is salted a couple of days before you plan to roast it, wrapped in plastic wrap and left in the fridge. This method works for all cuts of meat. Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table Pre-Salting =========== Judy Rogers' Zuni Cafe method Servings: 11 to 15 Note: This is more a technique than a recipe. It makes a bird that has concentrated turkey flavor and fine, firm flesh and that is delicious as it is. But you can add other flavors as you wish. Minced rosemary would be a nice finishing addition. Or brush the bird lightly with butter before roasting. ADVERTISEMENT 1 (12- to 16-pound) turkey Kosher salt 1. Wash the turkey inside and out, pat it dry and weigh it. Measure 1 tablespoon of salt into a bowl for every 5 pounds the turkey weighs (for a 15-pound turkey, you'd have 3 tablespoons). 2. Sprinkle the inside of the turkey lightly with salt. Place the turkey on its back and salt the breasts, concentrating the salt in the center, where the meat is thickest. You'll probably use a little more than a tablespoon. It should look liberally seasoned, but not over-salted. 3. Turn the turkey on one side and sprinkle the entire side with salt, concentrating on the thigh. You should use a little less than a tablespoon. Flip the turkey over and do the same with the opposite side. 4. Place the turkey in a 2 1/2 -gallon sealable plastic bag, press out the air and seal tightly. Place the turkey breast-side up in the refrigerator. Chill for 3 days, turning it onto its breast for the last day. 5. Remove the turkey from the bag. There should be no salt visible on the surface and the skin should be moist but not wet. Place the turkey breast-side up on a plate and refrigerate uncovered for at least 8 hours. 6. On the day it is to be cooked, remove the turkey from the refrigerator and leave it at room temperature at least 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. 7. Place the turkey breast-side down on a roasting rack in a roasting pan; put it in the oven. After 30 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and carefully turn the turkey over so the breast is facing up (it's easiest to do this by hand, using kitchen towels or oven mitts). 8. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees, return the turkey to the oven and roast until a thermometer inserted in the deepest part of the thigh, but not touching the bone, reads 165 degrees, about 2 3/4 hours total roasting. 9. Remove the turkey from the oven, transfer it to a warm platter or carving board; tent loosely with foil. Let stand at least 30 minutes to let the juices redistribute through the meat. Carve and serve. Notes: This same method can be used for chicken, chicken pieces, pork roasts, ribs, chops, etc.. With the smaller cuts just pre-salt 4 or five hours in advance. Even this short period of presalting makes an amazing difference. Don't cover, just refrigerate and then remove from the fridge in time for the meat to come to room temperature before cooking.

I use to brine until I found out about Judy Roger's presalting method. I've been using the presalting method for the last five years or so and for me, I find it superior to brining. And it certainly is much easier. Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table Pre-Salting =========== Judy Rogers' Zuni Cafe Method Servings: 11 to 15 Note: This is more a technique than a recipe. It makes a bird that has concentrated turkey flavor and fine, firm flesh and that is delicious as it is. But you can add other flavors as you wish. Minced rosemary would be a nice finishing addition. Or brush the bird lightly with butter before roasting. ADVERTISEMENT 1 (12- to 16-pound) turkey Kosher salt 1 Wash the turkey inside and out, pat it dry and weigh it. Measure 1 tablespoon of salt into a bowl for every 5 pounds the turkey weighs (for a 15-pound turkey, you'd have 3 tablespoons). 2 Sprinkle the inside of the turkey lightly with salt. Place the turkey on its back and salt the breasts, concentrating the salt in the center, where the meat is thickest. You'll probably use a little more than a tablespoon. It should look liberally seasoned, but not over-salted. 3 Turn the turkey on one side and sprinkle the entire side with salt, concentrating on the thigh. You should use a little less than a tablespoon. Flip the turkey over and do the same with the opposite side. 4 Place the turkey in a 2 1/2 -gallon sealable plastic bag, press out the air and seal tightly. Place the turkey breast-side up in the refrigerator. Chill for 3 days, turning it onto its breast for the last day. 5 Remove the turkey from the bag. There should be no salt visible on the surface and the skin should be moist but not wet. Place the turkey breast-side up on a plate and refrigerate uncovered for at least 8 hours. 6 On the day it is to be cooked, remove the turkey from the refrigerator and leave it at room temperature at least 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. 7 Place the turkey breast-side down on a roasting rack in a roasting pan; put it in the oven. After 30 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and carefully turn the turkey over so the breast is facing up (it's easiest to do this by hand, using kitchen towels or oven mitts). 8 Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees, return the turkey to the oven and roast until a thermometer inserted in the deepest part of the thigh, but not touching the bone, reads 165 degrees, about 2 3/4 hours total roasting. 9 Remove the turkey from the oven, transfer it to a warm platter or carving board; tent loosely with foil. Let stand at least 30 minutes to let the juices redistribute through the meat. Carve and serve. My NOtes: This same method can be used for chicken, chicken pieces, pork roasts, ribs, chops, etc.. With the smaller cuts just pre-salt 4 or five hours in advance. Even this short period of presalting makes an amazing difference. Don't cover, just refrigerate and then remove from the fridge in time for the meat to come to room temperature before cooking.

sorry it took me a bit to get the recipe back out. we did not follow measurements exactly (it's a martha stewart recipe from the 2008 holidays mag) but did use 1/2 750mL dry white wine, 2 quartered onions, 2 TBS Bouquet Garni herbs (from Penzeys) 6 bay leaves, 2 TBS peppercorns, 6 peeled crushed garlic cloves all added to 7qts of water heated up to dissolve 1/2c salt & 1/2c sugar. i used one of the ziploc XXL bags added everything to a cleaned turkey and put the ziploc in a cooler w/ a 10 lb bag of ice for 24 hrs w/ an oven thermometer that has a probe and remote sensor to monitor the temp didn't get too warm. our turkey was barely thawed when we started and we brined for 24 hrs, it smelled sooo good i worried the dogs would get into the cooler. dh baked the turkey w/ all the available veggies we had and he of course poured off the fat in a separator. BTW i ate the last of the gravy sunday and it was even tastier after a couple of days! DH is still talking about his gravy lol ~ liz