Make Moist Turkey With Brine

This will make even the lowest priced frozen bird rival a fresh turkey. My approach is to take a new, black plastic trash bag and use it in combination with a five gallon plastic container. Use a container that will accommodate the size bird you have; the plastic bag is used to help minimize leaks.

Defrost the turkey per the directions. But if you are pressed for time, you might consider putting the frozen bird in a sinkful of hot water for an hour or so; then, unwrap the bird and put it into the plastic bag then put both into your container. Add your brine solution and top off with enough water to cover.

Your brine solution should include salt and some sugar; dissolve both in a cup of hot water. You might add other spices, garlic or onion powder for instance. Keep the bird in the brine solution overnight. If the weather is around 35 degrees or less, you can leave it outdoors if you can keep the wildlife away from it; this will free up space in your refrigerator. But if the weather is warm, you must keep it in the refrigerator overnight.

When it is time to roast the turkey, rinse it off thoroughly and pat dry. You might consider stuffing it with pieces of apple, onion or orange. You might consider using your hand to free the skin from the carcass and then stuffing butter and leafy spices, basil, parsley or rosemary into the space between the skin and the body. Salt and pepper and roast according to the time and temperature recommended on the packaging.

By Tracy from Kansas City, MO