Ordinarily, the Pomona newsletter articles focus on the automotive industry. However, we felt that since this was the holiday season it would be appropriate to include cooking tips gained over year after year of cooking dry, hard, turkeys. It’s a good thing that the pilgrims didn’t attend my first thanksgiving dinner. They probably would have pulled out and never settled here in the good old US of A. As chief cook, my turkey left a lot to be desired.

I have always roasted the bird, smothered with butter and garlic. The first time, I forgot to take out the neck and giblets. Even worse I didn’t remove the paper they were wrapped in. The smell… Oh, let’s not go there. My turkeys were always so dry that it took a small washtub of gravy to choke it down. Well, that was years ago. Since I’ve discovered the “brine is fine” recipe, my family eats the bird down to the bones.

The Brined turkey will be the most tender, moistest and succulent turkey you and your family and guests have ever tasted! I highly recommend it and if I can cook like this, so can you. Why are brined turkeys so juicy? Salt causes the meat tissues to absorb water and flavorings. It also breaks down the proteins, resulting in a tender succulent turkey. This means that, despite the moisture loss during roasting and the long cooking time, you end up with a juicy bird. Juicy birds mean thankful guests and, as a side benefit, you won’t have to make a small wash tub of gravy.

How to Brine a Turkey

  1. The real trick with brining is finding a container that’s large enough to submerge the turkey, yet small enough to fit in your refrigerator or if you live in the mountains like me, place your container in the garage – covered of course. Many cook books recommend a non-reactive (plastic, stainless steel or glass) container – large! If you use a small container, you will need to turn the bird periodically so that each side rests in the brine which is a pain and who has time for that? After tearing into my kitchen cupboards, I realized I did not have a large enough container at my disposal and the items I did have only held one thigh and 1/2 a breast with a few inches of water at most. However, I did have a 5-gallon orange Home Depot bucket sitting there in the garage screaming at me for another multi-purpose use. After a through scrubbing and sanitizing of the bucket, I was ready to go.The basic ratio for turkey brine is two cups of kosher salt to two gallons of water. Some recipes include sweeteners like sugar or brown sugar, acidic ingredients to balance the saltiness – be creative.
  2. Dissolve salt (and sugar, if using) in two cups of hot water. Stir in remaining gallon plus 3 1/2 quarts of cold water or just fill the bucket.
  3. Remove giblets and neck from turkey. (This is a must!!)
  4. Add various herbs and seasonings if you prefer (but not salty seasonings).
  5. Immerse turkey in brine and refrigerate for at least eight hours but no longer than 24 hours.
  6. Remove the turkey from the container and throw out the brine.
  7. Thoroughly rinse your bird, both inside and outside, under cold water until there are no visible traces of salt or other seasonings.
  8. You are now ready to cook your bird either by roasting, on the barbie, smoking or deep frying. It doesn’t matter what method you use to cook, you have prepared the turkey to be a huge success (unless you burn it up).

Bon Appetite,

Happy Thanksgiving

-Kim Cross