Turkey Brine

Every few years a cooking technique comes in vogue, and suddenly you see it everywhere; it’s featured prominently on restaurant menus and talked about on all the cooking shows.  Turkey brining is Thanksgiving’s sous vide.
The problem is that most people in this country are not buying a fresh, heritage turkey, which is the turkey that would benefit from the brining process.  In brining, you take the bird and marinate it in a combination of sugar, salt, and aromatics.   The high salt content in the brine is absorbed by the bird, resulting in a more flavorful and moist turkey.  
However, most people are buying a commercially processed, frozen turkey.  Those turkeys, have already been injected with a saline solution.  In other words, they’ve already been brined.  Trader Joe’s is currently selling pre-brined turkeys.  I guess they think that pre-brined sounds better than saline injected, but really it is the same thing.  I tell people frequently in foods, it’s the fancier the verbiage, the higher the price.
If you have embraced the farm to table movement, and have preordered your turkey from your local butcher, then brining might be for you, and the recipe that I have used is below.  If however, you have bought a turkey from your local grocery store, I would suggest skipping brining entirely.

Turkey Brine
Difficulty – Easy
 
INGREDIENTS   
1 cup kosher salt
½ cup brown sugar
1 gallon water
1 tbsp black peppercorns
3 to 4 wide strips of fresh orange zest
4 bay leaves
 
In a large pot bring all the ingredients to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to let the sugar and salt dissolve.  Allow to cool completely. 
 
In a large container, a 5-gallon bucket works best, combine the brine with an additional gallon of ice water.  Submerge your turkey, which has been rinsed and the package of innards removed.  Allow the turkey to brine for 8 to 12 hours. 
 
Once your turkey has brined, remove it from the brine, and rinse and dry it before continuing to prepare it for your preferred method of cooking.