Delicious Turkey Brine

I started brining my turkeys for Thanksgiving a few years back. I will NEVER make a turkey without brining it again. It is the BEST! I am making a turkey to make different meals from all this week so I decided to come up with my own brine recipe:








You need a decent size cooler if you dont have an LARGE space in your fridge!

1 gallon(16 cups) water
1 cup salt
6 garlic bullion cubes
6 onion bullion cubes
6 tsp tomato bullion

Combine above in a large pot and heat to boiling stirring until everything is dissolved , cool thoroughly








2 gallons cold water
2 chopped onions
5 smashed garlic cloves
1 chopped apple
5 stalks of celery, broken up, preferably the "heart" with all the leaves
2 chopped carrots
1/4 cup dried oregano(or a medium size bunch of fresh)
2 TB dried basil(1/4 cup fresh )
1 TB dried parsley(3 TB fresh)
1/4 cup dried lemon grass
1 TB lemon pepper
   Combine all of the above in the cooler and mix well and add cooled salt mixture


Add turkey, breast side down, and swish around to fill cavities.

Place one unopened bag of ice in there to keep it really cool and cover, placed in a cool area. Change out the ice bag if/when necessary.
Allow to soak at least 12 hours but NO MORE than 24(It will make the meat soggy)








Remove turkey from brine and proceed with your roasting style..... You can go back to my Thanksgiving favorite or  Here is another way:

I take all the large stuff from the brine and put it in the bottom of my roaster w/ 1 can chicken broth, 1 cup of the salt water solution and 1 cup of water with some more garlic and onion bullion cubes

Then place  in the turkey (I prefer breast side up) loosen the skin and rub with 1/4 cup softened butter, sprinkle with 1/4 cup brown sugar, oregano, black pepper, parsley and seasoned salt , rubbing it all around the bird including under the loosened skin.

Set to 325 and cook away, basting every so often....

Cook until and internal temperature of 165 degrees

If you dont have a meat thermometer I STRONGLY suggest buying one. Meats get overdone VERY quickly. By the time you can visually "tell" its done it is usually OVER done....

Remember Brining hastens the cooking process so start checking for done-ness about 45 minutes earlier than you "normally" would

about 20 minutes before done, I like to brush it with a little honey.