Thanksgiving Turkey

Today I decide to join in the Thanksgiving food fun over at Kim's blog. Today was all about the main course. We have turkey! Are you surprised? Up until the last few years, I would just put the turkey in the oven and pray it wouldn't get too dry. Then I discovered the magic power of brining. The following is the recipe I typically use.

Maple-Brined Turkey
1 1/2 gallons water
1 1/2 cups pure maple syrup
1 cup coarse salt
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 10 lb. turkey (not a self-basting type)

Here's the link for the directions - click here. I'm too lazy to type them all out!

I don't follow them exactly (I rarely do with a recipe). I usually have a larger turkey, so I double the brine mixture and use apple cider for half of the water. I put it all in a clean 5 gallon bucket with a lid and put it outside on the deck. You can get away with that in MN, it's usually cold enough. Otherwise, if you don't have room in your fridge, I would use a cooler. I brine it as long as possible...at least 24 hours. The longer the time - the better the turkey!

Enjoy and don't forget to head on over to Kim's to check everyone else's recipes.