Turkey Brine

Whether you grill, smoke, roast, or deep fry your turkey this brine recipe will  help season the turkey throughout and keep it moist.

1 cup brown sugar

2 cup sea salt

2 tablespoon whole allspice berries

2 tablespoon dried sage

2 tablespoon dried thyme

2 tablespoon whole peppercorn berries

Ice water

In a large stock pot, combine the sugar, sea salt, herbs and spices with 1 gallon of water. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently to be sure salt is dissolved. Remove from heat, and let cool to room temperature.

When the brine mixture is cool, pour it into a clean 5 gallon bucket or an ice chest with a lid. Add ice water to fill about 2/3 of the way and stir to mix. The goal is to have enough brine to cover the turkey without diluting the brine any more than you have to. For a 5-gallon bucket and a 10-13 pound bird, that means about 2 gallons in addition to the gallon of concentrated brine.

Place the turkey, breast down, into the brine. Make sure that the cavity is filled and that the turkey is completely covered. Refrigerate for at least 10 hours, preferably 24.

Remove the turkey carefully draining off the excess brine and pat dry. Discard the brine. Rub the skin of the turkey with olive oil and cook the turkey as desired, reserving the drippings for gravy.

Keep in mind that brined turkeys cook 20 to 30 minutes faster so watch the temperature gauge.