Roast Turkey

Fruity Turkey Brine

(double for a 20 lb Turkey)

1 gallon water

1 cup salt (1 1/2 cups Kosher or coarse salt)

3/4 cup white sugar

1 lemon

1 orange

1 onion, cut into thick slices

4 cloves, garlic, crushed

4 bay leaves

1 T. dried thyme

Take 4 cups of water and place in a large saucepan. Bring to a low boil. Add salt and sugar and stir until completely dissolved. Cut lemon and orange into 1/8ths. Add remaining ingredients. Reduce heat to low and over. Let simmer for 30 minutes. Pour into a large pot. Add remaining water (cold) and refrigerate until completely cooled.

Place poultry and brine in a large plastic container. Keep refrigerated. Brine for 1 hour per pound of bird.

If it's cold enough to keep the turkey outside we use our turkey deep frying pot for brining the bird. It it's not cold enough outside we use a sterilized cooler and lay ice in gallon bags over the bird. You don't want the ice to melt and dilute the water. The brine should be salty enough to float a raw egg. If it's not...then add more salt until it does. Add equal amounts of sugar too.

Thoroughly rinse all the brine from the turkey before cooking.

Turkey Aromatics

1 red apple sliced

1/2 onion sliced

1 cinnamon stick

1 c. water

4 sprigs rosemary

6 leaves sage

canola oil

Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes.

Add steeped aromatics to the turkey's cavity along with the rosemary and sage. Coat the bird liberally with canola oil.

Add the turkey to a Reynold's Turkey Oven bag and bake according to package instructions.

This makes a very moist turkey!