Quick-brined turkey
By Ann Heller
Dayton Daily News
Brined turkeys are noticeably moister birds, but it can be difficult to keep one cold for an overnight soak. This method increases the salt for a much shorter brining time. From Cook's Illustrated magazine and The Perfect Recipe , by Pam Anderson (Houghton Mifflin, 1998), it's enough for a 10- to 14-pound turkey.
Makes about 12-14 servings
1 (12- to 14-pound) turkey, giblets and neck removed
4 cups kosher salt or 2 cups table salt
3 medium onions, coarsely chopped
1 to 2 carrots, coarsely chopped
1 to 2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
6 thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon peppercorns
1 to 2 tablespoons melted butter
To brine:Use a clean cooler large enough to hold the turkey. Line with a large clean trash bag. Fill bag with 2 gallons (32 cups) cold water; add salt and stir to dissolve. Add turkey. Place several large frozen ice packs or resealable gallon bags filled with ice around the turkey. Close bag, cover cooler and place in a cool spot, covered with blankets or towels to insulate it. Let stand 4 hours.
Place giblets, except liver, and neck in a saucepan. Add 4 to 6 cups water, 1 chopped onion and a third of the chopped carrot and celery. Add half the thyme, bay leaf, 1/2 teaspoon salt and peppercorns. Bring to a boil, skim top, lower heat and simmer 1 hour. Add liver and cook 5 minutes. Strain broth and refrigerate. Chop giblets and pick meat from neck; refrigerate. Discard vegetables and herbs.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove turkey from brine. Rinse thoroughly. Pat dry with paper towels. Place half the remaining onion, carrots and celery in a roasting pan. Place remaining vegetables in turkey cavity. Tie legs together if turkey doesn't come with a clip for legs. Brush turkey with melted butter. Place meat thermometer in deepest part of thigh, not touching bone.
Place turkey on rack in roasting pan. Add 1 cup water to bottom of pan.
Roast turkey for 1 hour. Reduce heat to 375 and continue roasting until meat thermometer registers 170 to 175 degrees and breast registers 160 to 165 degrees in thickest part.
Transfer to platter. Let stand 20 to 30 minutes before carving.
Skim fat from roasting pan. Place pan over two burners, heat and deglaze as desired to make gravy (recipe follows). Brined turkeys don't taste salty, but their drippings are definitely saltier. Using wine to deglaze the pan balances the salt; we didn't find the gravy unpleasantly salty. However, if you don't like a salty gravy, skip deglazing the pan and make gravy without the wine, from the turkey broth, using 1/4 cup flour cooked in 3 tablespoons oil in a saucepan or skillet.
