Holiday Turkey Brining With No Stuffing.

This is the Holiday Season.and turkey is a must in every family even if we ate  turkey left right and center. Having read many recipes we, as Greeks, decided to BRINE our turkey for 24 hours. This is an American/English habit which I believe is important..

Brining:

Brining the turkey makes the turkey jucier, more tender and does not dry up during cooking.

Ingredients for the brine for a 4.6 kg turkey (10.14126 lbs).

  • 5 liters of cold tap water.
  • 100 salt.
  • 170 caster sugar.
  • 2 tbsp. dried mandarin peel. (I keep the peels when we eat mandarin till it dries then I process it to a powder).
  • 1 star anise
  • 2 Tbsp. zaatar.
  • 4-6 cloves crushed.
  • A few all spice berries.
  • 1 Tbsp. mustard seed.
  • 1 big onion not peeled but quartered.
  • 2 Tbsp. ginger powder. 

You can use your imagination and add whatever herbs and spices you like in this brine. The most important ingredient is the salt and the sugar.

Method:

  • Wash the turkey well under the tap.
  • Omit the neck and giblets.
  • Choose a large pot which will hold the turkey, and start adding water till it is well covered.



  • Take off the turkey, keeping the water in the pot.
  • This is the quantity of water you have to brine and add the above ingredients.
  • Make sure the salt and the sugar is well dissolved, 
  • Add your herbs and spices.
  • Mix well.
  • Insert you turkey, cover with a plate which will make sure the turkey is well submerged. 
  • Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.
Roasting the turkey:

  • The first thing you have to do when you take off the turkey from the brine is to wash it well under running water.
  • The second is to let it drip dry.
  • You can then choose how you would like to cook it.
  • We as a family do the following:
  1. - Put fresh butter under the skin.
  2. - Put in dutch oven large enough to hold it sitting on a grate base to let the juices drip to the bottom.
  3. - Roast at 180 degrees for 2 hours lowest shelf.

N.B.

  1. - Every half hour, overturn the turkey.
  2. - Every half hour baste with juices from the turkey.
  3. - We as a family do not stuff the turkey because we believe the stuffing absorbs all the moisture from the turkey and dries it up.
  4. - If you want to use a stuffing put in the dutch oven, separately from the turkey, wrapped in an oven-paper lined aluminum foil.
Try the above and enjoy a juicy, delicious, tender turkey.

I understand that this recipe is off date but I'm sure you will have another opportunity to eat turkey during this year.

Happy New Year,
Stelio.

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