Aprile's Kitchen

Cooking the Thanksgiving turkey is the pinnacle of hosting. After decades of hosting the family Thanksgiving dinner, I finally feel I have a good handle on preparing this main event.

Ingredients

The Brine

• peels from 1 lemon
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup whiskey
• 1 onion quartered with peel
• 2 carrots
• 2 celery stalks
• 1 diakon radish
• 5 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 tablespoon allspice
• 1 tablespoon peppercorn
• 2 cups salt
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 3 tablespoons fresh sage
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary
• 1 bunch of parsley

Instructions

*Be sure the turkey is fully defrosted before brining. A frozen turkey can take 6-18 hours to defrost depending on its size. Placing the turkey in cold water can speed defrosting.

1. Mix all the ingredients in a large pot or cooler (large enough to fit the turkey)
2. Place the turkey in the brine (without the next and gibblets)
3. Brine the turkey for 24 hours in refrigeration

Baking the Turkey

*Need 2 sticks of butter, one at room temperature and one melted

1. Preheat the oven to 350^o
2. Remove the turkey from the brine and gently separate the skin from the flesh with your hands starting at the neck and moving back to the thighs. Rub pats of the room temperature butter all over the flesh under the skin. Care must be taken not to tear the skin.
3. Place the turkey on a rack in a large baking pan and stuff with stuffing. If you are not planning to stuff the turkey place one large onion quartered into the cavity.
4. Brush the melted butter over the top of the skin with a basting brush
5. Arrange the vegetables and herbs from the brine around the base of the turkey
6. pour 2 cups of brine into the bottom of the pan
7. Add enough water so the liquid is covering the bottom of the pan. Continue to add warm water throughout the baking process to maintain liquid on the bottom of the pan
8. Place the turkey in the oven and baste with the drippings every 20 minutes
9. Baking time will vary depending on size of the turkey and if it is stuffed or not. A small turkey will take about 2-3 hours, a large turkey can take over 6 hours. Stuffing the turkey increases the baking time by approximately 1 hour. A meat thermometer tested deep in the thigh should reach at least 165^o
10. Let the turkey rest for 15 minutes after removing it from the oven before carving it