OK i'm going to let you in on a family secret. This recipe makes the worlds best roast turkey i have ever had, bar none!
Moist, rich and flavorful.
Ingredients:
Whole Turkey
Brine ingredients:
1.5 gallons of cold Water
1.5 liters of Apple Juice
3/4 cup of Salt
Marinade Ingredients:
1/5 litre of Sake (inexpensive sake works just fine)
1.5 cups of Thai Fish Sauce (yes the stuff made out of fermented anchovies). Please don't tell my in-laws that i fed them this ;)
Steps:
Brine:
Dissolve salt in 2 cups of warm water.
Mix the rest of the water and apple juice together with the brine (dissolved salt)
Put a brining bag in a large stock pot of small cooler
Double check the Turkey cavities to make sure there are no bags of giblets inside
Insert fresh fully thawed turkey into brining bag and pour the brine mixture over it.
If the liquid doesn't quite cover the turkey, add cold water to cover.
Seal the bag completely
Refrigerate for 24 hours
Drain the brine away,
Rinse the turkey completely under running water for a 3 - 5 minutes,
Then pat dry.
Place turkey in roasting pan.
You will need a marinating syringe (a good quality one will save you a lot of time and effort)
Combine sake and thai fish sauce,
Fill syringe with marinade mixture
Insert syringe into the deep fleshy parts of the turkey. Repeat until all of the marinade has been used up.
There will be some seepage as some of the marinade escapes. This is fine.
You will see the turkey skin fill with marinade
Cover with foil and place back into the fridge for another 24 hours.
No need to add salt or seasoning. This bird has it all.
tip: Make sure there are no plastic ties holding the legs.
Lightly oil before roasting.
Your turkey is done when the temperature with ameat thermometeris 180° F in thigh and 165° F in breast or stuffing.
Lift turkey onto platter, and let stand for 15 -20 minutes before carving.