From the author, Steven Raichlen: The biggest challenge of roasting a turkey is cooking the dark meat through without drying out the breast. The best solution is precisely that: a mixture of water, salt, and sugar known as brine. By the miracle of osmosis (remember your high school chemistry?—sans bourbon, of course), the turkey meat absorbs some of the brine, plumping, tenderizing, and flavoring the meat.
Bourbon-Brined Roast Turkey
Serves 8 with leftovers
INGREDIENTS
- 1 turkey (about 12 pounds)
- 1 cup coarse salt (kosher or sea)
- ¾ cup packed light brown sugar, or ¾ cup honey
- 4 cups hot water
- 3 quarts cold water
- ½ cup bourbon
- 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted
INSTRUCTIONS
- Remove the packet of giblets and neck, if any, from the cavities of the turkey (freeze the heart, gizzard, and neck for making stock, page 549). Rinse the turkey inside and out with cold water and drain it well. Place the salt, brown sugar, and hot water in a large stockpot. Whisk until the salt and brown sugar are completely dissolved. Whisk in the cold water and bourbon. Refrigerate the brine until thoroughly cooled, about 1 hour.
- Immerse the turkey in the brine, neck end down. Weight it with a heavy saucepan or tightly sealed plastic bags filled with ice to keep the bird submerged. Brine the bird for 24 hours in the refrigerator, covered, turning it a couple of times so it brines evenly. Don’t have space in your refrigerator? Place the stockpot in a large cooler and arrange bags of ice around the stockpot to keep it cold (add more ice as needed).
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Drain the turkey well and blot the outside dry with paper towels. Truss the turkey as described for a chicken on page 330. Place the turkey, breast side up, in a shallow roasting pan, preferably on a roasting rack. Brush the turkey with a little of the melted butter and place it in the oven.
- Roast the turkey until the skin is crisp and well-browned and the meat is cooked through, 21/2 to 3 hours. Baste the turkey with melted butter every half hour. After the first 11/2 hours start basting the turkey with the juices that accumulate in the bottom of the roasting pan. To test for doneness, insert an instant-read thermometer deep in a thigh but not touching a bone; when done the internal temperature should be 165°F.
- Transfer the turkey to a platter and loosely drape it with aluminum foil. Let the turkey rest for at least 20 minutes before carving and serving. Remove the trussing string and carve the turkey as described on page 353.
Man Made Meals
by Steven Raichlen
Like a Joy of Cooking for guys, Man Made Meals is everything a man needs to achieve confidence and competence in the kitchen. It’s about having a repertoire of great recipes (there are 300 to choose from), breakfast to dessert, to dazzle a date, or be a hero to your family, or simply feed yourself with real pleasure.
GET THE BOOK: Amazon | B&N | IndieBound| Workman
