Turkey Brine

Two years ago we discovered the wonders of brining. Brining makes foods incredibly juicy and gives the food a wondeful aroma if you add aromatics into your brine. Our Thanksgiving turkey always comes out moist and we can't get enough of it. When you brine a turkey, the white meat tastes just as flavorful as the dark meat.

Brine
7 qts water
2 c kosher salt
1 c brown sugar
8 bay leaves
1 T pepper corn
3 pieces of dried tangerine peel
5 pieces star anise
2 T fennel
8 slices of ginger

Boil 1 quart of water and add the aromatics and sugar and salt. Let the mixture simmer for 15 minutes. Add the rest of the the water in and let the brine come to room temperature.

Place the turkey into the brine mixture and let brine for 24 hours.

When you are ready to cook the turkey, stuff the cavity with lemon, carrots, celery, onion, apple, rosemary, and bay leaves. These extra aromatics really give the turkey a wonderful flavor as it cooks.