Turkey:
Brine:
Apple Brine For Turkey (courtesy of the Virtual Weber Bullet website)
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2 quarts apple juice
1 pound brown sugar (light or dark)
1 cup Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt
3 quarts cold water
3 oranges, quartered 4 ounces fresh ginger, unpeeled and thinly sliced
15 whole cloves
6 bay leaves
6 large garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
Substitute 3/4 cup Morton Kosher Salt or 1/2 cup table salt for Diamond Crystal.
Combine apple juice, brown sugar, and salt in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve. Boil for one minute, remove from heat, let mixture come to room temperature, then refrigerate to 40°F.
In a large non-reactive container, combine the apple juice mixture with the remaining ingredients. When adding the oranges, squeeze each piece to release the juice into the container, then drop in the peel.
Put the turkey in the brine breast side down. Place a heavy plate or bowl on top to keep the bird submerged, if necessary.
Brine the turkey for 24 hours. You may wish to stir the solution 2-3 times during the brining process. I'm not sure if this is necessary or if it actually does anything, but I like to do it anyway.
Since brining does not preserve meat, the turkey and the brine solution must be kept below 40°F throughout the entire brining process.
We used half a cup of of table salt, and because of timings we only brined for 12 hours
Turkey in brine: