Growing up, turkey was my least favourite holiday meal. It was always dry, needing ladles of gravy to eat.  Some of that was due to the quality of the bird, and some of it was due to the cooking skills in the kitchen.

My husband, however, loved (loves) turkey and we had to compromise.  Enter brining!

Now, I order fresh turkeys that have lived their life in pasture.  This year, our turkey was 19.5lbs at butcher weight and once it was brined we had a whopping 22lb turkey.  The brining process put so much moisture back into the meat, that the difference was measurable.  The brine you use is incredibly important, because you are introducing flavour and moisture back into the bird before seasoning it.

Brine the turkey the night before you need the roast.  Serving on Sunday? Brine Saturday night so you remove it the morning of the big day.

Equipment:

• Large stock pot
• 5 Gallon Bucket
• Food Safe Plastic Liner for 5 Gallon Bucket (find them on Amazon)
• Bag of Ice Cubes (if your freezer doesn't make a lot)

Brine Ingredients:

• 3L of Stock - I prefer unsalted stock and use 2L of vegetable stock and 1L of chicken stock.
• 1 cup of Kosher Salt
• 1 Tbsp Peppercorns
• Garlic Cloves, peeled and lightly smashed
• 2-3 Bay Leaves
• 1 - 2 Tbsp Poultry Seasoning

Method:

1. Put all the ingredients in your stock pot and bring to a rolling boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the salt is completely dissolved and the brine ingredients are aromatic.  Your house will smell like Turkey Dinner.
2. Remove the brine from heat and immediately add 2L of cold water to start cooling it down.  Let cool completely.  This can be done a day ahead but I do it the morning of.
3. The night before you are roasting, line a 5 Gallon bucket with the food safe plastic bag and place your turkey in the bucket cavity up.
4. Pour in the cold brine mixture.  Top up with ice cubes and cold water until the turkey is fully submerged and tie up the bag tightly.
5. Place the bucket in a cooler or sink filled with ice and water water and leave overnight.
6. In the morning, remove the turkey from the brine and pat dry.

Preparing & Roasting:

1. Because the turkey is brined, you do not want to cook your stuffing in the cavity - it will be far too salty.  Do not use the drippings for gravy, either.
2. Fill the cavity with a quartered onion, a quartered lemon or orange, and a heavy handful of fresh Thyme, Rosemary and Sage.  
3. Tie it tightly and drizzle with Wild Mushroom & Sage Olive Oil.
4. Make a basting liquid of Wild Mushroom & Sage Olive Oil, Black Pepper and Poultry Seasoning
   
5. Do Not add any salt.
6. Roast in the oven or on the Pellet Grill for 13 minutes per pound, basting on the hour with the Olive Oil mixture.
7. When your thermometer reads 165 in the breast, remove from the oven/grill and cover to rest for 30 minutes before slicing.
8. Your meat will be juicy and flavourful right through with a crisp, unbroken skin.