Brine

Make your turkey turn out moist and delicious by seasoning the entire turkey, not just the skin, with a process called brining. When you brine, a raw turkey is soaked in salted water for a number of hours while refrigerated to help it retain moisture during the cooking process.

Guidelines to Get You Started:

1. Use a fresh turkey to eliminate the need for thawing. Brining is ineffective on a frozen turkey.
2. Use 1 cup kosher salt per gallon (4 quarts) of water. If you must substitute table salt, use 1/2 to 3/4 cup per gallon of water.
3. Add herbs if desired. You could add a combination of 6 to 8 bay leaves, 1/2 cup dried rosemary, 3 cloves peeled garlic, 2 teaspoons peppercorns, and 1/2 cup dried thyme leaves. Try adding some brown sugar or 1 cup small dried red chili peppers if you want to add some heat.
4. Length of brine time depends on the size of the turkey. As turkey gets larger, increase brine time rather than salt concentration.
5. Place turkey, breast down, in a large container made of food-grade plastic, stainless steel, or glass that will fit in the refrigerator. Add brine to cover. Keep cold in refrigerator while brining.
6. Remove turkey from brine after recommended time and pat dry with paper towels. Not necessary to rinse. Cook turkey as desired.

NOTE: The turkey will look bluish-white before cooking and will not brown as well as non-brined turkeys.