You need to start this ASAP

Step 1: Get a food grade bucket big enough to hold the bird



Walmart Bakery gave me this one years ago, it had cake icing in it before.  I had to mark it up to keep my moronic employees from putting paint or cigarette butts in it.


Step 2:  Go out to your Rosemay bush and snip some branches



Don't have a Rosemary bush, buy some dried leaves at the store.


Step 3:  Gather the rest of these ingredients




Step 4: Boil a pan of water with 1/2 of the Rosemary and 2 cups of salt and 2 tablespoons of black pepper



This is to dissolve the salt and to jumpstart the other spices


Step 5: Add lemons and 2 tablespoons of juice and the rest of the Rosemary to the bucket  




Step 6:  Add the bird and fill the bucket with cold water, mixing all the spices.  I filled it up the rest of the way after moving it out to the outside fridge



Add a lid if you have it needs to be covered with something even if it is aluminum foil.



For tomorrow's finale you need a charcoal grill, 20 lbs of charcoal and a turkey roasting pan to finish it off.

Last year's masterpiece

Where's the sugar for the brine?

No friggin' sugar in my recipe

It's not like adding sugar is going to really change the flavor it just helps to counteract the saltiness. Have you actually tried a brine with sugar?

Step 7 did not include a turkey fryer.  I call fail.

My method usually involves about three pounds of butter.

Needs more peanut oil and propane

Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile

Here's a great brine recipe that I've used in the past: http://www.sfgate.com/recipes/article/Top-Thanksgiving-turkey-Brine-and-roast-2855943.php

2 1/2 gallons cold water
2 cups kosher salt
1 cup sugar
2 bay leaves, torn into pieces
1 bunch fresh thyme, or 4 tablespoons dried
1 whole head of garlic, cloves separated and peeled
5 whole allspice berries, crushed
4 juniper berries, smashed

You don't taste any sugar in the finished product - it just balances the salt and helps with osmosis and helps the bird retain moisture.

And you're really not getting into "best turkey" territory with a factory bird like that.  My dad raises heritage breed turkeys and it's a night and day difference when you taste a traditional turkey compared to the turkeys that you get at the supermarket.  Supermarket turkeys have been bred to maximize white meat and minimize fat content and to get a bird that bulks up faster/cheaper than normal turkeys.  With that you wind up losing a lot of flavor.  My dad's birds have longer, skinnier bodies (closer to a goose), with mostly dark meat and a thick layer of fat over the breast.  They take a good 5 months to raise.  Tons of flavor.  Combine a heritage breed bird, a good brine and a cooking method that doesn't involve an oven in your kitchen and you can start talking "best" turkey.

Looks pretty good to me OP. In for results.

looks good... for turkey....

P.S. brisket FTW.

My brine recipe uses apple cider instead of water and has sliced oranges and sugar

Gotta use sugar, it does help.

I've always liked to soak it in cider.

1. any bucke will work....IF you line it with one of those turkey roasting bags from renoylds.––-jsut fill the brine in the bag...
2. a cooler is another choice––-supposedly, those things have food grade interior plastic––-although some may not.  I use a small cooler myself
3 brining rules.  try alton browns brining method...fantastic.

Cooking it over charcoal beats frying every day

It's been on charcoal and a piece of cherry wood for about 30 min in this pic

Finished about 3 pm


Fantastic!