Turkey Brine

In order to defrost the turkey, we took a small plastic storage container, filled it with water and ice and placed our turkey (still in the wrapper) inside and weighed it down with a cast iron pan. Then we snapped the lid on and put it in the garage overnight. It should defrost in about 8 hours this way.

Tomorrow morning I will rinse it off and put it in the refigerator until we get home from work, then we'll pour the brine over the turkey, add ice and put it back outside for the night. It should be very juicy when it's done cooking!

The philosophy of a brine is basically water, salt and sugar which soak into the turkey causing it to be immune to bacteria and to gather the flavors of the other spices and aromatics that are added to the brine. These could include candied ginger, soy sauce, oranges, lemons, apples, thyme, allspice, peppercorns, etc. These flavors enter into the turkey during the brining process. The salt is what holds the bacteria at bay, which is why just putting it in the garage overnight is suitable when it's not very cold outside.

Food For Thought:

Thanksgiving isn't just about food and family and football. It's tradition dates back to the early days where folks gave thanks to God for the abundant harvest, for the people in their lives and for making new friends. Thanksgiving is about looking into your own hearts and finding joy, then realizing that God gave us the ability to feel joy and He also gave us all of our Blessings, which we count every day. Thank you and thank you!