HARVEST TURKEY BRINE

Harvest Turkey Brine image

Easy brine for an 11-pound turkey. Use any herbs you prefer.

Provided by Jeff Montgomery

Categories Side Dish Sauces and Condiments Recipes

Time P1DT1h15m

Yield 20

Number Of Ingredients 23

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Ingredients

1 (32 fluid ounce) container chicken stock
1 (32 fluid ounce) container vegetable stock
2 cups Pinot Grigio wine
2 Fuji apples, sliced
2 medium oranges, sliced
3 small lemons, sliced
1 Anjou pear, sliced
1 head garlic, cloves peeled and crushed
½ yellow onion, sliced
½ bunch fresh rosemary, or to taste
½ bunch fresh thyme, or to taste
½ bunch fresh sage, or to taste
kitchen twine
1 cup water
¾ cup sea salt
½ cup white sugar
2 tablespoons dried bell peppers
2 tablespoons dried vegetable flakes
2 tablespoons multi-colored whole peppercorns
4 bay leaves
1 gallon iced water
1 (11 pound) whole turkey, neck and giblets removed
1 extra-large turkey bag

Steps:

Combine chicken stock, vegetable stock, and with wine in a large pot. Toss in apples, oranges, lemons, pear, garlic, and onion. Tie rosemary, thyme, and sage together with kitchen twine; add to the pot. Stir in 1 cup water, salt, sugar, dried peppers, vegetable flakes, peppercorns, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil; stir to dissolve salt and sugar.
Remove brine from heat and let cool to room temperature. Store in the refrigerator.
Combine brine with 1 gallon of heavily iced water 1 to 2 days before serving the turkey. Place thawed turkey in an extra-large turkey bag and pour in enough brine to cover completely. Refrigerate.
Remove turkey from the brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard brine and start cooking.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 477.1 calories, Carbohydrate 15.1 g, Cholesterol 169.9 mg, Fat 20.5 g, Fiber 2.2 g, Protein 52 g, SaturatedFat 5.7 g, Sodium 3530.5 mg, Sugar 9.3 g