Turkey Talk (and a Turkey Brine Recipe)

Nothing holds center stage like a Thanksgiving turkey. If your potatoes turn out lumpy and your gravy runny, all will be forgiven. But serve a dry, leathery turkey and you’ll have more leftovers than you can shake a stick at.
It’s a tricky beast, this illustrious holiday bird. The proportion of white to dark meat creates a cooks nightmare (light meat cooks faster than dark); even the sheer size of the thing is problematic.
You could opt for a breast only entrée and face the wrath of the dark meat lover, or you could attempt to de-bone and truss your bird to ensure even cooking time (good luck with that) or you can do the one thing that will guarantee turkey success every time and brine your bird!
All you need for this basic turkey brine recipe is water, kosher salt, and a container big enough to immerse a turkey, (a five gallon bucket works like a charm), but the more goodies you add to your turkey brine recipe (like onions, celery and spice), the more flavorful the finished product.
Low in fat, turkey meat is dry by nature. A brine works by way of osmosis, making its way into the cells of the meat. (And you never thought you’d use that fifth grade science.) For a brine to be effective the turkey needs to soak in the brine for at least five hours, but ideally 12 to 24.
The saltwater solution not only adds moisture to the meat, but also helps to break down the protein fibers of the poultry (this works for pork and seafood too), effectively shortening the required amount of time in the oven, thus creating a juicy and tender bird.
Admittedly, I was a nervous wreck the first time I brined a turkey (Two cups of salt? Sure seems like things could go badly…), but rest assured, my bird turned out not the least bit brackish.

Easy Peasy Turkey Brine Recipe