Adventures in learning to brine a turkey

I love to cook. I finally realized yesterday that it gives me the same adrenaline rush as skiing down a mountain or parachuting from a plane must give the more adventurous souls out there. So, I adore Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons. There are so many new recipes to try and opportunities to bring out all the tried and true. This Thanksgiving I will be brining a turkey and thought it would be fun to share how the process progresses. Here we go!

I am using a recipe from Fine Cooking with a few alterations. The recipe is Herb-Butter Roasted Turkey with Pinot Noir Gravy. Just typing the title makes my mouth water. The recipe can be found at http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/herb-butter-turkey-pinot-noir-gravy.aspx .We are beginning with kosher salt, maple syrup, bay leaves, garlic, whole peppercorns, parsley, sage, rosemary, sage, and lemon. 

Here are all the ingredients mixed together and it smells divine. The recipe calls for me to put all the water in at this point, but being the only slightly organized person that I am, I am going to have to cheat so we can eat this beauty on Thanksgiving day. 

I added 2 quarts of water, brought to a boil and boiled for 5 minutes. Now here comes the cheating.

I added the remaining water (2 gallons) in the form of ice water. Now that my brine solution is cool it is time to introduce the turkey into the equation. I have to admit that I am an over-preparer when it comes to handling raw meat.

I have cleaned the sink where the turkey will set, made some fresh hot dishwater, laid my "meat only" (dishwasher safe) cutting board out, and have a bag ready to catch all my trash. This makes the job of  removing the wrapping, taking out the extras from the cavities, and rinsing the turkey easy and neat. I didn't take a picture of the naked bird in order to help it keep some sense of dignity. Don't worry, I will be sure to snap a picture when it has been completely dressed.

I do not have a 5 gallon stockpot, but Ziplock makes these extra large bags that will fit everything I need to make fit. It is from this point on that I strongly suggest having another set of hands. Having some extra muscles wouldn't hurt either--unfortunately my extra set was at the office today. A gallon of water weighs 8.35 pounds, so once you add 2 and a half gallons of water to a 12-16 pound turkey, plus the brine ingredients things start to add up!

I managed to finesse the turkey and brine solution into the bag without making too big of a mess. I pressed out all of the air that I could, placed all of it into a bowl and used packing tape to make sure the turkey would be completely immersed in the fluid. Having a 5 gallon stockpot would have made this easier, but this will definitely fit in my refrigerator a lot better. Now the waiting begins. 24 hours and then we will start the cooking process!