The Beauty of Brining:
Your best bet for getting a moist, tender turkey is to brine your bird. Brining involves completely immersing your turkey in a heated then completely cooled mixture of salt, sugar, water, and seasonings, usually overnight. Brining infuses meat with salt, so shop for a fresh (not frozen) or organic turkey that has not been injected with a sodium solution to make sure your turkey doesn’t get over-seasoned.
Cider-Brined Turkey Breast
2014-10-30 20:11:07
Yield: approximately 6 servings
Ingredients
- 8 cups apple cider
- ½ cup plus ½ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 2½ teaspoons ground black pepper, divided
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 (6-pound) bone-in turkey breast (see note)
- 7 cups water, divided
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 smoked ham hocks
- 1 cup chicken broth
- Garnish: sliced apples, thyme sprigs
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, bring cider, ½ cup salt, sugar, 2 teaspoons pepper, ginger, and garlic powder to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and let cool completely.
- Rinse turkey and place in a brine bag or large bowl; add cooled cider mixture and 6 cups water. Secure bag or cover bowl; refrigerate 8 to 10 hours, turning occasionally.
- Preheat oven to 350°. Remove turkey from brine; discard brine. Pat turkey dry; place on a rack in a roasting pan. Rub with oil; sprinkle with remaining ½ teaspoon salt and remaining ½ teaspoon pepper. Add ham hocks to rack. Pour remaining 1 cup water and chicken broth in pan.
- Bake until a meat thermometer reads 165°, approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes. Cover with aluminum foil to prevent excess browning, if necessary. (Add ½ cup additional water to pan halfway through baking time, if needed.) Place turkey on a cutting board; lightly cover with foil. Let stand 20 minutes before serving. Reserve pan drippings for Ham Hock-Cider Gravy (recipe below) Garnish with apples and thyme, if desired.
Taste of the South https://tasteofthesouthmagazine.com/
Ham Hock-Cider Gravy
2014-10-30 20:16:35
Yield: approximately 2¼ cups
Ingredients
- ½ cup reserved drippings from Cider-Brined Turkey Breast
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup water
- ⅔ cup apple cider
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Salt (optional)
Instructions
- Skim fat from drippings. In a medium saucepan, place flour. Whisk in skimmed drippings, 1 cup water, and apple cider. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until thickened and bubbly, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in vinegar, thyme, and pepper. Season with additional salt, if desired.
Taste of the South https://tasteofthesouthmagazine.com/
