Comments on: On Thursday’s menu

By: Susan

Susan — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 05:53:00 +0000

Hi Kim,

We used a brine for the first time this year, too. I’d never even heard of them before, until the day before Thanksgiving. Ours didn’t brine the full two days, but it sure made a difference in the turkey – much more moist and flavorful. Next time I’ll know better and begin the 2 days early (if I remember, that is).

Out of This World Turkey Brine
(Begin 2 days prior to cooking turkey)
Ingredients
• 2 gallons water
• 1 1/2 cups canning salt
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
Directions
In a large bucket or container large enough to hold your turkey, mix together the water, salt, garlic, pepper, Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar. Store in a refrigerator, and soak turkey for 2 days before smoking or roasting.

By: kimc

kimc — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 16:08:08 +0000

Jane,
Thanks for asking. I just added the link to the recipe. Don’t know why I didn’t think to do that at first!

By: Marie

Marie — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 15:34:08 +0000

Sounds scrumptious…..wish you lived close by. I’d probably bring our crew and join you.. LOL!
Happy Thanksgiving to all of your brood.
Marie

By: Jane

Jane — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 15:06:09 +0000

Happy Thanksgiving.

What is your recipe for sweet potato pie, they are far cheaper and easier to get than pumpkin here in the UK so I’m tempted to have a go.

By: Kerry

Kerry — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 01:15:36 +0000

I’ve got a killer brine recipe – it is so easy and so good. It calls for juniper berries, but I’ve had great success without them, too. If you want them, you can find them at “World Market”, if you have one near by.

Google “Chez Panisse Brine” – salt, sugar, cloves, juniper berries, bay leaf, and garlic…and water of course.

By: Emily @ Under$1000PerMonth

Emily @ Under$1000PerMonth — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 23:01:16 +0000

Crock pot applesauce is on our menu, too, and I think it’ll be a Thanksgiving tradition, yum!

By: Colleen

Colleen — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:30:57 +0000

Here it is… 5 stars all the way!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/good-eats-roast-turkey-recipe/index.html

By: Colleen

Colleen — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:26:31 +0000

Sounds great! Check out Food Network’s website for Alton Brown’s Thanksgiving turkey recipe… he brined it, and then had us stuff it with herbs, onions, and apples… it was the best turkey any of us had eaten! We’re not doing the turkey this year, but I’m using the recipe at Christmas. I’ll go look for the link for you…

By: Marci

Marci — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 21:48:40 +0000

Here is our brine recipe…

Brine for Turkey

The basic recipe for a brine for poultry is one cup of salt per gallon of water. We use the brine below for our turkeys and love it.

1 gallon water
1 cup sea salt
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
3 Tbsp. sucanat or brown sugar
1 Tbsp. pickling spices
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. tarragon

Dissolve the salt and sugar in the water. Add the other ingredients and put the turkey in to soak for at least 4 hours or even up to overnight. We use the amounts of ingredients above, but use more water. We make sure the bird is covered in water.

By: kimc

kimc — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 21:46:55 +0000

My Boaz’s Ruth,
We make them just like regular mashed potatoes: peel, cube and boil til soft. Drain and mash, adding plenty of butter, milk or cream, salt and pepper.