Bourbon Turkey Brine Recipes

Steps:

• Combine 2 gallons cold water with the apple cider, brown sugar, salt, peppercorns, bay leaves, garlic, rosemary and orange peels in a large pot. Stir until the salt and sugar dissolve. Bring to a boil, then turn off the heat and cover.
• Allow to cool completely, then place into the fridge to chill. Place uncooked turkey in the chilled brine solution, then refrigerate for 16 to 24 hours.
• When ready to roast the turkey, remove from the brine. Submerge the turkey in a pot or sink of fresh, cold water. Allow to sit in clean water for 15 minutes to remove excess salt from the outside.
• Discard the brine. Remove the turkey from the clean water, pat dry, and cook according to your normal roasting method.

Steps:

• Add sugar & salt to 1.5 cup of bourbon take HALF of the herbs,1 apple, 1 orange and orange rind, peppercorns,1 garlic head, and 1 onion in saucepan bring to a low boil dissolving the sugar & salt. Remove from heat.
• Take a potato masher and gently press down the ingredients in the saucepan so all the flavors can release into the bourbon. Add 1 cup of ice to cool down.
• Line large bucket or pot with brining bag add the OTHER HALF of the herbs, fruit, peppercorns, orange rind, garlic & onion.
• Place turkey in bag, add 1 cup of bourbon to the inside cavity of turkey, 7 cups of cold water, then add bourbon & ice mixture finish with 8 more cups of bourbon.
• Stir & submerge turkey in bourbon brine make sure no air is in brining bag. Take the flavor injector, and inject the turkey in several different areas with the brining solution.
• Refrigerate & rotate every 12 hours.
• Brine for 48 hours, bring to room temperature for 45 minutes. Pat dry and cook. (SEE BOURBON DRUNKEN UPSIDE-DOWN TURKEY RECIPE).

Steps:

• Unwrap the turkey and remove the neck and giblets (reserve for gravy). Rinse the turkey under cold water and pat dry. Fill a large pot with 2 quarts water; add the orange zest, orange juice, 2 cups kosher salt, the sugar, black tea bags, bay leaves, cloves, peppercorns and bourbon. Bring to a boil, then simmer 10 minutes. Add 4 quarts cold water and let cool. Submerge the turkey in the brine, adding water to cover, if necessary. Refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.
• Remove the turkey from the brine; rinse and pat dry. Mix the butter, honey, dijon mustard and spicy brown mustard until combined. Reserve 4 tablespoons of the butter, then rub the rest under the turkey skin on the breasts and legs. Rub 2 tablespoons of the reserved butter on the skin; chill and save the rest for your gravy. Let the turkey stand 30 minutes at room temperature before roasting.
• Put the oven rack in the lowest position; preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put the turkey breast-side up on a rack in a large roasting pan, tucking the wing tips under. Tie the drumsticks together with twine. Roast until the skin is golden brown and a thermometer inserted into the thigh registers 165 degrees F, about 15 minutes per pound. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 30 minutes before carving. Whisk the reserved 2 tablespoons flavored butter into your gravy just before serving, if desired.

Steps:

• In a medium pot, over low heat, add all the ingredients, except the turkey. Cook stirring to combine and dissolve the salt. When salt has dissolved, remove from the heat and let cool. Add the turkey drumsticks to a large resealable plastic bag, and pour in the brine. Seal the bag well, and put into a bowl (in case of leaks). Refrigerate for 24 hours.
• After 24 hours, remove the turkey, discard the brine and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a roasting pan, fitted with a rack, add the turkey drumsticks, making sure there is room between each for even cooking. Roast for 90 minutes. Remove from the oven to a serving platter and serve hot or cold.

Steps:

• Remove giblets and neck from turkey; discard. Rinse turkey thoroughly with cold water; pat dry. Combine orange juice, water, 1/2 cup bourbon, and molasses in a 2-gallon heavy-duty ziptop plastic bag; add turkey. Seal and marinate in refrigerator 4 to 24 hours turning bag occasionally. Remove turkey from bag, reserving marinade.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Tie ends of legs with cord. Lift wing tip up and over back and tuck under bird. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon salt into body cavity. Stuff cavity with oranges. Place turkey on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray or on a rack set in a shallow pan. Insert meat thermometer into meaty part of thigh, making sure not to touch bone. Bake at 350 degrees for 3 hours or until thermometer registers 180 degrees. (Cover loosely with foil if it gets too brown.) Remove turkey from oven. Cover loosely with foil; let stand at least 10 minutes before carving. Discard oranges.
• Pour reserved marinade into saucepan; bring to a boil. Skim foam from mixture with a slotted spoon; discard. Reduce heat to medium; cook until reduced to 3 1/2 cups (about 15 minutes). Combine 1/4 cup bourbon and flour in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add to reduced marinade; bring to a boil and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt. Serve sauce with turkey. Garnish with orange slices and parsley sprigs if desired.

Steps:

• Combine 1-2 gallons water, salt, sugar, peppercorns, thyme, rosemary, sage and bay leaves in large pot over medium heat.
• Stir to dissolve salt and sugar and bring to a boil. Take the brine off the stove and cool down to room temperature.
• Mix brine and ice water in a large stockpot or brining bag.
• Place rinsed and thawed turkey breast side down in brine and cover or tie up brining bag.
• Place inside of cooler and fill cooler with ice (can also be refrigerated) for 8-24 hours, turning the turkey once half way through.
• Be sure to drain and rinse well once removed from the brining liquid.
• Roast or smoke as you normally would.

Steps:

• Buttermilk Brine: Pour water into a medium saucepan over high heat. Add salt and stir to dissolve; once all the salt has dissolved, remove from heat and add ice cubes to cool quickly.
• In a large stock pot, add basil, coriander seed, mustard seed, black peppercorns, bay leaves, and garlic powder. Add buttermilk, salt water, and stir.
• Rinse turkey inside and out with cold water. Line a stock pot large enough to hold the turkey with a brining bag. Place the turkey into the bag, then carefully pour in the buttermilk brine. (Optional: Use a pitcher to help transfer the brine.) Press out all the air, then seal the bag. Transfer the bagged turkey to a sheet tray and refrigerate for 24-36 hours, turning every 4 to 6 hours for even brining.
• Remove the turkey from the brining bag; discard the brine. Rinse the turkey inside and out with cold water and pat completely dry with paper towels, inside and out. Place the turkey breast side up on a rack in a large roasting pan. Twist and tuck the wing tips underneath the turkey. Cross the legs, then tie together with kitchen twine. Rub the skin evenly with butter. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Meanwhile, position oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 400 F.
• Season the turkey all over with pepper. Roast the turkey for 30 minutes. Then reduce the oven temperature to 325 F and continue roasting, about 15 minutes per pound. After 1 hour of total cooking time, remove turkey from the oven, opening and closing the door as quickly as possible to maintain the temperature. Baste turkey with the juices that have accumulated in the pan. (Tip: For easier basting, tilt the pan to allow juices to collect on one side.) Check temperature by inserting a thermometer into the thickest part of the breast and thigh, away from the bone. The turkey is done when a digital thermometer registers 165 F at the thickest part of the breast and 175 F at the thigh. (At this point, the turkey won't be done, but you will have a better idea of how much cooking time is left.) Continue roasting, basting and checking the temperature every 30 minutes. Total roasting time should be 2½-3½ hours.
• When turkey has reached temperature, immediately transfer to a carving board, cover loosely with foil, and let rest for 30 minutes before carving. (See the "How to Carve a Turkey" lesson for carving instructions.)

Steps:

• MARINADE PREP.
• In a bowl put Cheese Cloth (you will need about 3-5 packages -- depending on the size of your Turkey) and 3-4 cups of MAKERS MARK, let Cheese Cloth soak up Bourbon.
• Clean inside cavity of Turkey -- then Salt & Pepper inside cavity, and add 1 tablespoon of Herbs De Provence, sprinkle inside cavity.
• Carefully seperate the skin from the Turkey Breast -- take 1 Tablespoon of Herbs De Provence and put under skin of the breast -- be sure to massage the herbs under the skin so they can spread evenly under the skin -- if your having a hard time moving the herbs around -- just take a tablespoon of Makers Mark and put it under the skin it should help the herbs spread.
• Take 2 of the BOURBON SOAKED CHEESE CLOTH and stuff the inside of the Turkey -- don't pack it -- just lightly put it in place.
• *NOTE: If you DON'T HAVE A FLAVOR INJECTOR -- SKIP THIS STEP* -- With a flavor injector, inject the following spots with a full syringe of BOURBON -- FLIP TURKEY UPSIDE DOWN (DO NOT INJECT TURKEY BREAST SIDE UP!) -- INJECT BOURBON IN BOTH LEGS -- and UNDERNEATH THE BREAST (try to get the needle where the bone of the breast is) -- and INJECT BOTH WINGS.
• Wrap outside of Turkey with the remaining BOURBON SOAKED CHEESE CLOTH -- then WRAP the TURKEY & CHEESE CLOTH IN SARAN/PLASTIC WRAP and put in REFIDGERATOR AND MARINADE UPSIDEDOWN -- FLIPPING AND ROTATING THE TURKEY EVERY 6-8 hours -- NOTE: If you would like to inject the same spots every other time you rotate it will enhance the flavors more, but it may require an extra bottle of bourbon.
• 24-36 HOURS MARINADE TIME.
• COOKING PREP.
• Remove plastic wrap & cheese cloth -- also the cheese cloth inside the cavity -- take ALL the cheese cloth and RESOAK IN BOURBON.
• Melt 1/2 cup butter -- INJECT MELTED BUTTER IN SAME EXACT AREAS WHERE THE BOURBON WAS INJECTED -- *hint* -- TURKEY NEEDS TO BE UPSIDEDOWN.
• Rub Olive Oil all over Turkey -- SALT & PEPPER THE ENITRE OUTSIDE TURKEY, AND THEN LIGHTLY SPRINKLE HERBS DE PROVENCE ALL OVER TURKEY AS WELL.
• Gather Garlic Cloves, Onion, Thyme, Marjoram, Rosemary, Oranges, Parsley and Sage -- Cut the Garlic Cloves & Onion in half, leaving the skin on -- drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Cut Oranges into fouths.
• WRAP EVERYTHING (Garlic Cloves, Onion, Thyme, Marjoram, Rosemary, Oranges, Parsley and Sage) IN THE BOURBON SOAKED CHEESE CLOTH AND STUFF INTO TURKEY.
• Add entire stick of butter to bottom of roasting pan.
• OKAY NOW COOK THE TURKEY UPSIDEDOWN -- TRUST ME I'VE MADE THE MISTAKE OF COOKING THE TURKEY BREAST SIDE UP AND ITS ALWAYS DRY.-- TENT THE ENTIRE TURKEY IN THE OVEN WITH ALUMINUM FOIL UP UNTIL THE FINAL 2 1/2 HOURS OF COOKING -- 2 1/2 hours before its done take the tent off and FLIP the TURKEY BREAST SIDE UP (the best way to do this is having 2 people maybe more depending on the size and 2 of the same size pans and place one on top of the other and flip) -- NOTE: TO GET A CRISP GOLDEN BREAST TURN UP THE OVEN AN EXTRA 125 DEGREES FOR 25-35 MINUTES.
• KEEP BASTING IN NATURAL JUICES EVERY 30 MINUTES -- BASTE, BASTE, BASTE -- BASTING IS KEY!
• This will be so flavorfull and juicy, your dinner guests will BE AMAZED.

Steps:

• Combine water in a large pot with salt and sugar, over high heat until dissolved.
• Add Worcestershire, peppercorns & garlic, making sure Worcestershire is well combined.
• Cool back to room temperature.
• Wash the turkey inside and out with cold water.
• You will need 2 gallon turkey size oven roasting bags.
• Place one roasting bag inside the other, roll down the edges of the bags to help them stay open.
• Put bags in a heavy roasting pan that will hold turkey.
• Place turkey breast side down, with legs facing you in the inner bag.
• Pour the cooled brine into the cavity and over the turkey.
• Gather the inner bag as tightly as possible and secure with a twist tie.
• Secure outer bag with twist tie.
• Refrigerate in the roasting pan for 12-18 hours.
• Remove from bags, rinse very well, pat dry with paper towels.
• It's now ready for your favorite recipe.

Steps:

• Combine 2 quarts of water in a 6 quart pot with salt and sugar, over high heat until dissolved.
• If wanted, add other seasonings at this time.
• Let come back to room temperature.
• You will need 2 gallon turkey size oven roasting bags.
• Place one roasting bag inside the other, roll down the edges of the bags to help them stay open.
• Put bags in a heavy roasting pan that will hold turkey.
• Place turkey breast side down, with legs facing you in the inner bag.
• Some help from another person at this point would be of help, they can hold the bags open for you as you pour the cooled brine into the cavity and over the turkey.
• Gather the inner bag as tightly as possible and secure with a twist tie.
• Secure outer bag with twist tie.
• Refrigerate in the roasting pan for 12-18 hours.
• Remove from bags, rinse very well, pat dry with paper towels.
• It's now ready for your favorite recipe.

Steps:

• Pour 2 quarts of water into a large soup pot and stir in orange juice and zest, kosher salt, sugar, black tea bags, bay leaves, cloves, peppercorns, and bourbon. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes. Mix 4 quarts cold water into brine and let cool. Submerge turkey breast in brine, adding more water if needed to cover. Refrigerate 8 hours to overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Set oven rack to the lowest position in the oven.
• Remove turkey from marinade; discard marinade. Rinse turkey and pat dry with paper towels. Mix coriander seeds, paprika, cumin seeds, and garlic into softened butter in a bowl.
• Loosen the skin over turkey breast with your fingers and spread 1/4 cup of seasoned butter beneath the skin. Rub remaining 2 tablespoons seasoned butter over the turkey breast. Place turkey breast onto a roasting rack and set rack into a roasting pan.
• Roast in the preheated oven until skin is golden brown and an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reads 165 degrees F (75 degrees C), about 2 hours. Transfer to a cutting board and let turkey breast rest 30 minutes before slicing.