The Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey

How many turkeys have you cooked only to have them turn out a little dry because you wanted that delicious brown skin? Try out this recipe and you will never go back to cooking turkey without it !

Let's brine that turkey for Thanksgiving. This is for a 10 pound turkey.
This is a great way to flavor the turkey before roasting. This also keeps the bird juicy and tender during the roasting process

Brining the turkey
In the five gallon bucket - get at home depot-Fill bucket half-way with water
Add:
1/2 cup of salt
1/2 cup sugar
6 peeled cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1 red onion, roughly chopped
2 fingers of fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
2 stalks of fresh lemongrass, pounded
1/2 cup of peppercorns
3 bay leaves
2 cinnamon sticks
Mix all of the above thoroughly in the bucket

Rinse turkey, take out gibletsPlace turkey in bucket, cover
Refrigerate for 2 days, if you are in a hurry you can do it the night before cooking

Cooking the turkey
Ready to cook it?
Take turkey out and pat dry with paper towels thoroughly!

Pre-heat over at 450 degrees Fahrenheit
Place turkey in your preferred turkey pan or rack
Make sure you tuck in the wings or cover them in tinfoil
Cook in oven for 1-hour, basting every 15 minutes [basting recipe follows below]
Turn over down to 350 and roast for another 2 1/2 hours, basting every 30 minutes.
Take out and let rest for 1/2 hour - the bird is still cooking!!

For basting:
2 cups of chicken stock
1-1/2 sticks of butter
In a saucepan place chicken stock and butter together

You should have a perfectly cooked bird with crispy skin and juicy meat. Enjoy!!

Wine Pairing
The perfect wine with this turkey recipe 2009 Pinot Noir from La Follette Wine Makers
This wine will be available throughout the holiday season at The Wine Lover as well as other great food wines from all over the world. make The Wine Lover your one-stop shop for all your Holiday wine and beer.