2 gallons water
2 cups Kosher salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 fennel bulb, split
1 white onion, split
1 head of garlic, split
4 sprigs of thyme
2 sprigs of rosemary
2 sprigs of oregano
2 tablespoons fennel seeds
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1. In a heavy-bottomed skillet, toast all spices over a medium heat until they begin to release aromas. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Combine all ingredients in stock pot, including toasted spices, and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
3. Remove brine from heat and let cool to room temperature. Once brine has cooled, add turkey and leave it in the brine for 12-24 hours.
4. When you’re ready to cook the turkey, carefully remove it from brine, wash with cold water, and pat dry.
If you like the flavours of coriander and fennel (me? absolutely yes to the former and a hearty NO to the latter for poultry), you will give more flavour to the broth/brine, and hence the bird, by crushing or grinding the seeds of both after toasting but before adding to the brine. These seeds, particularly, have harder hulls than most...and the flavour comes from the inside, not the hull, therefore the more exposure of the guts to the brine, the better.
Your recipe sounds simply delicious.
Thanks for this.
We brined several times many years ago; but haven’t done it in a while, and I’ve lost my recipe. Will try yours.
(Due to a household emergency, we’ve had to postpone Turkey Day to Saturday; so I have some time to experiment :-)
Happy Thanksgiving!
-JT