Thanksgiving in April

Stuck at home - why not roast a whole turkey? Turkey stock, turkey pot pie, turkey chili, list goes on..

Sharing my Citrus Black Tea Turkey Brine

Turkey Brine:

14# turkey - thawed over 2 days in fridge

2 quarts water (divided)

2 quarts black tea (divided)

Peel of 2 oranges

Peel of 2 lemons

4 bay leaves

2 tablespoons black peppercorns

1 cup kosher salt

Citrus Butter:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

zest of 1 orange

3 tablespoons mixture of orange and lemon juice

Unwrap turkey, remove giblets (save for stock) and place into pot you will brine in overnight. In this case, I used 2 trash bags in a cooler with ice.

Heat 1 quart water, 1 quart black tea, orange and lemon peel, bay leaves, peppercorns, and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, or until salt is dissolved, then cool.

Pour mixture over turkey. Add 1 quart cold water and 1 quart cold black tea. Make sure turkey is completely submerged - if not, add a little more water. Birds float - you can brine breast down, or add weights like a plate or casserole dish to keep in solution. Brine 12-24 hours. 

Remove turkey, pat dry with paper towels. 

To make the citrus butter, I just whipped in the orange zest and juice of lemon and orange that I used for the brine. I stuffed the turkey with onions, apples, and oranges and filled the roasting pan with 3 cups water.