Brining Turkey

Thanksgiving gets such a bad rap when it comes to eating, however the core components of Turkey Day are actually quite good for you. Where we get into a bind is when we douse our food with creamy heavy sauces.

Luckily there are some easy tricks to bring out the flavor of your food so you don't need to cover it up. One of these tricks is brining your turkey. Brining helps enhance the flavor of poultry and lock in the moisture so you aren't stuck with a dry bird. Because nobody likes a dry bird - especially pilgrims.

Here is the secret Coleman brine recipe brought to America from the old country (possibly via the internet).

Ingredients:

• 1 cup salt
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 oranges, quartered
• 2 lemons, quartered
• 6 sprigs thyme
• 4 sprigs rosemary
• 1 (10-12) lb turkey

Directions:
Dissolve the salt and sugar into 2 gallons of cold water in a nonreactive container (such as a clean bucket, large stockpot, or a clean heavy-duty food grade plastic storage bag). Add the oranges, lemons, thyme, and rosemary. Note: if you have a larger turkey use 1/2 cup salt and 1/2 cup sugar for each additional gallon.

Remove the unspeakables from the inside of the turkey (ugh, that's the worst part). Rinse the turkey inside and out under cold running water.

Soak the turkey in the brine, covered and refrigerated for at least 4 hours and up to 24.

Cook as usual, or until the little thing pops out...another trick from the old country!

Happy Thanksgiving!