Every year, about this time, I start thinking about Thanksgiving and have my “annual turkey dilemma’. To brine or not to brine, to stuff or not to stuff, to fry or not to fry… you get the idea… 

One year my daughter, Lindsey McCartt, a graduate of Johnson and Wales Culinary Institute and University, took our family’s turkey dining experience to a whole new level. She created a brined, citrus, and herb roasted turkey- a truly amazing recipe!

Southerners are very proficient in improvising when difficult decisions arise. Her recipe stated, “Place turkey in brining bag and put it in a larger roasting pan in the refrigerator.” Her instructions, however, didn’t tell me what to do when disaster struck… 

I searched all over town to find food-safe brining bags. I finally found one and paid a ridiculous price for it. I made up the 2 gallons of brine, got the ingredients for the herb butter, cut the citrus and collected the herbs from the garden. Doc held the brining bag while I added the turkey, citrus slices, and fresh herbs. Next I poured in the 2 gallons of brining liquid and Doc sealed the bag.

Everything was going smoothly until he held up the bag. Brine poured out of the bottom and flooded the counter, ran down the cabinets and onto the floor! Salmonella, my worst nightmare, was doing the backstroke on my kitchen counter! 

I quickly found a trash bag under the sink, and we poured the whole mess inside. It was at that point I decided a potential disaster like this would never enter my refrigerator! Besides who has extra space in their refrigerator at Thanksgiving?

What’s the next best thing to a refrigerator? A cooler! Here is what I did. I put a giant black trash bag in my cooler and added ice. I got out 2 unscented, tall kitchen trash bags. (We don’t want our turkey to taste like dryer sheets, do we?) I double bagged and sealed the turkey and brine in the kitchen trash bags. Placed the turkey in the cooler and added more ice on top. Problem Solved! We now call her recipe, “Trash Bag Brined Turkey.”

Trash Bag Brined Turkey

Thaw and Clean Turkey    
Before thawing whole turkey, take a picture of turkey weight information with your phone or write it down and tape it to the refrigerator. You will use this information to calculate the roasting time. (Otherwise, you will be digging through 4-day old trash!) Thaw turkey in refrigerator according to package directions. (I always add an extra day just to be safe!) After thawing, remove neck, giblets, and liver. Discard. Place gravy packet in a zip-top bag and refrigerate. Rinse turkey inside and outside with water. Clean sink.

Make Brine   

1 cup Kosher salt
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 oranges, quartered
2 lemons, quartered
4 sprigs fresh rosemary 
6 sprigs Fresh thyme
1 gallon water plus 1 gallon of ice-water

The morning before roasting the turkey, make the brine. Bring 1 gallon of water, Kosher salt, and brown sugar to a boil. Stir until salt and sugar are dissolved. Cool to room temperature. Get out 2 tall, unscented kitchen trash bags (Note the unscented part! Dryer sheet turkey isn’t what we are trying to achieve!). Put 1 bag inside the other. Add 1-gallon of brine (the salt, sugar, water mixture), 1-gallon ice water, oranges, lemons, rosemary, thyme and turkey. Press air out of both trash bags. Secure with twist tie or knot bags. Line cooler with a large 30-gallon black trash bag. Place Ice in bottom of cooler. Put sealed trash bag with turkey on top of ice in cooler and add more ice on top. Soak turkey in brine for at least 8 hours, but no more than 24 hours, turning turkey once, halfway through brining time. 

Make Herb Butter

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
6 sprigs fresh thyme
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Strip leaves from thyme and rosemary and roughly chop. Add herbs and pepper to butter. Set aside to be used when you dress turkey. 

Dress Turkey

Herb Butter
1 orange, thinly sliced
1 lemon, thinly sliced
4 sprigs thyme
2 sprigs rosemary
Freshly ground black pepper

The night before roasting turkey, remove turkey from brine and rinse well with water. Dry turkey inside and outside with paper towels. Place turkey, breast side up, on rack of large roasting pan. With gloved hands, separate meat from skin on breast. Slather softened herb butter mixture under skin. Place 1/2 of orange and lemon slices under skin. Secure skin with toothpicks if necessary. Sprinkle the turkey cavity lightly with salt and pepper. Stuff turkey cavity with remaining orange and lemon slices, thyme, and rosemary. Tie legs together with string. Refrigerate uncovered turkey overnight (The secret to getting extra-crispy skin is to dry the skin out in the refrigerator overnight. The great thing about refrigerating the dressed turkey overnight is you can sleep in on Thanksgiving morning and not have to get up at the crack of dawn!)

Roast Turkey

Preheat oven to 325ºF. Pour 1/3 cup canola oil on skin to prevent it from burning while roasting. Bake 20 minutes per pound or until a thermometer reads 165ºF when inserted into the thigh, avoiding touching the bone. Let turkey rest at least 20 minutes before carving. To keep turkey hot while cooking sides, cover turkey with foil then wrap a beach towel completely around turkey and pan. Turkey should stay hot 45 minutes.

Make Gravy

Pour liquid out of roasting pan into a gallon zip-top bag. Do not scrape pan clean, we will use this pan to make gravy. Save yummy browned bits in bottom of pan to amp up gravy flavor. Separate broth from fat by cutting one corner of zip-top bag and pouring broth into a measuring cup and fat into another measuring cup. 

Follow directions on reserved gravy packet for amount of fat and broth to use. Cook gravy in roasting pan to get all the flavor and yummy bits from the cooked bird. 

This is a very moist turkey full of citrus and herb flavors! From my family to yours- have a wonderful Thanksgiving!