Pickle Juice-Brined Turkey
Brining a turkey in pickle juice results in a juicy, flavorful bird with a subtle tang.
Ingredients
- turkey (15 pound)
- pickle brine (6 cup)
- water (6 cup)
- salt (1 cup)
- brown sugar (0.5 cup)
- mustard seeds (1 tablespoon)
- peppercorns (1 tablespoon)
- celery seeds (2 teaspoon)
- onion (1 whole)
- lemons (2 whole)
- garlic (10 clove)
- fresh dill (1 bunch)
- butter (0.5 cup)
- salt (0 )
- pepper (0 )
Instructions
- Add turkey to a large pot. Add pickle brine, water (enough to cover the turkey completely; this varies depending on the size of the pot and turkey), salt, brown sugar, mustard seeds, peppercorns and celery seeds.
- It’s important to make sure the turkey is fully submerged in the brine, so if you need to, set something heavy on top to keep it submerged. Cover and refrigerate for 12-24 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F and prepare a roasting pan.
- Remove turkey from brine and rinse thoroughly. Pat dry with a paper towel (the drier, the crispier the skin). Stuff the cavity with quartered onion, lemons, garlic and dill. Use your fingers or back of a wooden spoon to loosen and lift the skin on the breast. Tuck the wings under the bird and use twine to tie the legs together.
- Brush the entire turkey liberally with melted butter and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes at 500 degrees F, then cover the turkey with aluminum foil and reduce heat to 350 degrees F.
- Roast until the temperature reaches 165 degrees in the thickest part of the turkey breast. (Note: turkey size and oven temperatures vary, so please consider using a wired meat thermometer).
- Remove from the oven and let rest for 30 minutes. Optional: Brush with more melted butter before serving.
Nutrition
(*Nutrition data is approximate and may vary depending on the brand and type of ingredients used.)
- kcal: 2000
- fat: 100 g
- sats: 30 g
- carbs: 150 g
- fibre: 5 g
- protein: 150 g
- salt: 5 g