Maple-Spiced Brined Turkey

So the turkey cooking season is coming upon us.  That is if you one eat meat or two cook turkey for the holidays.

For the past couple of years I've tried to make a different turkey recipe for Thanksgiving and last year I found one that I plan on sticking to for a very long time.

When you brine a turkey it not only cuts down on the cooking time but also makes it one of the most tender and juiciest birds you will ever eat.    The turkey cooked in a record time of less than 4 hours for a 12 pound bird! Sure beats the year before which took almost 9 hours!

I can't say enough good things about this recipe that I clipped out of a magazine for healthy eating. So not only is this recipe good for you, but man oh man does it taste good.  I'm not trying to toot my own horn, but it really was one of the best turkey's I've ever had!  The flavor was amazing!


What You Need:

(1) giant pot to brine the turkey in as well as mix all the ingredients in (I used the roasting pan to do this but you can use a giant stock pot or even a canning pot to do this)

(1) turkey thawed that is 12-14 lbs


Brine:
2 cups kosher salt
2 cups pure maple syrup
1/4 cup black peppercorns lightly crushed
1 Tbsp ground cloves
1Tbsp ground cinnamon
1 bunch fresh sage, roughly chopped


Turkey:
3 medium onions, peeled and roughly chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
3 Tbsp butter, at room temp
6 sprigs thyme



1) Rinse the turkey inside and out, and remove the neck and giblets (really look that bag can really be stuck in there).  Place turkey in a large container, and fill with enough water to cover, the bird completely.  Remove bird, add brine ingredients to water, and stir until salt has dissolved.  Place turkey in brine, and chill for at least 12 hours but not more than 24.  **(I found this recipe the day before and so it only brined for 12 hrs and still turned out delicious, the more it brines the better the flavor).


2) Remove turkey from brine and discard liquid.  Rinse and dry turkey, then put it in the refrigerator uncovered for 8-12 hours.

3) Preheat oven to 400 F.  Combine a third of the onions, carrots, and celery with 1 tablespoon butter, and place in the cavity of the turkey.  Tie legs together with kitchen twine.  Scatter remaining vegetables and thyme in heavy roasting pan, and pour 1 cup water over vegetables.

4) Smear remaining butter over bird.  Place bird breast side down, in a pan with vegetables, and roast for 45 minutes.  Turn bird on its side(thigh side up) and baste.  Roast 15 minutes more.  Turn to the other side and baste again.  Add 1 cup water to the pan, and roast another 15 minutes.  Baste and turn bird so the breast faces up; roast 45 minutes, or until meat registers 160 F on a meat thermometer.

5) Remove turkey from the oven, and let it rest 20 minutes before carving (This is VERY important so that the turkey retains the juices, if you cut it too soon you can have a dry turkey)

makes 12 servings
378 calories, 11g fat, 4g sat, 4 g carbs, 61g protein

I promise you this will be one of the best turkey's you've ever had!  I will add other more healthy alternatives for the upcoming Thanksgiving season such as green bean casserole alternative, and a sweet potato casserole alternative.  I've made all these things and I can tell you they taste just as good as the original without worrying about packing on those holidays pounds!

photo credit: www.foodstylingbykathleen.com
Recipe credit : Women's Health