Word of caution: check your turkey before brining. Make sure it hasn't already had salt added in some form. We always brine our turkey and this year we are using the following recipe, minus the star anise pods. Cider-Brined Turkey with Star Anise and Cinnamon "Brining the turkey overnight keeps it moist and seasons the interior of the meat," says Lo. "The ingredients, except the cider, are classic 'red-cooking' flavorings used in Chinese cooking to braise and glaze meats like pork or duck." Tent the turkey�especially the wings�with foil if it darkens too quickly while roasting. For carving tips, see How to Carve a Turkey. 10�12 Servings Recipe by Anita Lo November 2011 Bon Appetit Ingredients 2 quarts plus 1 cup apple cider 1 cup kosher salt plus more 1 cup soy sauce 1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar 16 whole black peppercorns 8 whole star anise pods plus more for garnish 6 garlic cloves, smashed 6 scallions, white parts only, trimmed, split lengthwise 6 1/4"-thick slices unpeeled ginger 5 dried shitake mushrooms 2 3"-4" cinnamon sticks plus more for garnish 2 sprigs cilantro 1 12 to 14-lb. turkey Freshly ground black pepper 2 Granny Smith apples, cut into sixths Melted unsalted butter or vegetable oil (for basting) Preparation �Bring 2 quarts cider, 1 cup salt, and the next 10 ingredients to a boil in a very large (16-qt.) pot, stirring to dissolve salt and sugar. Let cool to room temperature. Stir in 1 1/2 gallons cold water. Add turkey to brine and press down to submerge. Cover; refrigerate overnight. �Remove turkey from brine and pat dry with paper towels; discard brine. Season lightly inside and out with salt and pepper. Place turkey, breast side up, on a rack set in a large heavy roasting pan and tie legs together with kitchen twine. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 375�. Combine the remaining 1 cup of cider and 3 cups water in roasting pan. Scatter apples around. Brush turkey with butter. Flip breast side down. Roast turkey, breast side down, basting occasionally, for 1 hour. Using paper towels, flip turkey. Roast, basting occasionally, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 165�, 1�1 1/2 hours longer. Transfer turkey to a platter. Let rest for at least 20 minutes before carving. Meanwhile, strain the juices from the roasting pan into a saucepan, reserving apples. Simmer over medium heat until juices have thickened, about 10 minutes. Serve the cider jus alongside the turkey and apples and garnish with extra star anise pods and cinnamon sticks. Nancy

Like Linda I always made gravy from a brined turkey. Also with a presalted turkey. If you haven't tried pre-salting you might want to try that instead of brining. I was a big fan of brining until I was introduced to presalting. Better and much easier than dealing with a big pail of water. Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table Pre-Salting =========== Judy Rogers' Zuni Cafe method Servings: 11 to 15 Note: This is more a technique than a recipe. It makes a bird that has concentrated turkey flavor and fine, firm flesh and that is delicious as it is. But you can add other flavors as you wish. Minced rosemary would be a nice finishing addition. Or brush the bird lightly with butter before roasting. ADVERTISEMENT 1 (12- to 16-pound) turkey Kosher salt 1. Wash the turkey inside and out, pat it dry and weigh it. Measure 1 tablespoon of salt into a bowl for every 5 pounds the turkey weighs (for a 15-pound turkey, you'd have 3 tablespoons). 2. Sprinkle the inside of the turkey lightly with salt. Place the turkey on its back and salt the breasts, concentrating the salt in the center, where the meat is thickest. You'll probably use a little more than a tablespoon. It should look liberally seasoned, but not over-salted. 3. Turn the turkey on one side and sprinkle the entire side with salt, concentrating on the thigh. You should use a little less than a tablespoon. Flip the turkey over and do the same with the opposite side. 4. Place the turkey in a 2 1/2 -gallon sealable plastic bag, press out the air and seal tightly. Place the turkey breast-side up in the refrigerator. Chill for 3 days, turning it onto its breast for the last day. 5. Remove the turkey from the bag. There should be no salt visible on the surface and the skin should be moist but not wet. Place the turkey breast-side up on a plate and refrigerate uncovered for at least 8 hours. 6. On the day it is to be cooked, remove the turkey from the refrigerator and leave it at room temperature at least 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. 7. Place the turkey breast-side down on a roasting rack in a roasting pan; put it in the oven. After 30 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and carefully turn the turkey over so the breast is facing up (it's easiest to do this by hand, using kitchen towels or oven mitts). 8. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees, return the turkey to the oven and roast until a thermometer inserted in the deepest part of the thigh, but not touching the bone, reads 165 degrees, about 2 3/4 hours total roasting. 9. Remove the turkey from the oven, transfer it to a warm platter or carving board; tent loosely with foil. Let stand at least 30 minutes to let the juices redistribute through the meat. Carve and serve. Each of 15 servings: 564 calories; 77 grams protein; 0 carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 26 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 261 mg. cholesterol; 856 mg. sodium. . Notes: This same method can be used for chicken, chicken pieces, pork roasts, ribs, chops, etc.. With the smaller cuts just pre-salt 4 or five hours in advance. Even this short period of pre-salting makes an amazing difference. Don't cover, just refrigerate and then remove from the fridge in time for the meat to come to room temperature before cooking.

For a lot of years lots of people have been soaking their meat in salt water....for one reason or another....brining is not new. If you need a scientific reason, it works on the principas of osmosis....that the concentrations of salts ( and sugar is a "salt") on either side of a permeable membrane ( and a turkey and the cell walls are permeamble membrane) will equalize concentration. That is the salt and sugar ions will migrate to the turkey, carrying with them the flavor of thyme, sage, garlic and whatever else is in your brine. The first time I did it was with a full pork loin and my son was coming and going to cook it for the family and about 8 additional friends. Stew who sometimes forgets that all he knows he learned from his mother... is a very good cook...Pooh-Poohed the concept.....but after grilling that big piece of meat....faintly flavored with garlic and rosemary to the center....tender and wonderful...he became a believer! Ann....tell me the principal of pre-salting? Does it jusr firm up the meat? Much like baking a roast in a salt crust does? Or is there more? Do you put seasonings in the salting mix? Linda C

sorry it took me a bit to get the recipe back out. we did not follow measurements exactly (it's a martha stewart recipe from the 2008 holidays mag) but did use 1/2 750mL dry white wine, 2 quartered onions, 2 TBS Bouquet Garni herbs (from Penzeys) 6 bay leaves, 2 TBS peppercorns, 6 peeled crushed garlic cloves all added to 7qts of water heated up to dissolve 1/2c salt & 1/2c sugar. i used one of the ziploc XXL bags added everything to a cleaned turkey and put the ziploc in a cooler w/ a 10 lb bag of ice for 24 hrs w/ an oven thermometer that has a probe and remote sensor to monitor the temp didn't get too warm. our turkey was barely thawed when we started and we brined for 24 hrs, it smelled sooo good i worried the dogs would get into the cooler. dh baked the turkey w/ all the available veggies we had and he of course poured off the fat in a separator. BTW i ate the last of the gravy sunday and it was even tastier after a couple of days! DH is still talking about his gravy lol ~ liz