TURKEY BRINE

I purchased a brine pre-made at whole foods this year. This is actually my first year brining my turkey. Mostly because I fell in love with the Honey brine turkey breasts at Wagmens. I absolutely love wagmens. It is really the most amazing grocery on the planet. Now that my family and I live on the west coast Wagmens is about the only thing I really miss. 




When I was 12 or so my mother took us to Half Moon Bay to visit family. There we met some distant cousins. One of these cousins ran a turkey farm, or something like this. I mostly remember my mother grilling this cousin about frozen Turkey. He told her that the frozen turkeys are not really different, the ones with the butter and such are just pumped with the stuff and put in a bag, all turkeys just get a bag change.
Knowing this info I just buy any old special turkey.
This year I ran around to find a 21lb tom turkey from Lucky's a Grocery here in California. 
I bought my bird on Saturday, Tuesday I tossed him in two turkey bags,(bags are in roasting pan) dumped in the brine and about 2 gallons of water. 
Tom Turkey sat in my little fridge 36 hours.

I washed him off. Patted him dry and added my stuffing. Recipe follows. I  also waited until my stuffing was cool to add to my turkey.


Tom turkey cooked for about 5 hours, at 350 or until the stuffing reached 165 degrees.


The brine was amazing and really made a difference. The meat literally fell off the turkey.