This Pickle-Brined Turkey might just sweep you off your feet!
Gather these ingredients to make the pickle-brined turkey!
- 1 12 lb. turkey
- 4 c. pickle juice
- 6 c. water
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 c. salt
- 1/3 c. sugar
- 2 lemons, halved
- 1 head of garlic
- 1 onion, cut into wedges
- Bunch of dill
- 1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
- 1/2 c. butter, melted
- Pickles, for serving
- Mashed potatoes, for serving
Directions for making Pickle-Brined Turkey
Start with removing the giblets from inside the cavity of the turkey. Place the uncooked turkey in a large pot and pour the pickle juice and the water on top.
Add a lot of freshly ground black pepper, the salt and sugar and cover the turkey with the seasoning ingredients and refrigerate. This should take about 8 to 12 hours.
Position the rack to the lower third of the oven and preheat it to 3500. Whisk together the butter and old bay in a small bowl in the meantime.
Remove the turkey from brine and then rinse it under cold water and pat the turkey dry with paper towels.
Season the cavity generously with salt and pepper and stuff the cavity with lemons, garlic, onions and dill. Brush the outside of the turkey with the butter mixture you prepared previously in a small bowl and sprinkle the outside with salt and pepper.
Tie the legs of the turkey together with kitchen twine and tuck the wing tips under the body so that they won’t be burned off during the cooking inside the oven.
Place the turkey with the breast side up on a roasting rack that is placed inside of a large pan. Transfer the pan and the rack with the turkey into the oven.
Bake the turkey for 3 to 4 hours. Baste every 45 minutes with the juices from the bottom of the pan. Let it rest for 20 minutes before serving.