Nothing screams Americana quite like Thanksgiving. What’s better than stuffing our precious faces with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie, while watching football and sipping on endless vino? If you’re at all like the WA Crew, you’re recycling bin will be overfilled with wine bottles before the turkey hits the carving table.
Other than a massive amount of vino, the key to an awesome Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving is a perfectly cooked, juicy turkey. The secret is “brineing” that notoriously tough bird AKA soaking it in a solution of salt, sugar, herbs, spices, and WINE.
HENCE, I give you the Ultimate White Wine Turkey Brine!
Ingredients
One bottle of white wine
3 to 5 sprigs of rosemary
1 head garlic
1 medium onion, cut in half
1 cup kosher salt
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup of black peppercorns
10 cups water
2 large lemons
Directions
1. Add rosemary, garlic, onion, salt, sugar and peppercorns to the water to a large stock pot
2. Cut lemons in half and squeeze the juice into the rest of the brine ingredients; add the squeezed lemons
3. Bring to a boil and boil 10 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and cool to room temp; stir in wine.
5. Add turkey; brine for 12 to 24 hours.
6. Remove the turkey and rinse very well in cold water.
7. Butter or oil the skin and roast as usual.
