Ingredients:
For the Brine:
15l iced water
3.75l 7-up
550ml powdered dextrose
300g salt
300g Prague Powder #1 (sodium nitrate)
1 whole turkey (about 8kg)
Method:
Thaw the turkey thoroughly and remove any giblets. Prepare the brine by mixing all the ingredients together then take a volume of brine equal to 10% of the bird's weight (if you have a 5kg bird then use 500ml brine) and stitch pump (inject) this in several places into the bird.
Immerse the prepared turkey in just enough of the remaining brine to cover (a plastic cooler is good for this as it will keep the mixture cool and has a lid). Add a sealed plastic bag full of ice cubes then seal and set aside in a cool place. After 24 hours remove the bag of ice cubes and replace with another.
After 48 hours remove the turkey from the brine then rinse and soak in fresh, cold, water for a couple of hours (change the water half way through). After this time drain the bird, lightly hose down with water then hang up to dry for at least an hour. The surface of the bird should be dry to the touch, as this is what allows it to take on flavour when smoked.
However, if you are going to roast the bird rather than smoking it add 2 tsp liquid smoke to the brine mixture then roast the bird using the traditional roast turkey recipe.
Find more Christmas Recipes Here or Thanksgiving Recipes Here.
