I decided it was time to roast one of the turkey breasts in my freezer (.89/lb Harris Teeter) before it got any closer to Thanksgiving.
Growing up, and well into my adult years, I didn't much care for turkey. I thought it was dry and tasteless and I certainly didn't want it more than once a year. But a few years ago, I started reading articles and watching cooking shows that employed the brining method. I was interested but unconvinced; I just didn't believe it could make all that much of a difference in taste and texture. Then, 2 years ago, I decided to try it for myself at Thanksgiving. The proof was in the pudding. I became a fan of turkey overnight. I've made at least 6 brined turkeys (or turkey breasts) since that first one, and now I'd never consider cooking turkey without it.
Basically, a brine is just a salty liquid. Alton Brown of Good Eats gave a great explanation for the science behind what brining does and why it works, but I confess I don't remember much of it. Something about the cells of the turkey needing to equalize their salt content with that of water surrounding them. So they suck the salty water in, which then plumps up the cells with moisture. And if you season the salty liquid, that seasoning goes into the turkey at the cellular level, too. (Yeah, science was never my best subject, but that's the jist of it.)
Anyway, you can find lots of brining recipes online. Here's mine (based on one I saw on Good Eats):
2/3 cup Kosher salt
1 cup brown sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
3 bay leaves
1 Tablespoon black peppercorns
1 Tablespoon Allspice berries
1/2 gallon water
Combine everything in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes.
Strain into the vessel you're going to brine in. For a turkey breast, a large stock (soup) pot will probably work. For a whole turkey, you'll probably have to use a 5-gallon bucket (with lid) or some other large Rubbermaid-type container. Now add water, ice, and your turkey. The amount of water and ice is going to depend on your turkey and the vessel. There's no real measurement here, you'll just have to play it by ear and use common sense. Basically, you want enough ice and water to keep the whole thing very cold and to cover the bird completely. If I'm brining a turkey breast in a large stockpot, I probably use a little less than a gallon of water, and the entire contents of my freezer's ice bin.
Cover your turkey and keep it in a cool place to brine for 8 - 12 hours before roasting.
Rinse the turkey thoroughly to get rid of the excess salt - at least 4 - 5 changes of fresh water. Pat it dry, rub the skin with about 1 Tablespoon of vegetable oil, and roast as you normally would. For me, that means I cover the bird with slices of bacon and roast at 350 until a thermometer in the thickest part of the breast reads 161. Then I let rest for at least 20 minutes before carving.
At Thanksgiving I cook a whole turkey - the rest of the year, it's usually a turkey breast. Cooked this way, a 5 lb. breast will feed my family of 3 for at least 2 - 3 meals, plus a few turkey sandwiches. (I could squeeze even more out of it if I made soup with the carcass.)
Dinner last night was obviously turkey. I made homemade gravy using the pan drippings, a little Wondra flour, and chicken broth (using my Mom's method, who makes the best darn gravy in the free world). We just had turkey and gravy on toast, with cranberry sauce and green beans, and man was it good.
Totals:
$1.66 - turkey (about 1/3 of the cooked meat)
.30 - bread (just a guess)
$1 - can of cranberry sauce
.33 - can of green beans (3/$1 sale at HT)
$3.29 for dinner for 3
