What would Julia (as in Child) do?  She’d just roast the bird, a little salt and pepper and call it a good turkey day.  But   modernist cooks like to keep things just a tad complicated and if you’re one, brining is for you.

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For years I didn’t brine my bird.  I’d buy a good farm-raised local bird that had plenty of flavor all on its own.  My thought was it’s just a bit bigger than a large chicken so why go through such conniptions over this holiday-stoked bird?

Still, to brine or not to brine, that is the question that most of us ponder when it’s time to roast that darn turkey for a thoroughly American Thanksgiving dinner.  My simple answer is: Brine it!

Turkeys galore at the markets

Turkeys galore at the markets

It adds flavor and moisture (juiciness) to the bird.  You can also just simply season the bird generously with salt and pepper, rubbing it all over inside and out.  Chill it in the refrigerator overnight in a plastic bag (oven bags or brining bags are perfect for this).  This basically qualifies as a simple dry brine. Several hours before you plan to roast the bird, uncover it and allow to sit in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.  This method produces a very crisp-skinned bird.

I like to stuff my bird, though many chefs don’t recommend this since it prolongs the cooking time and the turkey cooks unevenly.  I say hogwash.  I always stuff the bird; what emerges is a deliciously flavored stuffing that has soaked up all those turkey juices instead of the dried out mess that roasts in the oven in a separate casserole dish.

One word of warning, do not season the stuffing with salt if you’re putting it into a brined bird. Another pointer is do not include the innards in your brine.  Save the giblets, neck and liver for the gravy.

If you wet brine, thoroughly dry the bird before roasting, using paper towels.  As for basting, some experts say it’s unnecessary if you rub the bird with oil before roasting. TV foodie Alton Brown firmly believes that basting is unnecessary; constantly opening the oven to baste the bird prolongs the cooking time.

If you’ve wet brined, thoroughly rinse the bird inside and out otherwise it could be too salty.  If you’ve dry brined just wipe the bird dry before roasting.

Still to Come

See Monday’s post for two classic pumpkin pie recipes.  And remember to get those long-pie pumpkins if  you’re going to make your own filling for the pie.  Rosemont Market has them and some farmers markets, but not easily found. Otherwise any local pumpkin or butternut squash work fine.

For further reading look at these online sources regarding how to brine and roast a turkey:

http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015474-simple-roast-turkey

http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/254-brined-roast-turkey

http://video.epicurious.com/watch/epicurious-essentials-cooking-how-tos-how-to-dry-brine-a-turkey

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/traditional-roast-turkey-recipe.html