Thanksgiving Turkey And Beyond - Kikkoman Savory Turkey Brine Recipe

I received a big box full of Kikkoman love right before Thanksgiving. See, they”d challenged me to try their Savory Turkey Brine recipe and see if I liked it better than an unbrined tuekey. They sent me all of the ingredients to make a brine, as well as some others along with some suggestions on how to use Thanksgiving turkey leftovers.  Now I’d never prepared my turkey in a brine before so I really didn’t know what to expect or if I’d like it. I mean really. Soy sauce? Sugar? On my turkey?  In the end I decided it wouldn’t hurt to try. So.

To make the Savory Turkey Brine for a 16-24 pound turkey you need:

• 2 gallons of cold water
• 10 ounces of Kikkoman Naturally Brewed Soy Sauce
• 1/2 cup kosher salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons dried sage
• 2 tablespoons dried celery seed
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

The night before you’re going to roast it you have to make the brine.To do this remove the giblets and turkey neck and then rinse the turkey inside and out. Next put the 2 gallons of cold water into a big stockpot and then add in the remainder of the ingredients. Stir it all until the salt has dissolved. Place your turkey in the pot and cover it with a lid. (This was the hardest part for us. We had to really squash the turkey into my giant stockpot and in the end one of his legs kept sticking out so we put the plastic cooking bag over it since the lid wouldn’t fit.) Refrigerate the pot overnight, or for at least 8 hours. The next morning when you’re ready to roast take the turkey out of the brine and rinse it well. Finally, cook your turkey as you usually would.

For those of you that haven’t roasted a turkey before, here’s how Kikkoman suggests you do it.

Preheat your oven to 325 F. Place the turkey in a shallow roasting pan. (I actually prefer a medium sized roasting pan.) Brush the turkey with vegetable oil, butter or margarine. (I only use butter and I make sure I cover the entire bird.) Cover your bird loosely with aluminum foil. (I sometimes use a bag, like you see in the picture. Less cleanup and less basting and we think it’s a bit more tender.) Roast your turkey at 325 F until the juice runs clear and there is no trace of pink when you poke it with a fork. How long your turkey will take to cook depends on the size of the bird and if you cook stuffing inside of it. I always make my stuffing in the bird, the difference in the taste is HUGE!

Thanksgiving mornings can be a bit busy in my house. Me, RB and Dad all get busy in the kitchen getting everything finished cooking and to the table. We got sidetracked and unfortunately that’s where the pictures end. By the time it was realized we needed a picture of the bird it was already carved and half eaten. We all agreed that it was very tender and seemed more flavorful. I had wondered if it would be salty but it wasn’t. I’ll definitely be brining the next turkey.

My Kikkoman experiment continues tomorrow, where I’ll show you how I rocked my Thanksgiving leftovers and give you the chance to win a box just like I received.