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Fruit and Spice Brine Mix
Chef: Mark Tafoya
Food Mood: Holiday
Cuisine: New American/Regional

Description
Below is one of our favorite brine mixes, which you can use for any kind of meat.

Servings:

Ingredients
For the fruit and spice brining mix (makes about 3 cups):
1 cup sea salt
3/4 cup sugar
3 or 4 star anise
1 tablespoon whole black or pink peppercorns
6-8 cardamom pods
1 tablespoon dried orange peel
1 tablespoon dried lemon peel
2 tablespoons dried rosemary

8 cups water
8 cups apple cider or water

Method
Combine all dry ingredients and mix well. This brine mix will keep indefinitely in a plastic bag. To brine a 15 lb. turkey, use the whole recipe above. Add the brine mixture to 8 cups water in a large pot and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve completely. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely. It should be cold before you immerse the turkey.

In a tub or bucket large enough to hold your turkey and copious amounts of liquid, combine the brine solution with 8 cups of water or apple cider. Carefully submerge the turkey in the brining solution, making sure not to spillover. (Chef Mark has learned the hard way that large birds displace a lot of liquid).

Cover and refrigerate for 6-12 hours, turning the turkey halfway through the brining time.

Before roasting the bird, remove it from the solution and rinse it thoroughly with cold water. A chef friend of ours says ?I don?t mean a little spritz! Wash that bird thoroughly for a couple of minutes and pat dry thoroughly with paper towels.?

Notes
[Chef?s Note: For brining smaller amounts of meat, up to 5 lbs., use only ? cup of the dry mix and reduce the proportions of water and apple cider by half. If you?re short on time, you can make a very simple brine with just salt, sugar and water. The salt opens the pores of the bird and allows the moisture to be drawn in. The sugar is hydrophilic and helps to keep the moisture in the bird.]

Author: Mark Tafoya

Recipe source: Gilded Fork