This deep-fried turkey brine with herbs, spices, brown sugar, and a bit of candied ginger adds incredible flavor to your Thanksgiving turkey, and it’s so easy to make! This recipe comes from a dear friend of mine who’s made his living as a sous chef on a luxury cruise line. When I asked him for a recipe for deep-fried turkey, this is what he shared with me. Makes enough brine for a 16-pound turkey.
Preparation Details
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 5 mins
Total Time: 4 hrs 15 mins
Servings: 16
Ingredients
- 1 gallon vegetable broth
- 1 cup kosher salt
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 1 ½ teaspoons whole allspice berries
- 1 ½ teaspoons chopped candied ginger
- 1 gallon water with ice chunks
- 1 medium red apple, cored and sliced
- ½ medium onion, sliced
- 1 (3 inch) cinnamon stick
- 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 6 leaves fresh sage
- 1 cup water
Steps
- Gather all ingredients.
- Combine vegetable broth, kosher salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir to dissolve sugar and salt; bring mixture to a boil.
- Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerator until well chilled, at least 4 hours.
- Remove from the refrigerator and add water with ice chunks, apple and onion slices, cinnamon stick, rosemary sprigs, and sage leaves. Stir in remaining 1 cup water and brine is ready to use.
