Aunt Jemima: aka How to brine a turkey

Despite my long-held desire to deep fry a turkey, I’m repeatedly told that it’s not a sensible thing to do, least of all in -20C weather. Dunk a turkey in a vat of hot oil hooked up to a propane tank. Really, I mean, what could go wrong…?

So we opted for the brining approach instead, having heard repeated testimonials of succulent brined fowl. Brining, according to the chef dude on the radio, involves soaking your turkey in a saline solution (1 gallon water: 1 cup salt: 1 cup sugar) for up to 18 hours before roasting. It’s meant to draw out the moisture and tenderize the flesh, helping produce a crisp skin and flavourful meat.

“Sounds like fun!”, we thought. And so thus was the fate of Aunt Jemima (our rather irreverently baptised turkey) sealed.

Brining a turkey does require a picnic cooler or  similar container large enough to hold your turkey, which was kindly provided by JK at great personal cost. Please note that this process requires lifting and handling of heavy loads that may result in personal injury.

Having left Aunt Jemima alone for a prolonged bath in her picnic cooler for some 14 hours, the next step was to rinse her thoroughly in the bathtub. We were warned that she might otherwise turn out very salty. Once rinsed and patted dry, the preparation can continue in the conventional way, stuffing and seasoning in your preferred manner. We opted for a sprinkling of orange juice and paprika, stuffing with a clove-studded onion and dressing with a generous rubbing of parsley butter applied sub-cutaneously.

The ceremoniously dressed Aunt Jemima was then roasted breast side down at 190C, half and hour per kilo plus an extra half hour at the end, basting regularly with the fat and butter drippings, which went mostly without a hitch with the exception of a minor emergency resulting from a leak in our disposable baking tray.

Et voila! That’s it. And the result? By all accounts, the best turkey everyone had eaten.

Brine bath

Do not disturb

Desalination

Sub-cutaneous butter application

The carving