Al’s Turkey Brine Recipe

We recently received a request for a turkey brine recipe. With "turkey day" coming up, now is the time for you to put this simple procedure to work for your holiday meal. After talking with my ol' pal Allen K, formally of the Craig and Al morning show on 94.9 KYSS FM, he shared with us his secret recipe.

What you will need:

2 Oranges

2 Lemons

2 Onions

1 bunch of each -  Thyme, Rosemary and Sage

1 Cup of Salt

1 Cup of Brown Sugar

1 Five gallon bucket

3 gallons of warm water

What you need to do:

Heat 2 gallons of water, do not bring to boil. While heating the remaining gallon of water, dissolve salt and sugar. When dissolved, do what I like to call "everybody in the pool," add quartered onions, thyme, rosemary and sage also squeeze both oranges and lemons into the solution.

Let the solution cool. Then place thawed turkey into 5 gallon buckets and add solution. Cover and let sit for 18 hours.

When ready to cook, pull the bird out of the solution. Pat it dry with a paper towel and throw all the chunky stuff from the brine into the cavity. (Optional)

As for preparing the bird, here is a helpful video.

Speaking of turkey. When you pick up your holiday bird, grab another one and donate it to the Missoula Food Bank and Can the Cats food drive. Drop it off at 1720 Wyoming. Drop off hours are Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Wednesday and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., you can pull right up to the back door drop off spot.