And so... It Begins

The preparations are under way for Christmas Dinner.

I picked up the turkey from Aubrey's Meats yesterday, size 10lb. It is a bit of a gamble as to the size you get. I requested a smaller one but often the small ones go first.  The prize winning turkey was the 34lb bird behind the case.

I think, since we only have turkey once, maybe twice a year, let's go all out and have a good turkey. Although, this will be the third turkey for myself in 2010. Three meals out of 365 is still few enough to be considered a special meal.

This is the first time ordering a fresh free range turkey. I don't know about it's organic/inorganic status.Hopefully it will be worth the extra cash.

I brine the turkey for 24 hours before cooking it. The brine was prepared this morning and left to cool on the stove during the day. The brine follows the recipe from Alton Brown. Here is my brine this year:

4l organinc chicken broth
1c kosher salt
1/2c brown sugar
1tbsp peppercorns
1tbsp allspice berries
2tbsp candied ginger

Add all ingredients (the ginger should be finely chopped) to a large stock pot. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 5 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.

When you are ready to insert the turkey in the brine add 4l of iced water to the brine and then add the turkey. I use a large canning pot for this and store it in the garage. This time of year the garage is quite cool.

More on the turkey dinner later.