Want the best Turkey?

Try this brine and high-low recipe to make Turkey the star of the table

Ric Orlando's Turkey 101 

The secret is in the brining!

When you are done dry brining, frying, grilling and otherwise messing around with that big bird, try my tested, tried, and true method for brining and High-Low roasting! Brining and the high/low cooking technique is the trick to making the perfect turkey.

Ric's Turkey Brine

(You should ratio up to make enough to cover the bird entirely.)

Use a cooler to hold the turkey so that you can brine it over night. Clean it really well and line it with a trash bag or food-safe plastic if you are squeamish. Put four frozen icepacks or ziplock bags of ice in the cooler and cover to make sure it stays cold enough. (Using a really big cooler? Increase ice accordingly to keep that bird at a safe temperature.)

1 gallon cold water     
1 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup sugar         
3-4 allspice berries
8-10 peppercorns     
2 fresh bay leaves
1 tablespoon dry thyme 
1 teaspoon lemon zest

Stir the salt into the water to dissolve. Add all other ingredients and you've made the brine. Cover the turkey completely with brine for as short as six hours or as long as 48 hours. Add more ice packs if needed to keep tyhe brine at 45 degrees or lower.

When ready to cook, remove from brine and dry that bird well.