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Maple Brined Turkey

November 16, 2010

Even for the best of cooks, roasting a turkey can be a huge stress! I've cooked more than my share of turkeys over the years and the one thing that I've come to realize is: less is more. In my opinion, the key to a perfect turkey is brining. I like to prepare a simple brine for my turkey to sit in for a day or two before cooking (this is one of Kenya's favorite jobs because he loves playing with all the spices involved) and then into the oven it goes.

Remember, when you make a good turkey, people will remember and complimemt you forever. But when you mess up a turkey, no one will let you forget it. So, don’t mess up the turkey! With brining you won’t. No stuffing, no flipping it halfway through, just a few easy steps that make this Maple Brined Turkey the most juicy, succulent turkey you and your family will ever eat!

Maple Brined Turkey  (Makes 10-12 Servings)

  • Prep Time:5 minutes,
  • Cook Time: 3 hours,
  • Total Time: 1 days,

Ingredients

  • water
  • 1 cup maple syrup
  • 1 cup salt (preferably kosher)
  • 1 12-14 pound turkey (defrosted)
  • 1 orange, cut in half
  • 1 onion, quartered
  • 10 cloves
  • 20 peppercorns
  • 3 star anise
  • 1 2 tbsp vegetable or canola oil

Preparation

  1. 1. Place the maple syrup and salt in 4 cups of hot water. Stir until the salt dissolves.
  2. 2. Place the maple syrup mixture in a large stock pot with a gallon of cold water, the juice of the orange, the orange halves (once juiced, of course), the onion, cloves, peppercorns, and star anise and stir to combine.
  3. 3. Wash the turkey inside and out (putting aside the neck and liver to make gravy) and place breast side down in the stockpot with the brine (you want the brine to just cover the turkey).
  4. 4. Refrigerate 18 hours to 2 days. (Or, you can set it in a cool safe place outdoors as long as it’s below 55 degrees outside).
  5. 5. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
  6. 6. Take the turkey out of the brine and rinse inside and out with cold water, discarding brine.
  7. 7. Place the turkey on a roasting rack inside a wide low pan and blot the turkey with a paper towel.
  8. 8. Tuck back the wings (or cover with small pieces of foil) and rub the skin of the turkey with the oil.
  9. 9. Roast on the lowest rack of the oven for 30 minutes and then place a piece of foil just over the breast of the turkey to cover (the breast cooks faster then the legs and wings so this process helps it to cook more evenly).
  10. 10. Pour 1 cup of water in the pan, reduce temperature to 350 degrees and continue to roast 1 hour.
  11. 11. Remove the foil from the breast, turn the pan so the other side of the breast is towards the back of the oven (most oven’s heat comes from the back, so turning it prevents overcooking) and cook for another hour to 90 minutes. Insert a meat thermometer into the deepest part of the thigh (avoiding the bone) until you reach a temperature of 160-165 degrees. The turkey will actually continue to cook a bit more even after you take it out of the oven (the total cooking time in the oven will be 2 1/2-3 hours total).
  12. 12. Let the turkey rest for 20-30 minutes (this is an essential step to allow the juices to redistribute and settle).
  13. 13. Slice and serve with gravy or Cranberr-Wee-Sauce.

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Comments






  1. Stephanie

    December 28, 2012 at 1:31 pm

    I roasted my first turkey ever for Christmas this year using your Maple Brined Turkey recipe. It was a HUGE success!,, Thank you so much this and many, many other recipes I have tried from weelicious. I also made my first pecan pie and Shredded Brussels sprouts using your recipes!

  2. Aprille

    November 24, 2012 at 1:24 am

    Is the foil step still necessary in an electric roaster? Any other tips for cooking a turkey in an electric roaster? I am doing my turkey on Sunday.

  3. Carolyn

    November 20, 2012 at 3:57 pm

    If I’m brining a turkey breast, how long should I brine it?

    • catherine

      November 20, 2012 at 5:41 pm

      You can brine the breast for 4-24 hours!

      • Aprille

        November 24, 2012 at 1:22 am

        So is it better not to brine it for more than 24 hours? I read somewhere brining it too long (more than a day) can draw moisture out of the meat.

  4. Susanna Faygenbaum

    November 20, 2012 at 12:30 pm

    Catherine,

    Is this for a comercialy already “injected” turkey? If that’s the kind I have can I still brine it?.

    • catherine

      November 20, 2012 at 1:10 pm

      I would not brine an already injected turkey because it will make the turkey too salty!

  5. Denise

    November 19, 2012 at 9:46 pm

    I have never brined a turkey. Will the maple syrup and orange make the turkey sweet tasting? I usually make a sausage and sage dressing instead of stuffing the turkey. Would the flavor of this turkey pair well with sage and thyme?

    • catherine

      November 20, 2012 at 1:27 pm

      The brine does add flavor, but it isn’t overwhelming. So you can serve this brined turkey with whatever you would normally and it won’t affect the flavors! Brining adds tons of moisture so your turkey doesn’t get dried out!

  6. Aprille

    November 19, 2012 at 5:55 pm

    What about using an electric roaster oven? Would it be nice to finish the turkey by browning in the oven? If so, how and when?

  7. Malini

    November 19, 2012 at 9:47 am

    I’d love to celebrate my first thanksgiving.could you please let me know the procedure with chicken.and does adding maple syrup for brining makes meat sweet?
    My family likes spicy kind of food.please let me know the spice details too.and stuffing for chicken.
    It might sound crazy but we came to know about this celebration and tradition recently as we came from other country.hence,lot of doubts.
    Thanks!

  8. Debbie

    November 19, 2012 at 12:42 am

    How long do you cook a 20 pound or heavier turkey? After you double the recipe for the brine, how many hours do you cook a 21-22 pound turkey?

    • catherine

      November 19, 2012 at 12:42 pm

      A 20-25 pound turkey will take 4 1/2-5 hours! Follow the recipe as it is written, but leave the foil on the breast until the last hour of cooking!

  9. Rachel

    November 18, 2012 at 10:16 pm

    have a 21 pound turkey to make next week… I will double the recipe for the brine, but will I have to cook it longer? Thanks! I am so excited to make this. :) (I’m using your whole menu for hosting my first thanksgiving this year!)

    • catherine

      November 19, 2012 at 12:42 pm

      That is so exciting! Good luck! A 20-25 pound turkey will take 4 1/2-5 hours! Follow the recipe as it is written, but leave the foil on the breast until the last hour of cooking!

  10. Crystal

    November 14, 2012 at 9:43 am

    I can’t wait to try this this year. We brined a turkey last year for the first time and it was amazing! Just one question … I’ve never heard of star anise before …. do I just find it on the spice aisle??

    • catherine

      November 14, 2012 at 12:57 pm

      Yes, it is in the spice aisle! And it is in the shape of a star! :)

      • Crystal

        November 19, 2012 at 8:27 am

        I didn’t have any luck finding it … so I’m going to try anise seed instead. I know it’s not exactly the same – but maybe it’ll be close to as delicious!!

  11. Brenda

    November 13, 2012 at 5:50 pm

    Two questions:
    Is it OK to leave the turkey in a metal pot? I thought you weren’t supposed to store food in metal?

    Can you cook a brined turkey on a gas BBQ ? I need my oven for other things and my husband usually does the turkey outside.

    Thanks!

  12. Jennifer

    November 12, 2012 at 10:10 pm

    Hi! This is my first year cooking a turkey and I want to use this recipe. Can you please recommend a good roasting pan?
    Thank youn

  13. Mallery

    November 9, 2012 at 1:36 am

    I’ve never cooked a turkey before and I’m in charge this year. I’m a little confused about step 8. So you Don’t put the oil on the wings?

    • catherine

      November 9, 2012 at 12:17 pm

      Nope! It’s fine if some gets on the wings, but you don’t want the wings to cook faster than the rest of the bird and burn/dry out!

  14. Tori

    August 28, 2012 at 4:45 pm

    I would like to try this recipe and noticed that the directions mention adding an orange but I don’t see that in the list of ingredients. Is it one orange? Thanks for the great sounding recipe!

    • catherine

      August 28, 2012 at 5:00 pm

      Yes, 1 orange! I have updated the recipe. Thank you :)

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  16. courtney

    November 25, 2011 at 1:26 pm

    This is the first Thanksgiving where I’ve been responsible for preparing the turkey and this was the brine I chose to use. The turkey turned out amazing, was super flavorful and juicy, and had an interesting flavor, thanks to the syrup. Awesome, awesome brine! I’ll definitely use this again!

  17. Dara

    November 21, 2011 at 1:07 pm

    I followed your recipe last year and it was not only my first bird ever–it was delicious! I am planning to do it again but am wondering if it sits in the brine for less than 18 hours, is that going to work ok? Thanks so much.

  18. Alisha

    December 27, 2010 at 11:24 pm

    I got Gooped on this recipe. I saw it just in time for Christmas and it was the BEST turkey I’ve ever had. I was excited for something straight forward and easy, this recipe totally fit the bill! I put a 14 pound turkey in the oven and it was fully cooked in 2.5 hours. (Love it!)I’ve never had turkey that is packed with flavor in the meat. Thanks! … I also made the individual Pumpkin Cheesecakes and the Sweet Potato Biscuits and they were all divine!

  19. Mick

    November 24, 2010 at 9:39 am

    Help! won’t all that salt make the turkey very salty???

    • catherine

      November 24, 2010 at 3:27 pm

      No when you rinse it, it doesn’t :)

  20. cecelia

    November 21, 2010 at 7:04 pm

    can a brined turkey be stuffed??

    • catherine

      November 22, 2010 at 4:01 pm

      yes it can :) pat it dry after you take it out of the brine and stuff it :)

  21. Lora Davenport

    November 17, 2010 at 3:09 pm

    Any substitution suggestions for the maple syrup? Thanks!

    • catherine

      November 17, 2010 at 4:49 pm

      You can use honey or agave :)

  22. Alice

    November 17, 2010 at 2:46 pm

    Can you deep fry a brined turkey?

    • catherine

      November 17, 2010 at 4:49 pm

      I don’t see why not, but you have to make sure you completely pat out the turkey so that it is dry before frying. Let me know how it turns out!

  23. Mina

    November 17, 2010 at 2:33 pm

    Hi Catherine, I got an organic turkey from Whole Foods that will be anywhere from 18-20lbs. How would I alter this recipe to accommodate for the bigger bird?

    • catherine

      November 17, 2010 at 4:50 pm

      Just double the recipe :)

      • Rachel

        November 18, 2012 at 10:13 pm

        I didn’t post the original questions, but was wondering the same thing. I have a 21 pound turkey to make this week… I will double the recipe for the brine, but will I have to cook it longer? Thanks! I am so excited to make this. :) (I’m using your whole menu for hosting my first thanksgiving this year!)

  24. Christan

    November 17, 2010 at 10:36 am

    I so wanted to try a brined turkey this Thanksgiving. I’ve been scouring recipes. I think this is the keeper!
    Thanks!

  25. Melissa

    November 16, 2010 at 7:48 pm

    I’m interested if you can do this with a small (48 oz) breast as well. I’m a vegetarian, so I only get a small breast for my husband, but this sounds great for him!

    • catherine

      November 16, 2010 at 11:36 pm

      Of course, you could even do this with a chicken :) I would cook it bone in, skin on at 450 degrees for 20 minutes and then 40-60 minutes at 350 degrees. Make sure to use a meat thermometer to make sure it’s cooked to 165 degrees and allow it to rest for 10 -15 minutes to let the juices settle.