Low Sodium Brined Turkey
For your Thanksgiving bird, follow these turkey cooking instructions to make low sodium brined turkey. By using a brine, extra flavor will be added. The result will be a savory and perfect main dish with enough leftovers for great turkey sandwiches!
Notes
Check out more recipes just like this one in a collection of 8 Sensational Thanksgiving Turkey Recipes.
Ingredients
- 1 cup low sodium salt substitute
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar substitute
- 1 gallon low sodium vegetable stock
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 1/2 tablespoon allspice berries
- 1/2 tablespoon candied ginger
- 1 gallon iced water
- 5 heads of garlic
- 1 cup pre-made meat marinade
- 2 stalks of celery
- 2 sliced apples
- 2 cut up lemons
- 2 quartered onions
- 1 piece of cheesecloth
- 2 cups melted margarine
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
Instructions
- The night before, combine low sodium salt substitute, brown sugar substitute, low sodium vegetable stock, peppercorns, allspice berries and ginger in a stock pot and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve solids, then remove from heat, cool to room temperature refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.
- Early on the day of cooking combine the brine and ice water in a 5 gallon bucket. Place thawed turkey breast side down in brine, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area, like a cooler with ice, for 6 hours. Half way through brining, turn turkey over once.
- Thanksgiving morning, separate the skin on the breast and the meat by taking your hand and gently run it between the two. Stuff whole peeled garlic cloves under the skin.
- Using your favorite marinade and a turkey syringe, inject marinade all over turkey. To avoid clogging up the syringe, strain marinade before use.
- Stuff turkey with celery, sliced apple, cut up lemons and quartered onion. Soak cheesecloth in melted margarine.
- Whack 4 heads of garlic with a glass to break apart. Don't peel cloves. Scatter in turkey pan.
- Cook at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. Decrease temperature to 350 degrees F and cover turkey with margarine soaked cheesecloth. Baste with low sodium chicken broth right over the cheesecloth to keep the cheesecloth moist.
- Cook until internal probe thermometer reads 161 degrees F. Remove from the oven and let rest for at least 15 minutes. Then loosely cover with foil.
