Turkey brine is a wonderful thing

On a monthly basis, several members of my family get together for a meal, time to catch up and visit. We rotate whose house we eat at and it is always a wonderful meal. I enjoy cooking and try to out do myself every time it's my turn and since I started eating paleo, I have sneaked several paleo meals on my unsuspecting family members. This month was no different. I made a turkey dinner with mashed sweet potatoes, green beans with bacon and paleo pumpkin chiffon pie for dessert.

For the turkey I soaked it in a brine for a couple days before cooking it. A brine keeps it real juicy and gives it great flavor. There isn't a recipe for any of my brines, I just use what herbs and spices I have on hand. Here is how this one evolved:
2 gallons of water
2 cups of sea salt
About 1 tablespoon of Allspice berries
About 2 tablespoons of Black pepper corns
About 2 teaspoons of dried thyme
About 2 teaspoons of dried oregano
About 2 teaspoons of dried Rosemary
6 green onions cut in large chunks

Throw everything together in a very large pot and bring to a boil. Boil for several minutes then remove from heat. Take your thawed turkey and place it in a food grade plastic container. Once the brine is at room temperature, pour over your turkey, ensuring the bird is covered with brine. If there isn't enough brine, add water until it is covered. Store in your refrigerator for two-three days before cooking. You can turn the bird when you check on it.

On the day of the feast, remove the bird from the brine and rinse it off to remove any herbs that stick. Let the bird drain and get your oven ready. When cooking the bird I place it on a rack inside a deep baking dish then for the first 30 minutes, the oven is at 500 degrees to get the skin nice and crispy. After the timer goes off, (it is always easy to remember when I use a timer) the temperature is reduced to 350 degrees until a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees in the breast.

This is a scrumptious bird. It takes several days to prepare but it can be done one stage at a time and isn't overwhelming. The brine flavors the meat wonderfully and keeps it very moist. This process can be used on other poultry as well.