Gin Brined Turkey

Instructions

1. In a very large working bowl, combine gin, water, and salt. Stir with a wooden paddle to dissolve the salt. Add the honey and stir to dissolve as well.
2. Add all the aromatics to the brine: the thyme, rosemary, sage, juniper berries, peppercorns, lemon, lime, apple, and garlic. Make sure the fruit and the garlic are slightly crushed so they will release their flavors.
3. Put the turkey in a brine bag and then put it in a food safe large bucket, ice chest, or big bowl. Pour the brine over the bird, seal the brine bag and put it in the fridge. If you have the bird in an ice chest, pack it with ice.
4. Let the bird hang out in the brine for at least 24 to 48 hours. Four hours before you are going to roast the bird, remove it from the brine. Rinse, pat dry with paper towels and place in the roasting pan.
5. For crispy skin, it is important to return the turkey to the fridge for a couple of hours uncovered so the skin has time to dry out. Bring the turkey out of the fridge at least an hour before you roast it-your turkey will turn out better for it.
6. I always add compound butter under the skin of my turkeys. You can also rub the skin with oil and salt and pepper. Be sure you have turkey broth in the base of your roasting pan for basting. I added a few shots of gin as well to flavor the broth and the future gravy.
7. It never hurts to stuff some aromatics inside the bird-I put an apple, a lemon and an onion inside my bird-all halved or quartered.
8. Use your preferred roasting method, or use what we did: Preheat your oven to 450°F, then reduce the temperature to 350°F and roast the turkey for 80 minutes, basting intermittently. Check on the turkey and roast for another 35 to 40 minutes-or until breast is 150°F and the thighs are 165°F. Let rest 20 minutes before carving. Use the gin flavored drippings to make a ginny gravy. Happy Ginsgiving!