Gettin' Jiggy Wit Juggy's Advice

wdan

I'm pretty sure it was Juggy D Beerman who posted some advice last week about avoiding the urge to use Thanksgiving as the day to experiment with your culinary traditions. I happen to agree with this doctrine and spew forth with it often. After all, we have 364 other days in the year available to experiment to our hearts' content![p]I must be weak for I have surely sinned. I succumbed to the temptation of tweaking my brine recipe tonight and I fear I shall pay a dreaded penance for my iniquity.[p]I normally use the brine recipe Alton Brown introduced a couple of years ago on his "Romancing the Bird" episode of his "Good Eats" program. Beyond the salt and sugar solution in the brine, his added flavoring agents to me are relatively pedestrian. He adds peppercorns, whole allspice, candied ginger and uses vegetable stock for the liquid.[p]In addition to all that tonight, I also put in a lemon cut in half and squeezed, an orange cut in half and squeezed, fresh rosemary sprigs, an apple cut into pieces, and a cinnamon stick. I simmered it all for a half hour and it is now cooling before it goes into the fridge until tomorrow. So what? Here's what...it really, really, really smells, shall we say, "aromatic?" Yeah, that's it, aromatic.[p]The brines I've made in the past produced noticeably moister turkeys and some amount of added flavor. This brine is going to be an experiment in determining just HOW MUCH flavor a brine can add.
We're having a smaller than usual group for dinner this year, maybe they won't be able to make it next year either.lol...I think.

Nature Boy

WDAN,
Those sound like good additions to a brine. The lemon will add a subtle tartness and brighten the flavor. The cinnamon also adds a nice mild flavor, all the way to the bone. I could do without the rosemary, but hopefully the flavor of that will be very subtle also.[p]Sounds ike you are in for a good bird.
Cheers!
Chris

Citizen Q

WDAN,
Now you've done it, you are about to face the wrath of Juggy. Apple, lemon, orange AND cinnamon? What were you thinking? Why don't you just go and grate some fresh nutmeg into the mix while you're at it? Good thing you've got a BGE to rescue this bird from hell. By the way, what time is dinner?[p]Cheers,
C~Q

QBabe

WDAN,[p]Those are regular ingredients in my brine, and LOVE the flavors that they add. [p]Don't worry, it'll be FANTASTIC![p]Tonia
:~)

wdan

QBabe,
Thanks to all 3 of you for the encouragement. Yeah, I'm sticking with the plan. Nature Boy's suggestion was on the same wave length as my thought process. I actually removed the rosemary sprigs after about 20 minutes of simmering. The house was starting to smell like I was boiling a Christmas Tree...too early in the season for that!