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Turkey Brine with French Country Pate Spice

This easy-to-prepare turkey brine will make your holiday turkey moist and flavorful. You can use it to brine any poultry any time of year.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Refrigerated 1 day
Total Time 1 day 15 minutes
Servings: 1 brine
Course: Spice Mix
Cuisine: American
Calories: 46
Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients
  

~~ Pate Spice ~~
  • 1/3 ounce Allspice
  • 1/3 ounce Bay Leaf
  • 1/8 ounce Clove
  • 1/3 ounce Coriander
  • 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
  • 1/3 ounce Mace
  • 1/8 ounce Marjoram
  • 3/4 ounce Paprika
  • 1/4 ounce Rosemary
  • 1/3 ounce Thyme
-- For the Brine --
  • 1 cup Kosher Salt
  • 1 cup Brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup Cider Vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Herbs de Provence
  • 1 teaspoon ginger fresh grated
  • 1 teaspoon Black pepper whole
  • 8 cups Water
  • 1 quart Ice cubes
  • 1 quart Water

Equipment

  • Coffee Grinder
  • Lasagna Pan

Method
 

  1. Mise en place
  2. To make the pate spice, put all the pate spice ingredients in a small food processor, spice grinder, and grind them until they are a relatively fine powder. Yes, you can do it by hand with a mortar and pestle or a molcajete - if you want strong arms. Put the finished spice in a jar. Store it in a cool, dark place.
    1/3 ounce Allspice, 1/3 ounce Bay Leaf, 1/8 ounce Clove, 1/3 ounce Coriander, 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder, 1/3 ounce Mace, 1/8 ounce Marjoram, 3/4 ounce Paprika, 1/4 ounce Rosemary, 1/3 ounce Thyme
  3. Remove any wrapping from the turkey. If there is a bag of giblets, remove that, too. You can give that to the cat.
  4. Crush the peppercorns with a heavy pot to break them up a bit. They do not have to be ground, just crushed a little bit.
To make the brine
  1. Combine all ingredients EXCEPT ice and the last quart of water in a very large bowl that will hold a gallon of liquid.
    1 cup Kosher Salt, 1 cup Brown sugar, 1/2 cup Cider Vinegar, 1 tablespoon Herbs de Provence, 1 teaspoon ginger, 1 teaspoon Black pepper, 8 cups Water
  2. Stir well.
  3. Transfer to a 4-quart saucepan and bring just to a rolling boil.
  4. Immediately turn off the heat.
  5. Return to the original bowl and add ice and remaining water.
    1 quart Ice cubes, 1 quart Water
  6. Stir to chill thoroughly.
  7. Place cleaned turkey in a large clean garbage bag. Carefully add brine to the bag, seal, and put in the refrigerator. After 6 hours, turn the bird over and continue to refrigerate until ready to cook.