I had to wait for next week to cook the Turkey and wait to see what I thought. Well, the second week I was amazed at how this tasted so here's my attempt this year.
Manhattan Brined Turkey
1 turkey 15-20 lbs thawed
1 bottle white wine
1 bottle white zinfandel
1 can white grape juice frozen concentrate
5 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup fresh basil (use living herbs at the grocery store)
2 lemons, juiced and added cut in half
2 limes, juiced and added cut in half
2 big sprigs rosemary
1/4 cup thyme
1/2 cup kosher salt
1 tbsp. vinegar
Combine salt and frozen juice concentrate in a large measuring cup add 1 can water to dissovle both. Add fresh herbs and garlic to mixture. Place turkey in a large white bucket lined with a brining bag. (sold at speciality food stores)Pour mixture over turkey. Arrange fresh herbs on top. Pour to bottles of wine over turkey. Juice fresh oranges , lemons, limes and pour over turkey. Add the cut up pieces to bucket on top of the turkey. Add enough water to completely emerge the turkey. Zip up bag and seal white bucket. Set in garage for 24 hours. Don't set more that or the alcohol starts to deteriorate the meat. You can marinate 48 hours and add wine 24 hours prior to cooking.
I really wished I took a picture of the 15 lb. turkey in the bucket with the fresh herbs ontop. Looked really pretty. But the finished product will be amazing.
