Turkey Brine

Pioneer Woman

1 10-15 lb turkey

2 chopped onions

2 chopped apples (or 1-2  cups Apple Juice Or Apple Cider)
4 cups of boiling water, 4 c cold water
2 T powdered Rosemary  (or 4 Tablespoons Fresh Rosemary Leaves)
5 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 cup Kosher Salt
1 cup white sugar  (or Brown Sugar), next time do a 1/2c
1/2-1T powdered pepper (or 3 Tablespoons Peppercorns)
5 whole Bay Leaves
Peel Of 2 Large Oranges

Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Stir until salt and sugar dissolve. Bring to a boil, then turn off heat and cover.

Allow to cool completely, then pour into a large brining bag or pot. (I didn't allow mixture to cool completely, I just put the bird in the hot water and put it in the fridge and went to bed.)

Place uncooked turkey in brine solution, then refrigerate for 16 to 24 hours.

When ready to roast turkey, remove turkey from brine. Submerge turkey in a pot or sink of fresh, cold water. Allow to sit in clean water for 15 minutes to remove excess salt from the outside. 

Discard brine. Remove turkey from clean water, pat dry, and cook according to your normal roasting method.

TO COOK TURKEY

11/13/18 next time use a turkey cooking bag. Otherwise it was good.
Preheat oven to 275.

If you brined your turkey, rinse it well under cold water. Fill the sink with fresh cold water and allow the turkey to soak for 15 to 20 minutes to remove any saltiness (i forgot to do this and it turned out good). Pat the turkey dry and place it on a roasting rack, breast side up. Cross the legs and tie them together with kitchen twine. Cover the whole pan with heavy aluminum foil, tucking it underneath the pan. Roast for the first stage for about 10 minutes per pound (so, for a 20 pound turkey, about 3 1/2 hours.
After the first stage of cooking, remove the turkey from the oven and remove the foil (turkey will still be pale.) Smear the butter mixture all over the skin, in crevices, etc so that it's totally covered. Insert a meat thermometer into the thigh, increase the oven temperature to 350, and return the turkey to the oven, basting every 30 minutes. Continue roasting the turkey until the thermometer reads 165 to 168, then remove the turkey from the oven. Possibly cooking 1 and 1/2 hours more depending on size of turkey. Cover loosely with clean aluminum foil until you're ready to carve!