I have never brined my meat, until "the turkey" I have to admit I was a little intimidated by "the turkey" It wasnt a whole bird, but the breast, and it was frozen with kids and hubby begging me to make it for the nights dinner. They had won it the night before at a turkey shoot, and proud of their prize they wanted it immediately, well 1. I have never cooked a turkey, and 2. it was still frozen solid with a gravy packet stuffed in its cavity. So I got online reading and trying to find a way to thaw the gird quicker, or a method of cooking that would allow me to cook from frozen, and that is when I stumbled onto the idea of brining. I read various things, most that called for soaking overnight in a brine, but I needed it now. So this is what I did with pleasing results, as it was all eaten and my son said it was so delicious that when that turkey hit his taste buds he started singing "amazing grace" lol Flattery will get you everywhere son.. I love that boy..

My brine was a half cup of salt, a half cup of brown sugar, about a tablespoon of smoked paprika, a table spoon smoked black pepper, and half cup of lemon juice, I mixed my brine and placed my turkey in it lidded, and set the stove eye to 2 had the bird been thawed I might have set it to one, but i wanted it to be warm enough to thaw the frozen bird. It stayed in the pot of brining solution on 2 for about an hour and a half every once in a while id flip the bird so it would thaw evenly, making sure every side was nearest the heat for some amount of time. The size of the bird might take longer or shorter times to thaw in your brine.. After the bird had completely thawed in my brine I I stuffed the cavity with a mizture of 2 sticks softened butter, tbsp each of smoked paprika and smoked black pepper, 1/3 cup crumbled bacon the a splash more lemon juice and about 2 tbsp bacon grease I mixed all this up rubbed the outter skin with the mixture, stuffed the mixture along with two lemons sliced in 4ths into the cavity, wrapped it snuggly in a tinfoil blanket.. (not covered the baking dish, actually swaddled my turkey in a thick tinfoil blanket, and
stuck it in my oven at 350 for two hours cavity side up so it would hold the mixture, and then 2 hours cavity side down so the mixture would run out and saturate the outside of the bird as well. After the 4 hours cooking I uncovered the bird massaged him with a little more lemon and butter and baked skin side up until he got a lovely golden brown suntan. It was without a doubt the most tasty, most moist bird I have ever eat, and believe it or not being a rookie i have to say I cooked the hell outta that turkey.. I better not let the extended family know how well I did, they might expect me to take on the turkey cooking every year... With a family dinner of 30 or so people Im not up for that challenge... How do you cook your bird?