SOY-APPLE BRINED GRILLED TURKEY WITH APPLE-JACK CREAM GRAVY

I was contacted by a representative of The Rogers Group and presented with a challenge:  to prepare a turkey using Kikkoman soy sauce in the brine.  First, let me say that I am a huge fan of brining.  There’s no question in my mind that a brined turkey is moister, more flavorful and tender.  Brining has become an important  part of my turkey roasting ritual.  But soy sauce in the brine?  At first, my mind rejected the idea.  But then I  thought, why not?  Soy sauce is really another form of salt with flavor added – umami, as they would say on Iron Chef. 

Besides, I wait all year for Thanksgiving because I love turkey, so why not get some of that wonderful turkey goodness early?   I accepted the challenge, along with a box of goodies from The Rogers Group (lots of Kikkoman products, an apron, a Kikkoman spoon rest, and a $25 gift certificate which paid for my 11.5-lb. Harris Teeter Premium turkey). 

Brining is definitely catching on, and brining bags are starting to pop up in grocery stores and online to make the job a little easier.  It’s worth the price to buy a throw-away bag that’s food safe.  Plastic trash bags are not food safe and should never be used to brine a turkey.  You can use a bucket, if you have one that’s clean, but how do you fit it into your fridge where you can control the temperature and keep the turkey cold?  Definitely buy the brining bag. 

All turkeys nowadays (except for the $50 ones) are injected with some solution that contains salt.  Not wanting to eat a salt lick for dinner, I did tweak the Kikkoman recipe a bit to cut some salt.  The perfect venue presented itself:  hubby was having his football buddies over to watch the Browns.  They were ecstatic to taste a pre-Thanksgiving experiment at half-time instead of the usual hot dogs.  Apple Jack cream gravy, potato stuffing, roasted fingerlings, baby carrots and asparagus, cranberry sauce and caramel apple pie rounded out the meal.  The Apple Jack cream gravy, made with the turkey drippings, is my new favorite, even beating Emeril's giblet gravy made with white wine. 

I’m so glad The Rogers Group sent me two big bottles of Kikkoman soy sauce, because  I’ll definitely be making this brine again, not just with turkey, but also with chicken.  It’s delicious, not too salty and added such nice flavor to the turkey.   There was no hint of soy sauce in the flavor –  the turkey just tasted good.   Everyone gave it two thumbs up, way up.  And, by the way, the Kikkoman website has plenty of recipes and ideas for using their many and varied products, as well as printable coupons.

Soy-Apple Brined Grilled Turkey with Apple Jack Cream Gravy Rating:  9.5 out of 10 Click for PRINTABLE PAGE

BRINE:  (for 10- to 15-lb. turkey -- double the recipe for 16-24 lbs.)  2 quarts +  20 oz. cold water (divided use) 2 Tbsp. coarse sea salt (or kosher salt, if preferred) 3 Tbsp. sugar 1 (12 oz.) container frozen apple juice 4 oz. Kikkoman soy sauce, regular or low sodium (I used low-sodium) 2-1/2 Tbsp. chopped fresh sage (or 2-1/4 tsp. dried sage) 2 tsp. celery seed 4-5 fresh thyme sprigs (or 1-1/8 tsp. dried thyme) TURKEY:  1 (10 to 15 lb.) frozen turkey, thawed in refrigerator and rinsed with cold water, neck and giblets removed.  (Generally, figure 5 hours of thawing for each pound, but this depends on the temperature of your fridge and whether you place the turkey on the upper or lower racks, in the front or in the back. The higher up you place your turkey in the fridge, the warmer the temperature and the faster the thawing.  And the front of the fridge is warmer than the back of the fridge.)  TURKEY AROMATICS:  1 small unpeeled apple, chopped in chunks 1 celery stalk, chopped in chunks 1 small onion, chopped in chunks 2 garlic cloves, sliced 2-3 thyme sprigs 4-5 sage leaves, chopped GRAVY:  Drippings from turkey 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, divided use 2 Tbsp. cornstarch 1-1/2 Tbsp. apple jack brandy 1/4 cup heavy cream salt  and pepper to taste To make brine, combine 1/2 cup cold water with salt and sugar in a small saucepan.  Heat to boiling; stir till salt and sugar are thoroughly dissolved.  Cool; chill in fridge several hours till very cold.  (You can do this one day ahead.)  When ready to brine, add remaining water and brine ingredients to salt/sugar solution.    Place rinsed, drained, thawed turkey in brine, using a brining bag or clean bucket; cover.  (Do not use a plastic trash bag!)  Refrigerate turkey overnight, or at least 8 hours.  Remove turkey from brine, discarding brine.  Rinse turkey well, inside and out, with cold running water; drain; pat dry inside and out with clean paper towels. To grill turkey, prepare 3-burner gas grill by heating right and left units only to 350F, or heat one side of a 2-burner gas grill.   Buy an inexpensive (about $9 at Wal-Mart) turkey roaster with V-rack and just use it for the grill.   Buy a second shallow pan (disposable) that will fit inside the roaster and under the turkey to catch the drippings.   Stuff main and neck cavities with the aromatics.  Place turkey legs inside metal; skewer shut neck cavity; turn wings under.  Rub turkey with oil or butter.  Place, breast side down, on V-rack over unlit portion of grill.  Cover grill.  Cook 1-1/4 hours.  Turn turkey over on back, breast side up, using clean potholders or mitts.  Continue to cook additional 2-1/2 hours, or till pop-up timer pops.   Thermometer inserted at the inside of the thigh should register 165F.  (Insides of thighs and wing joints are the last two parts of the turkey to cook.  All parts of the turkey must register 165F or higher to kill bacteria.)  It is not necessary to baste this turkey.  If any part of the turkey browns too much, cover it with tinfoil to keep it from burning.  If entire top of turkey is too brown, tent loosely with tinfoil while continuing to cook.  Transfer V-rack with cooked bird to a cutting board that has indentations for juices.  Cover bird with tinfoil, then with a clean bath towel, folded over.  Let rest for at least 1/2 hour, or up to 1-1/2 hours.  When ready to carve, remove towel, tinfoil and V-rack and pour juices that have collected into gravy.  Discard aromatics. To make gravy, strain drippings from disposable pan through strainer into a 1-1/2-quart saucepan.  Place saucepan in freezer for 1/2 hour; discard hardened fat.  Whisk in 1-1/2 cups broth and heat to boiling over medium-high heat.  (Combine cornstarch with remaining 1/2 cup of broth; whisk into pot and cook till gravy thickens, several minutes.  Lower heat; add brandy and cream.  Taste to adjust seasonings.  (The drippings are so flavorful you will not need much, if any, salt and pepper.)

EMERIL'S BIG BIRD WITH GIBLET GRAVY, Adapted

My sister thinks that Emeril is not a chef. I don't know why. This recipe, alone, validates his credentials. I used his gravy recipe for the first time last year. There are other sites that call it "make ahead gravy," but I think he was the first to post it. This year I decided to follow his turkey recipe as well, and I'm glad I did. It was easy and delicious. If you want his original recipe, it's on the Food Network website. I'm posting the recipe as I've adapted it. Since I'm not into photography much, as always, when I have company, I forget to take a pic. I took the above photo the next day. The filling that's on top of the turkey is a separate recipe that I'll be posting probably tomorrow.

Emeril's Big Bird with Giblet Gravy, Adapted
INGREDIENTS: 1 (14 - 14.5 lb.) turkey, thawed
Giblets, neck and liver reserved for gravy (I used the giblets and liver for the filling, and only the neck for the gravy)
1/2 - 3/4 cup Kosher salt
1-1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 rib celery, coarsely chopped
5 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves)
1 bay leaf
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened (I used Smart Balance)\
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup apple cider (I used 1/4 cup frozen apple juice concentrate + 1/4 cup water)
1 recipe Giblet Gravy, recipe follows

DIRECTIONS: Completely thaw frozen turkey for 3-4 days in refrigerator. On 4th day, remove wrapping, take out neck, giblets and liver. Remove any ice crystals that remain in cavity. Rinse turkey inside and out with cold water. Liberally salt with kosher salt, inside and out, including neck, giblets and liver. Place in pan in fridge for 1 hour. After 1 hour, fill a clean sink with very cold water and place turkey in the clean cold water. Clean out cavity and rub skin with water. Drain sink. Rinse turkey again inside and out with cold water. Drain. Pat dry inside and out with paper towels. Refrigerate, covered till ready to bake. (I did this on Christmas Eve, and loosely covered the turkey with several layers of plastic wrap and put it in the coldest part of the fridge. I also cut off the wings, since the turkey was too big for the 5 of us and no one was going to eat the wings anyway. I made a nice turkey stock with the wings which will be the basis of my dinner tonight which is turkey soup with cut up turkey meat. I also cut up all the veggies to stuff the inside of the turkey with, added the herbs and put everything in a plastic baggie on top of the turkey in the fridge. That was one less thing I had to do on Christmas Day.)

When ready to roast turkey, preheat oven to 400F and fit a roasting rack inside of a roasting pan. Take the turkey out of the oven and pat it dry again, inside and out, because it will have weeped more liquid. Place turkey in roasting pan breast side up on rack. Season the inside of the turkey with 1/2 tsp. of the sea salt and 1/2 tsp. of the black pepper. Transfer the contents of the plastic baggie into the turkey cavity. Secure turkey legs with twine. Rub the turkey skin with butter (or Smart Balance) and sprinkle with remaining salt and pepper (or adjust to your taste, adding more or less). Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Remove turkey from oven. Combine the chicken broth and apple cider or juice and baste the top of the turkey evenly with 1/3 of the liquid. Return turkey to oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 350F and cook for an additional 2-1/4 to 2-3/4 hours, basting twice more during this time with the remaining chicken-apple liquid. The turkey should be a nice golden brown color, and the juices should run clear when you insert the tip of a knife at the joint of the leg and thigh. An instant read thermometer inserted into the joint of the leg and thigh, without touching a bone, should register 165F when the turkey is cooked through. (If the turkey begins to look too browned, cover the top loosely with aluminum foil until it is done. Note: I had to tent the turkey for the last 1-1/2 hours.) Remove the turkey from the roasting pan and place it directly on the cutting board, cover it with foil, tucking it in at the bottom, then with an old clean bath towel. Let it sit so that the juices settle and it finishes cooking for at least 1/2 hour. (I let mine sit for an hour, and it was perfect.) You will have plenty of pan juices and drippings to work with, and you can add them to the gravy that you should have made the day before (as I did).

GIBLET GRAVY
(Note, last year I made this as is and it was exceptional. This year, I needed the giblets and liver for the filling, but am happy to say that the end gravy was still delicious. This is a very easy and really good gravy and I love making it the day before. It's one less thing to do on Christmas Day.)
INGREDIENTS: 1 Tbsp. butter + 2 tsp. olive oil (I used 2 Tbsp. Smart Balance)
Giblets, liver and neck from 1 turkey (I used neck only)
1 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup chopped cleery
1/3 cup peeled and chopped carrot
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
4 tsp. flour
1/4 cup dry white wine, drinking quality
1-1/2 cups chicken broth
1 sprig fresh thyme
salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS: In a medium sized heavy pot, melt the butter and olive oil (or Smart Balance) over medium-high heat. Add giblets, liver and neck, (or just neck) and brown, stirring if needed, 4-5 minutes. Add veggies and garlic and saute an additional 5 minutes, or till veggies are soft. Stir in flour and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Deglaze the pan with the white wine, stirring to incorporate any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken broth, thyme sprig and any reserved juices from the bottom of the roasting pan, and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Strain, discarding all but the smooth gravy. Adjust seasoningss with salt and pepper. If making this the day before, refrigerate overnight. After turkey is cooked, add turkey pan drippings to pot with gravy, bring to boil, stir and strain again if necessary. (If you decide to add the pan juices as well as the drippings, you will need to add more flour. I saved the pan juices to mix with soup stock for added flavor.)