Alton Brown's Brined Turkey. A salt water brine changes the cellular structure of the turkey and allows it to both hold in the moisture, as well as pull the seasonings deep into the meat. It's actually a very simple process that will yield beautiful and delicious results.
These may be saved for gravy. Place turkey in brine breast side up. If turkey floats, fill a 1-gallon resealable plastic bag with water and place it on top of turkey. Set cooler, lid closed, in a cool place, turning turkey over once if possible, 8–12 hours.
Simply prepared in a Dutch oven, Alton Brown's golden brown one pot chicken is moist, juicy, and easy enough for a weeknight dinner. Photo by Lynne Calamia True confession: When it comes to a roast or rotisserie chicken, I don't care a hoot about crisp skin.
The use of sugar or maple syrup gives a sweet yet salty taste to the turkey, which is enjoyable but adds sugar to the turkey. This brine doesn’t call for any kind of sugar or sweetener. We don’t recommend trying to use a sweetener as most sweeteners change taste the longer they sit.