Bourbon-Brined Turkey

Here's the recipe from The Washington Post that we used for our Thanksgiving turkey this year:

Bourbon-Brined (Smoked) Turkey

Ingredients:

One 15-pound turkey (giblets removed)

For the brine

• 14 cups water
• 4 cups apple juice, preferably unsweetened and unfiltered
• 1 cup bourbon
• 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
• 1 1/4 cups salt
• 4 bay leaves
• 12 whole black peppercorns
• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 4 medium cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 4 strips lemon peel (little or no pith)

For the rub

• 2 tablespoons ground sage
• 2 tablespoons dried rosemary
• 2 tablespoons dried thyme
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

For the brine: Line a large mixing bowl or clean bucket with a 2-gallon resealable plastic food storage bag or a large brining bag; add the water, apple juice, bourbon, brown sugar, salt, bay leaves, peppercorns, onion, garlic and strips of lemon peel, stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt. Place the turkey in the brine and seal, pressing out as much air as possible. Refrigerate for 12 to 20 hours, repositioning the turkey halfway through as needed to make sure the bird is evenly brined.

Rinse the turkey and pat it dry; discard the brine.

For the rub: Combine the sage, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper in a small bowl. 

Coat the cavity and skin of the turkey with butter. Coat the cavity with 2 tablespoons of the rub, then use the remainder of the rub to coat the buttered skin of the bird. Place desired vegetables or stuffing in the cavity. 

*Note: The original recipe has the turkey smoked over applewood chips on a charcoal grill, but we roasted the turkey in traditional fashion in the oven, which took about four and a half hours for a 19-lb bird.

This was the moistest, most succulent turkey meat I have ever eaten, with the sweet apple cider-bourbon flavor infused into the meat over night to leave it soft and flavorful - the best Thanksgiving turkey I've ever had!