Cider-Brined Turkey with Star Anise and Cinnamon
A flavorful holiday turkey brined in apple cider with aromatic spices like star anise and cinnamon. The meat is infused with Asian-inspired flavors from soy sauce, shiitake mushrooms, and ginger, resulting in a juicy and fragrant bird with a delicious cider jus.
Ingredients
- •2 quarts apple cider
- •1 cup kosher salt
- •1 cup soy sauce
- •½ cup light brown sugar
- •16 whole black peppercorns
- •8 whole star anise pods
- •6 cloves garlic
- •6 whole scallions
- •6 slices ginger
- •5 whole dried shiitake mushrooms
- •2 whole cinnamon sticks
Cooking Instructions
- 1.
Bring 2 quarts cider, 1 cup salt, and the next 10 ingredients to a boil in a very large (16-quart) pot, stirring to dissolve salt and sugar. Let cool to room temperature. Stir in 1 1/2 gallons cold water. Add turkey to brine and press down to submerge. Cover; refrigerate overnight.
720 min
- 2.
Remove turkey from brine and pat dry with paper towels; discard brine. Season lightly inside and out with salt and pepper. Place turkey, breast side up, on a rack set in a large heavy roasting pan and tie legs together with kitchen twine. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.
60 min
- 3.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Combine the remaining 1 cup of cider and 3 cups water in roasting pan. Scatter apples around. Brush turkey with butter. Flip breast side down.
15 min
- 4.
Roast turkey, breast side down, basting occasionally, for 1 hour. Using paper towels, flip turkey. Roast, basting occasionally, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 165°F, 1-1 1/2 hours longer. transfer turkey to a platter. Let rest for at least 20 minutes before carving.
150 min
- 5.
Meanwhile, strain the juices from the roasting pan into a saucepan, reserving apples. Simmer over medium heat until juices have thickened, about 10 minutes. Serve the cider jus alongside the turkey and apples and garnish with extra star anise pods and cinnamon sticks.
10 min
