I’ve just started cooking thanksgiving dinner.

Yesterday I bought a sixteen and a half pound fresh, not frozen, Perdue Tom. Just now I took down my stockpot and added two gallons of water to it. I whisked in two cups of salt and stirred till it was disolved. I opened up the bird and removed the neck, heart, and gizzard from with which I’ll start the gravy tomorrow. After rinsing the turkey off and removing all the metal catches, I put it in the salt solution to brine overnight.

Brining your turkey ensures that it cooks at the same rate so that the legs are done while the breast is tender. It also guarantees a nice crisp brown skin. With the top of the pot on, to hold the bird down, that turkey fit perfectly on the bottom shelf of the fridge. I used two packages of butter to wedge the top in place and tomorrow, when I get up, I’ll pull it from the brine, rinse it, tuck the wings and let it rest for 24 hours or so uncovered, before it goes into the oven stuffed with veggies, thyme and trussed up with twine. Resting post brining is just as important – the brine should take four plus hours at a minimum and the resting should take eight to twenty four. There is still time to brine my friends. Get thee to the store.