First Thanksgiving - Brining the Turkey

Matt and I just celebrated our first Thanksgiving.  I must have called my Mom and Grandma 20 times in preparation!  Since it was just the two of us for Thanksgiving, I was a little torn on what to do about a turkey.  I really wanted the FULL turkey experience (taking guts out and tying the legs..) but that was not practical for just two people.

I found a young turkey breast that was fresh at 7lbs.  PERFECT!  I did a little research as to what can fit in my 6 quart crock pot.  THAT IS RIGHT!  You can cook a TURKEY in a CROCKPOT!

I wanted the juiciest turkey imaginable - so I thought, I will brine a turkey and then cook it in the crockpot!  This should make it ultra juicy!

The problem?  No one in my family brines a turkey!  AH!  It was up to me to determine what to do!  I researched different brining techniques and recipes.  Matt loves chipotle seasoning and we both really like spicy things.  I had no idea if or how this would turn out, but I figured it would be worth a shot!
Here is what I came up with!

Keep in mind, this was for my 7lbs turkey...


1 cup - coarse crystal sea salt
1 cup - brown sugar
1 cup - orange juice
2 oranges (peels and slices)
2 TBS - cinnamon
1 TBS - minced garlic
1 TPS - cayenne pepper
1 - 11 ounce can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce







I put everything in the pot, filled the pot with water and brought it to a boil.

Once this boiled, I removed the pot from heat and let it cool to room temperature.  (THIS TAKES A LONG TIME!)  I put it in the fridge to speed up the process.. but it still took a long time!

After it liquid is cooled to room temperature, I put my turkey into the brining bag and poured the liquid over the turkey.  The brining bag I got was for up to a 20lbs turkey, so I had a TON of extra room.  I sealed the bag, then tied the excess bag with a rubber band and put it back in the pot (just in case there were any mishaps).

I left it in the fridge overnight.  I also turned the temperature on my fridge to 37 degrees.

The next morning I removed the turkey from the brining bag (not as easy as it sounds!)  I rinsed it off and patted it dry with paper towels.  The turkey makes a TON of noise because of all the liquid coming out (it is kind of funny!)

VOILA!  I brined a turkey!