Apple Cider Cajun Turkey Brine

I have been tapping my toe, waiting for November to arrive so that I could share with you this recipe for our favorite way to make an INCREDIBLE Thanksgiving Turkey!!!

We started brining our Turkey a few years ago and never looked back. Have you done it before?? Once you have, you’ll never go back. I promise. I’ve eaten Thanksgiving turkeys all sorts of ways (including deep fried), and I guarantee you that you’ll never eat a turkey as flavorful and as moist as a brined turkey. Period.

Okay, so what’s a brine? And WHY should you brine a Turkey?

Here’s the simplified answer:

A turkey is a pretty non-fatty piece of meat, which means it’s especially susceptible to being dry once cooked. A brine is, in it’s most basic form, a salt water solution for soaking the bird overnight. As it soaks, the bird absorbs the moisture and flavor of the solution– virtually guaranteeing a moist, flavorful turkey!

We’ve always loved Alton Brown’s honey brine recipe, but this year we decided to switch it up and use Apple Cider in place of the water. And I decided to add a rub down post-brine with my favorite cajun seasoning (I like Bojangles seasoning; but if you can’t get your hands on it, just look for a generic cajun seasoning in the spice aisle).

I hope you love this as much as we did!

PS- if you’re looking at the bird in my top picture and thinking… something doesn’t look quite right. Yup. I baked my bird upside down. How embarrassing!! But I promise, I’ve cooked lots of turkeys right side up in my day. I really do kind of know what I’m doing in the kitchen… most of the time 😉

Apple Cider Cajun Turkey Brine