turnkey

we tried something diff this thanksgiving: "brining" a turkey. our friend andre gave us the idea (he saw it on a cooking show). all you do is soak yr bird in water with sea salt and lotsa aromatic veg (we used celery, shallots, and onions) for at least 4 hrs before cooking. then he suggested frequent turning during roasting to drain all the liquid. (we were too lazy to do that.) a coworker confirmed that she usedta soak chicken before frying it and it made the meat more tender. we wondered if the salt would permeate the meat and make it too spicey, which it didn't. my sweetie's sisters called while the bird was in the oven and were amused / horrified to hear that we had cooked it without first rinsing, which seemed to defeat the purpose of having all the aromatic stuff in the mix. (we also cheated by rubbing mr. turkey with the world's greatest seasoning -- that'd be sea salt [a lil less than usual 'cos of the brining], black pepper, grated ginger and pressed garlic.) tasted fine, and was fairly moist. now we got lotsa leftovers for turkey hash, sandwiches, etc. (not sure about soup -- meat literally falls off the bones w/this process). gotta wait till next yr for the cajun fried turkey or turducken.