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A great Thanksgiving turkey starts with a great brine. Here's how Tim Blotz brines his turkey:
2 gallons of water (or enough to cover top of bird in a stock pot)
1.5 cups of Kosher salt
6 sprigs of fresh rosemary
6 sprigs of fresh thyme
6-8 cloves garlic
2 tbsp fennel seeds
4-6 New Mexico red chile pods (or, 1/4 cup New Mexico ground chile powder)
Boil ingredients in water for 15 minutes. Cool to room temp, insert bird and refrigerate 8-10 hours for <12lb turkey; 16-24 hours for >12lb bird.
Remove from brine, pat down with paper towels and return to fridge to let skin dry.
Don't forget the stuffing!
You can't serve grilled turkey on the Fox 9 BUZZ without stuffing. This is my recipe from when I lived in New Mexico. It's savory with a little bit of red chile mixed in. Every time I make it, it's favorite item on the Thanksgiving table, next to the grilled turkey of course. Here's the recipe that you can make up the day before and bake on Thanksgiving Day:
Day before
1lb dense country white bread or 3/4lb of French bread cut into 3/4” cubes (about 9 cups) *NOTE: I used bag of dried bread crumbs and bag of cornbread crumbs
6 oz bulk Chorizo
6 tbsp unsalted butter (3.4 stick)
2 heaping cups Leeks, sliced thin (White and light green parts)
1 1/2 cups celery, sliced thin
4-6 oz of button mushrooms, sliced thin (optional)
2-3 tsp dried Sage
1 1/2 tsp dried thyme or dried marjoram, or a combination
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp milled pepper
Several cups of turkey stocks
Day of
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground dried red chile
Directions
Fry Chorizo until it begins to brown (about 5 minutes). Stir in Leeks, Celery, Mushrooms, and saute' until vegetables are very soft (about 7 minutes).
Add Sage, Thyme, Salt, Pepper and scrape into bowl of croutons. Add stock 1 cup at a time, until the bread is very moist but not soupy. (May use about 2 1/2 to 3 cups of stock) Cover and refrigerate until ready the following day.
Thanksgiving Day
Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 9x13 baking dish. Whisk eggs, baking powder, and red chile together and mix into dressing. Spoon dressing into baking dish/pan, cover, and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10-15 minutes until lightly browned and crusty on top.