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apple maple brined wild turkey - The Hunting Mom

Maple and Apple Brined Wild Turkey

A flavorful, easy way to enjoy wild turkey!

Course Main Course
Cuisine Wild game
Keyword wild turkey
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 8

Ingredients

  • 4 cups water
  • 3/4 cup Kosher salt
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 2 qts apple juice
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tsps maple extract
  • 1 tsp allspice
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 2 tbsp real maple syrup

Instructions

  1. For the brine, add Kosher salt and cinnamon stick to 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes, then set aside to cool (add a little ice to speed up the process). Mix in the apple juice, apple cider vinegar, maple extract, and allspice.

  2. Place fresh or thawed turkey breast (along with drumsticks, if you like) into large (16-qt. or larger) stock pot. Pour in the brine mixture, making sure that the meat is completely covered in liquid. Refrigerate and brine at least 8 hours.

  3. Remove the turkey breast from the brine. Rinse with cold water and pat dry. Place in baking dish and bring to room temperature (about 45 minutes) before cooking. At this point, you can either smoke it according to your smoker's specifications, or preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

  4. Melt the butter together with the maple syrup and coat the turkey in a nice thick layer, reserving a bit to brush on at the halfway cooking point.

  5. Add about 1/2 inch of water in the bottom of the cooking pan. Place in preheated oven and bake for approximately 90 minutes, brushing on more glaze at the half-way point. Use a meat thermometer to ensure that turkey meat reaches 165 degrees.

  6. Serve with all the "fixins'" and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

I love this natural maple extract by Frontier.