Recipes

Brined Turkey

To ensure your Christmas turkey emerges from the oven succulent and full of flavour, a few hours of brining (ideally overnight) infuses the meat with subtle seasoning and locks in precious moisture. The result? A tender, juicy, show-stopping turkey centerpiece that will practically melt in your mouth.

Ingredients

Cornish Sea Salt Crystals
Water
Turkey Breast/Crown

Optional Aromatics

Fennel seeds
Coriander seeds
Cinnamon stick
Orange

Method

We are going to work backwards here so we know how much water we need. So, find a container big enough to fit your turkey, and measure roughly how much water you need to cover the turkey. For easy math, I am going to give you an example of 1L or 1000ml
I like to make a 5% salt brine, so measure 50g of Cornish Sea Salt Crystals and put it into a saucepan with a little water (say 100ml) and pop it on the stove to dissolve. Here you can add your chosen aromatics as well.
Once dissolved, mix this with the remaining cold water (900ml). You will now have a 5% salt brine that is quite cold and can be used immediately. If you boil 1000ml of water to dissolve the salt, you will need to wait a long time for the liquid to cool before being able to pour it over the turkey.
When the liquid is cold, pour it over the turkey and pop it in the fridge; a rough rule of thumb is 1 hour for each 500g of turkey. You can also use the Smeg Vacuum Drawer to bag your turkey and get the ultimate moist brine.
When your turkey has had its allotted time, drain, pat it dry and rub with a little bit of oil. Set your Smeg Omnichef Oven to 180°C on the Turbo Roasting Function and insert your multi-point temperature probe. Roast the turkey until it hits an internal temperature of 70°C. If you’re using a regular oven, roast at 200°C until your turkey hits an internal temperature of 70°C.
Pull the turkey out and leave it to rest for half the amount of time you cooked it for, covered in foil.
Once rested, slice and enjoy.

Where can I buy Cornish Sea Salt products?

Crystals and flakes are available in all UK supermarkets, and seasoning blends are available on their website.

Visit the website