My 12-pounder brined breast up in the fridge for the past 14 hours. I turned it breast-down for the next 12-14 hours. The vinegar brine I’m risking this year is an apple-cider vinegar brine, with chopped garlic, garlic powder, black powder and a little salt. It is generally the same brine I use for frying chicken. The difference here is that I’m roasting the turkey, instead of frying it, which will impart a different flavor to the meat altogether.

I’m concerned that the salt content of this brine will not be enough. I’m pondering putting the turkey in a second brine of just plain salt-sugar water. Depending on what I marinade the exterior with (leaning towards soy-sweet chile sauce), I may leave out the sugar.

I’m also thinking about stuffing the turkey cavity with garlic cloves, which I plan to use in mashed potatoes. I just have to make sure that the turkey is completely dried of vinegar brine so that the garlic won’t flavor the potatoes with vinegar.

Now what to do with those turkey innards…?