For a juicy Thanksgiving, brine the bird

Deep-frying. Wood-smoking. Sous vide (the French vacuum-packing technique). The mind-numbing number of suggestions for mining flavor from the typically unforgiving Thanksgiving bird have proliferated in recent years.

This year, leave them all behind.

For tasty fowl on Turkey Day, the new thing can be the old thing: a classic one-two punch of an overnight brine followed by a quick morning rub before the bird goes into the oven for a slow roast.

The good news is that while the process requires a little planning, little hands-on time is needed. And the payoff -- white meat that doesn't need a gravy bath to be choked down -- is worth it.
The brine

"It's a couple of minutes, but you are going to get much more flavor," Jack Bishop, of Cook's Illustrated magazine, says of brining, a technique in which the turkey is bathed in seasoned salt water to help it retain moisture during roasting.

"The theory behind brining is that the white meat tends to overcook, and by the time the dark meat cooks the white is dried out. I brine my turkey Wednesday night and in the morning I am good to go."

Brining is essentially what Butterball has been doing for decades. And that's the caveat. Don't brine a bird that's already been plumped with a salted, seasoned solution, such as a kosher bird, Bishop says. Be sure to read the labels.

The one disadvantage is that the drippings (and even the turkey) can be salty. To moderate this, most people add sugar to the brine. Brent Young, one of the butchers at The Meat Hook in Brooklyn, N.Y., likes brown sugar.

"The sugar balances the salt a little," he says. "Also, the sugar will penetrate the skin as well. And since sugar browns so well, you get that picture-perfect golden hue to your turkey. Brown sugar is better than regular for a more caramelized flavor."

Because a turkey must be refrigerated during brining, you need a bucket large enough to hold the bird (plus liquid), yet small enough to fit in your refrigerator. Alternatively, most grocers sell special bags for brining turkeys. These fit more easily in most refrigerators.
The rub

Once the bird is out of the brine, it's time to rub in some flavor. A mix of spices or herbs diluted in a bit of fat, such as butter or oil, is rubbed on the meat, both under and over the skin.

Just be sure to go easy. Too much will overpower the meat.

"That's one of the great things about spice rubs or spice pastes, they are concentrated in flavor. It doesn't take a whole lot of spice to get a deep and good taste," says John Willoughby, who was executive editor of the recently closed Gourmet magazine.

But to get those flavors deep into the meat, you'll need to rub the mixture both over and under the skin, Bishop says. That involves gently lifting and pulling the skin away from the flesh, rubbing the seasonings under it, then patting the skin back down. To give the bird a little kick, lightly dust the outside with ground black pepper.
The roast

There are many theories about the best roasting technique. Some advocate an even temperature -- usually between 325° and 400° -- throughout the cooking. Others crank the heat to 425° at the beginning, then finish at a lower temperature.

For a good basic roast for a 12-pound turkey, start it at 400° for an hour, then reduce the temperature to 350°, tent it with foil and roast for an additional 1½ hours.

Whatever your approach on temperature, prepping the bird for the oven is key. Wrap the wings in foil and tuck them behind the neck. This helps prevent them from burning. Also tie the ends of the legs together with twine to help contain the juices.

When roasting, it's also important to cook the turkey on a rack set into a roasting pan. This ensures the bird roasts evenly. Fill the pan with a few large chopped carrots and onions and a bit of liquid (water, wine or broth) to give the drippings added flavor.

Roast the turkey, basting every 30 minutes with juice from the pan, until the breast registers 160° and the thickest part of the thigh reaches 170°. About midway through, tent the bird with foil to keep the skin from burning.

Remove the turkey from the oven and let the bird rest at least 20 minutes before carving.