Thanksgiving Recipes

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is always a beautiful time of year to enjoy with friends and family. But let’s face it, all that prep can be a bit tiring. That’s why I try to work ahead as much as possible. That includes making my cranberry sauce, my stuffing and even my turkey brine ahead of time!

Luckily, BBVG has an amazing selection of fresh and frozen turkeys for your Thanksgiving meal (and all the fixings you could possibly desire!). We swear by a brined bird as it eliminates the need for basting or messing with the bird once it’s in the oven. And honestly, it makes for such a delicious, juicy bird!

Make your brine about 36 hours prior to cooking. So, Friday night is brine time if the turkey goes in Sunday morning. The brine must be boiled to dissolve the salt and sugar and then cooled fully prior to submerging the bird. Then a nice 24 bird bath prior to cooking!

Curious about my sausage, date and apple stuffing? Check out @agsinspace today for the recipe.

Turkey Brine Recipe

8L water
3 cups apple juice
1-2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 cups salt
3 tbsp peppercorns
5 bay leaves
Several sprigs of rosemary and thyme
Peel of 1-2 oranges
5 cloves of garlic diced

  • Put all ingredients in a large stock pot (that can fit all that liquid plus a turkey) and boil until all solids are dissolved.
  • Cool completely (overnight) prior to placing in bird. Fully submerge thawed or fresh bird and keep in about 24 hours. Prior to placing bird in roaster, rinse in fresh water and towel off with paper towel.
  • Roast as you would normally with no basting! Note that you may want to make alternate plans for your gravy as your drippings will be salty!

Cranberry Sauce Recipe

4 cups fresh cranberries
Juice of one large orange
Zest of one large orange
1 chopped pear
1/2 cup water

  • On stovetop, cook all ingredients on medium heat until mixture starts to boil. Reduce temperature to simmer and cook until nice and thick (about 20 mins).