Enjoy a SOY wonderful turkey for Thanksgiving! (Review & Giveaway)

Every year, I have a Thanksgiving Party on the weekend before Thanksgiving.  Not only is it a fun way to bring family, friends and colleagues together, but it's good practice for when it's my turn to host for the entire family! So I've been cooking nearly 20lb turkeys since 2003 and every year I turn to the Internet, Magazines and TV Shows for new ways to prepare the turkey. This year I'm doing a Soy Brine Turkey, with special thanks to Kikkoman!

Kikkoman, the brand behind the familiar soy, teriyaki and specialty sauces has launched their first ever blogger campaign and I was asked to test drive their new special Kikkoman recipe, Savory Turkey Brine.  Sounds a little odd right? But did you know that soy sauce contains a natural ingredient called "Umami" which acts as a flavor enhancer in a lot of foods and not just sushi and Chinese entrees. And the BRINING technique keeps the turkey moist. This would be perfect for my party! But I had to test it out first before I made dinner for over 20 people!  Luckily, Kikkoman sent me all the ingredients, a gift card for the turkey and recipes and instructions I needed to test drive my new turkey masterpiece!

And it just so happened that last weekend I was hosting my parents and in-laws for dinner so I knew that they would love me unconditionally even if the turkey didn't work out. But I didn't have to worry, because the result was better than expected (and my husband was definitely on the fence about me cooking a turkey soaked in soy sauce!)

My husband, in-laws and parents all commented on how moist the turkey was and how they liked the mild enhanced flavor from the soy sauce and additional seasoning.  While soy sauce is a main ingredient in the recipe, the ratio of water to sauce is about 20:1 keeping it from being too salty but enough to add a little zing!

Here is how you prepare a Soy Brine Turkey:

Ingredients:

• One 16-24lb turkey
• 2 gallons of cold water
• 10 oz Kikkoman Naturally Brewed Soy Sauce 
• 1/2 c. kosher salt
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 2 Tbsp. dried sage
• 2 Tbsp. dried celery seed
• 2 Tbsp. dried thyme
• Large stockpot or 5-gallon bucket

Procedure:

1. Prepare your brined turkey the NIGHT BEFORE you cook it. It needs to sit in the "sauce" for at least 8 hours or just overnight in the fridge.
   
   
2. Remove the turkey giblets and neck.  Rinse your turkey inside and out.
   
   
3. Next, get your ingredients ready to pour into the bucket/pot.  I thought I had a big enough pot for my turkey but couldn't find one. Instead, I purchased a laundry basket from the local dollar store, lined it with foil (a lot of times) and then lined it with 2 garbage bags.  For extra protection, I placed the basket in the base of the turkey pan.
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
4.  Mix water with remaining ingredients. Stir well until all of the salt has dissolved.
   
   
5. Place the turkey in te pot and cover with the lid. In my case, I tied the bag closed.
   
   
6. Place in fridge and leave overnight.  Even if it involves removing a shelf to make it fit! 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
7. Follow regular cooking instructions.

Kikkoman also sent me recipes and ingredients for creating savory leftover meals like Turkey Fried Rice and Terrific Turkey Tetrazzini, all of which can be found at the Kikkoman website: http://www.kikkomanusa.com/homecooks.

GIVEAWAY:

So you may be thinking: hmm, sounds good. I think I'll try it! Well don't run out and get the Kikkoman sauce for yourself just yet.  You can order online with a BOGO coupon available HERE.  I'd also like to give you an opportunity to win your own prize pack from Kikkoman! Here's what you'll get:

• A Special Kikkoman Recipe Book
• TWO full-size bottles from Kikkoman's specialty line of sauces

How to enter:

1. Sign-up for the Mrs Mo's monthly mailing list and then leave a comment about why you'd LOVE to try a soy brine turkey for yourself!
2. For additional entries: Become a fan on Facebook and leave a comment under the contest post
3. For another entry: Tweet about the contest with my Twitter handle attached (@MrsMoNJ)

Disclosure: I received a gift card and Kikkoman products from The Rogers Group as part of a blogger campaign to promote the new Kikkoman Savory Turkey Brine recipe.