Brining your T-day turkeys is, like, so in right now. It seems not too long ago that deep-frying was all the rage in turkey cookin', but tides change. Lucky for us, local chef Jennifer Jackson has created an easy way for Phoenicians to stay en vogue with their Thanksgiving dinners with a pre-made spice blend for all our brining needs. The hand-ground and -toasted spices are sourced by Jackson to ensure only the best of the best goes in her blends. While brining leads to way fewer YouTube videos of people disfiguring themselves for the mythically moist turkey, it adds more flavor than the extra fat of deep-frying.
See Also: Heritage Turkeys for Sale Through Rancho Pinot; Here's How to Get Yours
Price: $12 per jar or $22 for two jars
Vendor: Natura Spice
Where to Pick It Up: Old Town Farmers Market, Open Saturday from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.
What Else to Grab: Black Truffle Salt and Porchetta Spice
To boil it down to basics, the brining obsession comes from promises of substantially moister lean meats with the salt both locking in existing moisture in the muscle tissue and adding new moisture by locking in some of the brine water as well. It pretty much goes without saying that if you're adding water to your turkey, you'd be wise to add flavor to that water. Natura Spice's The Brine touts 13 different herbs and spices including organic sea salt, rosemary, thyme, lemon peel, coriander, juniper berries, cranberries and more. You certainly don't have to wait for Thanksgiving to try it out, as brining works well with pork and even shrimp. All you have to do is combine a jar of the spice mixture with a gallon of water and let it work its magic for up to 24 hours.
