Apple Whiskey Turkey Brine

APPLE WHISKEY TURKEY BRINE
A few years ago Olivia and I decided to experiment with putting our holiday turkey in a brine the day before we roast it.  We've tried different types of brine.  The common ingredients in most are salt, sugar, spices, etc.  This one intrigued us because it contained apple whiskey.  That sounded to us like just the perfect accompaniment to turkey.

This year we started with a thawed 17 pound Butterball turkey and a five gallon bucket.  Here is the recipe we used, but feel free to tweak it to your liking.  You won't believe how incredibly moist and flavorful your turkey will be.  It is awesome!
-Nanette

1 cup salt (we use Kosher salt)

1 cup brown sugar

1-2 cups of Jim Beam apple whiskey

1 tablespoon of peppercorns

2-5 garlic cloves

2 sliced apples

2 sliced oranges

Put the first five ingredients in a five gallon bucket with just enough water to dissolve the salt and sugar.  Add your turkey.  Cover with enough water to fully surround the bird.  Put in the bucket your apples and oranges.  Put ice cubes in the bucket to keep things cool.  Cover the bucket and place it on a porch or in an unheated garage where everything will stay cool.  Add ice occasionally if needed.  Soak that bird until it is good an happy.  We soak it at least 8-12 hours.  Pull it out of the brine and roast as you normally would.  Yummy!