Don't know if this has been posted before, but it was on another board I go to and the person said it made his turkey very moist and flavorful - for those still thinking of turkey for the rest of the holidays:
Roasted cider-brined turkey
Chef Jim Hoban suggests brining the turkey in a large plastic tub outdoors, as long as the temperature stays below 40°. Otherwise, you'll have to make room for it in the refrigerator (someone suggesting lining the refrigerator's crisper for this). Hoban starts with a high temperature of 450°, but because of the sugar content of the brine, we found it too-quickly browned the turkey. We reduced the temperature to 375°.
* 6 cups water
* 1 gallon apple cider
* 1 cup coarse salt
* 1 cup light brown sugar
* 4 apples, cored, sliced
* 1 turkey, about 12 pounds
* 6 sprigs fresh thyme
* 6 sprigs fresh oregano
* 2 sprigs fresh sage
* 1 medium onion, halved
* 5 cloves garlic
* ½ stick (¼ cup) butter, melted
* Freshly ground black pepper
1. Combine water, cider, salt, brown sugar and apples in a large pot. Heat to boil over high heat. Remove from heat; cool 1 hour. Transfer to a smaller container if you wish; refrigerate until cold.
2. Remove giblets from turkey cavity; refrigerate. Place turkey in large tub or cooler; pour brine over to cover. Refrigerate at least 12 hours, turning occasionally.
3. Heat oven to 375°. Remove turkey from the brine to a rack in a large roasting pan; pat dry. Stuff cavity with fresh herbs, onion halves and garlic. Brush turkey with melted butter; season with pepper. Roast 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 325°; tent with foil. Roast until thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh reads 175°, about 2½ to 3 hours. Let rest 20 minutes before carving.
I find that 375 is too low to brown the skin in 30 minutes, but whatever you try, be prepared to tinfoil individual sections as they brown to avoid burning the skin.