Rascal,I have always brined my birds and always will. I use a low salt brine and let them go for about 3-4 days.I use:1 gallon vegetable stock 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar 3/4 cup kosher salt 1/4 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup honey 1 tbsp allspice berries 1 tbsp black peppercorns 1 tbsp candied ginger 4 8" twigs fresh rosemary 10-12 fresh sage leavesI bring it all to a boil, then cool overnight. Add that and a bag of ice to a turkey to submerge. I add ice ass needed over the next several days. Then I remove from the brine and let rest about an hour before cooking.The drippings are no salty and the bird has a great depth of flavor and is very juicy. I also put fresh rosemary twigs and sage leaves under the skin and into the bird cavity along with apple slices, onion quarters, celery and onion.Comes out perfect every time.
