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Roasting the traditional turkey on Christmas Day is one of my least favourite things about the holiday (and I would suspect it is the same for many other chefs), but family expectations are always high and it's important to fulfill as many as possible at this time of the year.

Unfortunately, I am not that fond of turkey and will try almost any other option to avoid the big Tom. The best variation in recent years was a genuine capon given to me by Élisé François of Aux Champs d'Élisé in Quebec. (I was able to slide this by the children by telling them it was a small turkey!)

Over the years I have tried many turkey interpretations on the family. Most have been met with skeptical stares and disappointed frowns.

I have rendered them boned, rolled and roasted; split down the back, spatchcock-style, and slowly grilled; even as individual components - breasts roasted, confit of legs, and stuffing baked separately. The reaction is always, "Enough, Dad! Could you please just roast the bird like everyone else?"

So, duty-bound, here is the best technique I have found to prepare a turkey - the age-old practice of brining, which leaves it exceptionally moist and evenly seasoned.

It is an adaptation of a recipe that comes from one of my favourite cookbooks, The Zuni Cafe Cookbook, by the talented Judy Rodgers. Whenever I am in San Francisco, Zuni is the first restaurant I visit.

You will need to begin the process about five days before you plan on cooking the bird.

The biggest obstacles you will encounter are finding a container large enough to hold both bird and brine, and fitting it into your refrigerator. Fortunately, in most parts of Canada, it's possible to leave the brining bird covered outside in the cold air. (An unheated garage is brilliant.) This leaves the fridge clear for all the extra champagne and wine required to stay sane through the holiday.

A tip for those of you with pets or other wildlife security issues outside: Some cooks will seal lid to pot with duct tape to avoid pilferage.

The following recipe will brine a 15-pound turkey.

AROMATIC BRINE

What you need

• 10 litres cold water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup kosher salt
• 6 crumbled bay leaves
• 12 crushed allspice berries
• 12 crushed juniper berries
• 8 sprigs of thyme
• 8 sprigs of flat-leaf parsley
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 medium carrot, thinly sliced
• 3 stalks of celery including the leaves, thinly sliced.

What you do

In a suitable non-reactive container dissolve sugar and salt in the water. Add the remaining ingredients.

Rinse the turkey thoroughly under cold water and drain well. Wipe the inside with a lint-free cloth. Place in the brine, making sure that there is no air pocket in the cavity. If necessary, use a plate and a weight to keep the bird submerged under the brine.

Leave in a cold spot for four to five days.

One day prior to cooking, remove the bird from the brine and rinse lightly to remove any vegetable or herbs from the turkey. Drain well and pat dry. Place in the refrigerator overnight.

The next day, roast your turkey according to your preferred method. One note of caution: the turkey will give off a fair amount of salty-sweet liquid as it cooks. If you are filling the cavity with stuffing, I suggest you slightly underseason it and, if it is a bread stuffing, make it a little drier than you normally would.

Keith Froggett is executive chef and co-owner of Scaramouche

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Beppi's tasting notes

A chef's boring, nuisance meat is often a sommelier's cause for cheer. Turkey may be blandness incarnate, but it's tabula rasa as far as wine is concerned, a blank slate that can flatter a wide range of potations, from riesling to chardonnay (if you like white wine) and from light-fruity gamay to meaty Rhone-style blends to jammy California zinfandel (if you like it red). A good white choice available in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba is Peller Estates Private Reserve Chardonnay 2006 ($16.99 in British Columbia). Among reds, consider E. Guigal Côtes-du-Rhône ($16.75 in Ontario; $23.99 in British Columbia; $21.99 in New Brunswick). Another good choice, especially if you're having cranberry sauce, is Ravenswood Vintners Blend Zinfandel ($17.95 in Ontario; $19.99 in British Columbia). Beppi Crosariol