The good thing about contractor garbage bags…. they’re thick and sturdy. They could probably be used as a vapor barrier if you’re in a pinch. I’ve seen people use them as makeshift rain ponchos.

But it’s Thanksgiving. And I bought a BIG turkey from the local farmer’s market. 19+ pounds. And any good chef knows a bird needs to be brined before roasting. Suffice to say, a 19 lb turkey just won’t fit into a 1-gallon ziploc bag you buy at the grocery store. Especially when there’s 2 gallons of brine for the bird. But it could probably fit into a 30 gallon garbage bag. But ordinary trash bags just won’t do. I needed 3 millimeters of thick, dark contractor grade plastic. mmm….
turkey brining in contractor bag

I actually only used the contractor bag as a second layer, because I knew the inner bag (that came with the bird) was probably going to leak at some point.

And after a full day of roasting…

turkey

And how do you carve a turkey this big? With a sawz-all (recipricating saw) of course. Just kidding, although it probably would have been easier with a power saw.

Happy Thanksgiving!