- Tempt the taste buds of your dinner guests with a brined turkey. This trendy technique creates a flavorful, juicy bird after it soaks in a mixture of water, salt and savory seasonings. Try one of our recipe suggestions and then finish preparing your turkey with your favorite cooking method.
Basic Brining Recipe
INGREDIENTS
1 12-20 lb. thawed, rinsed turkey, with giblets and neck removed*
1 5-gallon sanitized plastic bucket or a brining bag
1 gallon water, vegetable or chicken broth
1 cup kosher salt**
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 gallon ice water
* Tip: Don’t brine a self-basting or seasoned turkey.
**Tip: Kosher salt is lighter than table salt. If substituting with table salt, keep in mind that kosher salt weighs about 5-8 ounces per cup and table salt weighs 10 ounces per cup, so you’ll need to use less table salt. Adjust your amounts accordingly.
Brining Suggestions
Try one of these ingredient combinations to add extra flavor to the basic brine ingredients.
INGREDIENTS
1 12-20 lb. thawed, rinsed turkey, with giblets and neck removed*
1 5-gallon sanitized plastic bucket or a brining bag
1 gallon water, vegetable or chicken broth
1 cup kosher salt**
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 gallon ice water
* Tip: Don’t brine a self-basting or seasoned turkey.
**Tip: Kosher salt is lighter than table salt. If substituting with table salt, keep in mind that kosher salt weighs about 5-8 ounces per cup and table salt weighs 10 ounces per cup, so you’ll need to use less table salt. Adjust your amounts accordingly.
Brining Suggestions
Try one of these ingredient combinations to add extra flavor to the basic brine ingredients.
- Classic: Add 4 tablespoons of assorted dried herbs like sage, thyme, rosemary and bay leaves.
- Sweet & Spicy: Add 4 tablespoons of assorted spices like crushed red pepper flakes, garlic powder and onion powder and 1 cup of honey or molasses.
- Herbed & Fruity: Add 3 bay leaves, 3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary, the zest and juice of 2 oranges, 1 cup of brown sugar and 1 cup of apple cider.
- Combine all the ingredients, except the ice water, in a large pot and bring to a boil. Stir until the salt is dissolved.
- Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
- Transfer the mixture to a bucket or brining bag* and add the ice water. Completely submerge the turkey, making sure the cavity is filled with the brining mixture.**
- Cover and refrigerate overnight (12 hours), rotating the turkey once during the process.
- Remove from the bucket and discard the brine. Rinse the bird and pat dry with paper towels. It’s ready to cook at this point, but if you have time and like crispier skin, place it uncovered on a cooling rack in a rimmed baking sheet and let it dry in the refrigerator for a few hours before cooking.
- Once the brining is done, prepare your turkey as normal – try smoking, grilling, roasting or frying!
*Tip: Brining bags are leak-proof zipper top bags available at your local kitchenware store. They’re ideal if you want to brine in your refrigerator and don’t have room for a bucket.
**Tip: If the turkey won’t stay submerged, place a heavy plate or bowl on top of it.
Brining Tips
- If you don’t have a large bucket, try a cooler or a large stockpot.
- Take the shelves out of the refrigerator to make room for the bucket, or cover it and set it in a cold attic, garage or basement. If brining outside of the fridge, keep the temperature between 36-40°F by adding plastic bags of ice or ice packs to the solution.
- Brining isn’t just for turkey! Try it with other lean meats like chicken,pork, Cornish hen, and before grilling seafood such as salmon and shrimp.
Have a great day!
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