Turkey Brine
Turkey brines that work — Best Turkey Brine EVER!, Honey Brined Smoked Turkey, Good Eats Roast Turkey, Dry-Brined Herb-Roasted Turkey — for holiday cooks.
★ dinner
dinnerBest Turkey Brine EVER!
This is my go-to turkey brine! Found the main recipe at allrecipes.com and added lemon to it. This brine requires 24 hours soak time.
Ingredients
- 1 gallon Vegetable Broth
- 1 cup Coarse Sea Salt
- 1 tbsp Rosemary (dried and crushed)
- 1 tbsp Sage (dried)
- 1 tbsp Thyme (dried)
- 1 tbsp Savory seasoning (dried)
- 1 gallon Ice and water
- 1 Lemon (use juice and the fruit)
Instructions
- 1In a large stock pot, combine the vegetable broth, sea salt, rosemary, sage, thyme, savory, and lemon. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently to dissolve the salt. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
- 2Once cooled pour your mixture and ice and water into a clean 5 gallon bucket (with lid)
- 3Wash and dry your turkey. With innards removed place the turkey into the brine, breast down. Place in the refrigerator over night, preferably 24 hours.
- 4Remove the turkey allowing the brine to drain off. Pat any excess brine. Discard remaining brine.
- 5Cook the turkey as desired, reserving the drippings for gravy. Keep in mind that brined turkeys cook 20-30 minutes faster so watch the temperature gauge.
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Open in Pepper →A Good Brine Does The Heavy Lifting
A turkey is a big investment of money and oven time, and brining is the cheapest insurance you can buy. Salt, water, and a day of patience keep the breast from drying out while the legs finish cooking.
Cooks on Pepper reach for this collection the week before Thanksgiving, when the bird is thawing in the fridge and they want a plan that's already been tested by somebody else.
Every recipe here is a real brine or a bird built on one — Best Turkey Brine EVER! with rosemary and sea salt, Honey Brined Smoked Turkey, Maple and Brown Sugar Turkey Brine, Good Eats Roast Turkey, Tini's recipe Thanksgiving Turkey with oranges and onions, and a Dry-Brined Herb-Roasted Turkey for anyone short on fridge space.
Quick Tips
- 1
Cool the brine completely
If you heat water to dissolve the salt, chill it to 40°F or below before the turkey goes in. Pouring warm brine over raw meat is asking for trouble.
- 2
Plan on 12 to 24 hours
A 12 to 14 pound bird needs about 12 to 24 hours in a wet brine. Much longer and the meat turns spongy and too salty.
- 3
Skip salting the bird later
Brined turkey already carries plenty of salt, so season the outside with pepper and herbs only and use unsalted butter under the skin.
- 4
Dry the skin before roasting
Pull the turkey out, pat it dry, and let it sit uncovered in the fridge 4 to 8 hours so the skin crisps instead of steaming.
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