Homemade Turkey Brine

A great turkey brine recipe is the difference between a good Thanksgiving turkey and a great one that people will be talking about for years to come. Knowing how to brine a turkey will make a huge difference in your bird whether you plan to roast it, smoke it, or deep-fry it! This quick and easy technique will ensure a deliciously juicy, moist turkey every time!

It doesn’t matter how you plan to cook your turkey a good soak in a turkey brine makes your bird better every time.

EQUIPMENT AND INGREDIENTS NEEDED

• A large non-corrosive pot, bucket, cooler, or other container: If you have a small to medium-size turkey like a 12-pounder, you can usually just use a really large pot, which is my preferred approach because of the easy cleanup and it almost always fits easily in my fridge. If your turkey is larger, you may want to consider a large plastic cooler or even a clean plastic bucket from a hardware store so that you have room for a bag of ice to sit on top to keep the turkey cold overnight while it is brining.

• Coarse Kosher salt: This turkey brine recipe is pretty much foolproof except you have to make sure you are using the correct type of salt. I have written the recipe using coarse kosher salt, which is what we always use. It’s affordable, easily accessible, and gives great flavor without making the meat too salty.

• Water: Some brining recipes call for apple juice but after much experimenting, I’ve decided that we get better results with just plain water for the liquid part of this brine recipe.

• Brown sugar: I love adding a little sweetness to the brine.

• Peppercorns: Don’t substitute with ground pepper. You want whole peppercorns (any variety will work) for a brine.

• Garlic: No need to spend time mincing garlic cloves for this brine recipe. Just smash them flat with the back of a knife and throw them in.

• Fresh herbs: A couple of sprigs of fresh rosemary or thyme help infuse the brine with classic holiday flavors.

• Orange peel: I have found that a little citrus is the key to a really flavorful turkey brine recipe! Just use a vegetable peeler or shape knife to peel off the outer skin of the orange. Lemon peel would work well too, if you don’t have oranges on hand.

• Bay leaves: I always have some dried bay leaves in the cupboard so I throw them in. Honestly, I’m not 100% sure these make a difference, but I always include them anyway figuring it certainly won’t hurt!

HOW TO BRINE A TURKEY

1. Mix the water, salt, and sugar together until the salt and sugar dissolves. I recommend heating 4 cups of water on the stove with the salt and sugar for 10 minutes or so since that helps them dissolve more easily, but I have also done it where you just stir them into the cold water and they will eventually dissolve without heat as well. Add all of the remaining brine ingredients (including the remaining cold water or enough ice to cool the brine if you chose to heat it to dissolve the salt and sugar), then stir.

2. Prep the turkey by removing neck, gizzards, and any plastic packaging and sticking it in your brine container. I don’t recommend rinsing the turkey before adding it to the brine. Place the turkey breast side down in your brining container.

3. Cover the turkey with the brine. Carefully pour the brine over the turkey, making sure the entire bird is completely submerged in the liquid. This brine recipe makes enough to easily cover a 12-pound turkey, but you might want to do 1 1/2 times the recipe if using a larger bird. Cover the container and transfer to the fridge, if you have room. If not, you can use a bag of ice poured over the top of the turkey brine to keep it safe and cold overnight.

4. Dry really well before cooking. After brining, remove the turkey to a large pan or baking sheet and pat the turkey completely dry, both inside and out with lots of paper towels. I do not rinse my turkey after removing it from the brine and have never found it to be too salty. Let it air-dry uncovered in the fridge for a bit, if you have the time. This helps give you crispy skin when you roast the turkey. Even just 30 minutes helps, although if you plan far enough ahead, you could even let it air-dry in the fridge overnight and then cook the turkey the next day.

The size of your turkey will influence how long you will want to brine it. If your turkey is less than 15 pounds, I recommend brining for 12 to 24 hours. Larger turkeys can brine for up to 2 days. We always use coarse kosher salt for brining, but table salt will work as well, though not in the same proportion. It’s really important to note which type of salt you are going with because there are different measurements for each one.

• Table salt: Mix 1/2 cup of table salt for every 1 gallon of water.

• Coarse Kosher salt: Mix 3/4 cup of coarse kosher salt for every 1 gallon of water.

Oh, and in case you are like me and wondering how many cups are in a gallon, it’s 16 cups. So you will be measuring out 32 cups of water for this recipe that calls for 2 gallons.