easy turkey brine

Ditch that dry bird and trade it in for a tender moist highlight of the meal like it should be with our easy turkey brine recipe. This citrus turkey brine will be make the tastiest Thanksgiving turkey you&#39;ve ever had.

Easy Turkey Brine Recipe

water

½ cups kosher salt

lemons (quartered)

oranges (quartered)

rosemary

bay leaves

sage leaves

thyme

peppercorns

maple syrup

apple juice

Water

lb turkey (giblets removed)

butter

rosemary (minced)

sage (minced)

thyme (minced)

garlic (mined)

lemon (zested)

salt and pepper

onion (quartered)

In a large stock pot combine 1 qt water, salt, lemons, oranges, rosemary, bay, sage, thyme, peppercorns, and syrup

Bring to a boil.

Remove from heat and add apple juice.

Let cool completely.

Place cleaned turkey in a large container (stock pot, brining bag, 10 gallon bucket, or unscented garbage bag)

Pour brine over the bird.  If bird is not submerged add water until it is. If bird floats, weigh it down with a bowl or plate.

Keep bird in brine at 40 degrees F for 8-24 hours, turning the bird once.

Once brining time is complete rinse and dry turkey and prep for cooking.

Make the Brine

In a medium bowl combine all ingredients.&nbsp;

Stir until well combined.

Garlic Herb Compound Butter

Preheat over to 450 degrees.

Once brining is complete, rinse and dry bird.

Place bird in a roasting pan. Season with salt and pepper.

Place compound butter under the skin of the bird and rub the entire outside of the bird.

Stuff cavity of bird with herbs, lemon, and onion.

Reduce oven heat to 325 degrees. &nbsp;Place bird inside oven and bake until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. &nbsp;About 15 minutes per pound.

Let bird rest 15 minutes before carving.

Bird Prep

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/2lBBRXYP.mp4

Ditch that dry bird and trade it in for a tender moist highlight of the meal like it should be with our easy turkey brine recipe. This citrus turkey brine will be make the tastiest thanksgiving turkey you’ve ever had.

Brined Turkey

Cook the moistest turkey of your life with this easy turkey brine! Herbs, apple juice, orange, and spices create the most flavorful, juicy meat!

Turkey Brine

apple juice ((1/2 gallon; 64 ounces), or apple cider)

salt table salt)

brown sugar (light

black peppercorns

allspice berries (or 1 teaspoon whole cloves

oranges

big, heaping cups of ice (or 8 cups cold water)

turkey

Combine

In an 8-quart or larger stockpot (see note*), combine 1 gallon water, apple juice, salt, brown sugar, bay leaves, peppercorns, rosemary, allspice, and orange peels.

Boil

Bring the liquid to a boil, stirring until the sugar and salt dissolve. Remove from the heat and let cool to near room temperature. (Budget time accordingly—after an hour, my liquid was still warm.)

Fill

To brine, remove the neck and giblets from the turkey (discard or save for gravy). Line a large bucket, tub, pot, cooler, or other similar vessel large enough to hold the turkey and brine snugly with a brining bag. Place your uncooked turkey in the bag.

Pour

Pour the brining liquid on top (if it is still a little warm, the ice will melt and cool it down). If the turkey is not completely submerged when pressed to the bottom of the container, add cold water until it is just covered. If desired, tie the brining bag closed. If the turkey floats, weigh it down with a heavy pot, bag of ice, or similar (we top ours with a stack of dinner plates that is about the circumference of the bucket).

Brine

Let the turkey brine for 12 to 24 hours, ensuring that it stays below 40 degrees but above 32 degrees so that it does not freeze. You can place it in a refrigerator, in your garage or outside of it&#39;s cold (just make sure it&#39;s not below freezing), or place bags of ice or cooling bricks around the turkey. Check the ice periodically and refresh as needed.

Cook

When ready to cook, remove the turkey from the brine. Rinse it all over, inside and outside. Pat dry. Discard the brine and (if time allows), refrigerate the turkey uncovered for several hours (or up to 24 hours) to dry the skin. Cook as desired. See How to Cook a Turkey and Spatchcock Turkey for two of the best ways to cook turkey.

https://mediavine-res.cloudinary.com/video/upload/t_original/v1693583161/ijnogYsln.mp4

Turkey Brine Video

Turkey breast brine infuses the meat with tons of flavor, makes the meat incredibly moist and tender, and creates golden brown skin.

BEST Turkey Breast Brine Recipe (How to Brine a Turkey Breast)

salt

brown sugar

garlic cloves,

Tablespoon black peppercorns

lemon, sliced

apple cider

Pour the water into a large pot and...

Pour the water into a large pot and place it on the stove over medium heat. Add the kosher salt, brown sugar, and garlic cloves, stirring until the salt and sugar are completely dissolved.

Once dissolved, add the thyme, rosemary, black peppercorns,...

Once dissolved, add the thyme, rosemary, black peppercorns, and lemon slices. Allow the mixture to come to a gentle simmer, then let it simmer for 5 minutes.

After 5 minutes, turn off the heat and...

After 5 minutes, turn off the heat and stir in the apple cider. Allow the brine to cool to room temperature. This should take about 20 minutes.

Once the brine is at room temperature, add...

Once the brine is at room temperature, add the ice to help it cool down further. Then place the brine in a covered bowl in the fridge to let it cool until it has completely chilled.

Place your turkey breast into a large brining...

Place your turkey breast into a large brining bag or a clean bucket. Pour the cooled brine over the turkey breast, making sure that it is completely submerged. If needed, you can place a plate on top of the turkey breast to keep it submerged.

Refrigerate the turkey in the brine for at...

Refrigerate the turkey in the brine for at least 6 hours, but no longer than 12 hours.

After brining, remove the turkey breast from the...

After brining, remove the turkey breast from the brine and rinse it thoroughly under cold water. Pat it dry with paper towels before cooking.

If you're looking for the best easy way...

If you're looking for the best easy way to cook turkey breast with perfect golden brown skin, I love brining it with this recipe first, and then cooking it with this air fryer turkey breast recipe.

This simple brine for turkey of salt, sugar and fresh herbs is super simple and versatile--you can also use it with pork or chicken.  It&#39;s the perfect amount for a turkey but it&#39;s easily adaptable to a whole turkey.  Best of all with this recipe, you won&#39;t be throwing a lot of extra ingredients away because each ingredient serves a real purpose.

Simple Brine for Turkey

water ((1/2 gallon))

sugar

(2-3 pound) boneless turkey breast

Run the tap to get the water as hot as it will get.  Measure 8 cups into a stainless steel bowl.

Add the kosher salt and granulated sugar and whisk until the salt and sugar have dissolved and the water clears.

Place the herb sprigs and peppercorns on a cutting board and crush them with a rolling pin until they&#39;re well-bruised and fragrant.  Add to the water.

Slip the turkey breast into the brine and refrigerate for up to 4 hours.

Pat dry to cook or pat dry and place in the refrigerator uncovered overnight to dry out the skin then proceed with your recipe.

This is the best brine recipe! I did add a few lemon peels using a vegetable peeler, otherwise I followed the recipe exactly as written!  I’ll definitely be using this recipe again!

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Easy Turkey Brine Recipe

Turkey Brine

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Top 4 easy turkey brine recipes from across the web

The most viewed easy turkey brine recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Easy Turkey Brine Recipe

Turkey Brine

BEST Turkey Breast Brine Recipe (Ho...

Simple Brine for Turkey

The most viewed easy turkey brine recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine