turkey brine

The Best Turkey Brine Recipe - A simple blend of salt, sugar, and spices to create the most moist and flavorful turkey you've ever made!&nbsp;

Best Turkey Brine Recipe

water

brown sugar

sea salt

shallots, (roughly chopped)

garlic, (smashed)

peppercorns

dried juniper berries ((optional))

fresh rosemary, (roughly chopped)

thyme

Place a gallon of warm water in a clean bucket or cooler. Add the brown sugar, salt, shallots, garlic, herbs and spices. Stir to dissolve the salt and sugar.&nbsp;

Carefully submerge the turkey in the brine. Add an additional 1/2 gallon of water to make sure the brine covers the turkey entirely. (Or more water!)

If using a bucket, cover the bucket with plastic and place in the refrigerator for 1 to 3 days. If using a cooler, filled it with ice to keep the turkey cold for up to 3 days.&nbsp;

The brine time should be determined based on the size of turkey. For a turkey 15 pounds or under, brine for just 24 to 36 hours. For a turkey larger than 15 pounds, brine for up to 3 days. *If you want to brine a smaller turkey for a longer period of time, reduce the salt to 1/2-3/4 cup, so it is not overly seasoned.

Before roasting, take the turkey out of the brine water and place on a rack for at least a couple hours. Allow the turkey skin to dry thoroughly. Use paper towels to pat it dry if needed. You can place the roasting pan in the refrigerator (or back in the cooler over ice) if you want to give the bird longer to dry. (The dryer the skin, the better it browns. Drying it overnight is best.)  

Once dry, rub the turkey skin thoroughly with butter. Sometimes I stuff the turkey with herbs, but this is not necessary.

Roast the turkey at 325° F for 15 minutes per pound. Roast uncovered for the first couple hours, then tent with foil the last hour to make sure the breast meat doesn’t overcook. When using a meet thermometer, the breast meat should be 165° F.

Allow the turkey for rest for at least 25 minutes before serving to allow the juices to redistribute.

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/7M3lJKsG.mp4

The Best Turkey Brine Recipe - A simple blend of salt, sugar, and spices to create the most moist and flavorful turkey you've ever made!

This turkey brine recipe is the EASIEST method for producing the most flavorful Roasted Turkey you have ever had. With these step by step directions for how to brine a turkey, you will be a rock star this at your holiday meal with very little effort on your part!

The Best Turkey Brine

salt

rosemary

bay leaves

carrot peels

apple peels

celery

onion

Place salt, sugar, and vegetable and fruit scraps in a large stock pan.

Cover

Cover with cold, filtered water or chicken/turkey stock.

Boil

Bring brine to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, or until sugar and salt have dissolved in water.

Simmer

Remove from heat and cool for 30 minutes, before storing in the refrigerator to cool the remaining way. 

Strain

At this point, you can strain off the solids from your brine. I typically leave them in the brine and then discard with the brining bag in the morning after removing the turkey from the brine. 

Turkey Brine Recipe

Place

On the night before you plan to roast your turkey, place your thawed and cleaned out turkey into the large Ziploc Bag or brining bag.

Pour

Pour the brining liquid over the  into the bag.

Pour cold water in to cover the bird completely in liquid–this is about 1 gallon of cold water.

Refrigerate

Seal the brining bag and refrigerate the turkey in the brine overnight. 

Remove

Before roasting the turkey, remove the turkey from the brine and rinse off the excess salt on the turkey. Blot the turkey dry with paper towels. 

How to Brine Turkey

Preheat Oven

Roast

Roast the turkey on the lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees for 30 minutes.

Bake

Insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees F. A 14 to 16-pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting.

Rest

Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil for 15 minutes before carving.

Roast Turkey

This turkey brine recipe is flavored with apple, citrus, brown sugar, rosemary and spices. It's the perfect way to guarantee a moist and flavorful turkey every time!

apple cider

garlic (smashed)

oranges (thinly sliced)

lemons (thinly sliced)

Place all the ingredients in a large pot over medium heat. Bring to a simmer.

Cook for 2-3 minutes or until salt and sugar have dissolved.&nbsp;

Turn off the heat. Let the brine mixture cool.

Place a whole turkey in the brine solution to fully submerge it, then refrigerate for 18-24 hours.&nbsp;

When you're ready to cook your turkey, remove it from the brine and rinse with cool water; pat dry with paper towels.&nbsp;

Proceed with your normal turkey roasting method, or I've listed my favorite turkey recipes below in the notes section.

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/MHJTeM0Y.mp4

This turkey brine recipe is flavored with apple, citrus, brown sugar, rosemary and spices. It’s the perfect way to guarantee a moist and flavorful turkey every time!

Turkey Brine

This Mayonnaise Turkey is self-basting, just one of the reasons it is the best turkey you will ever make. Even the juicy leftovers will have you wondering why you’ve made your turkey any other way. 

Brined Lemon-Herb Aioli Style Mayonnaise Roasted Turkey

tbsp crushed dried rosemary

sage leaves

tbsp black peppercorns

marjoram

fresh rosemary, minced

sage leaves, minced

thyme,

parsley

mayonnaise

turmeric

lemon

onion,

celery,

(1/2 cup) butter, slightly softened

pepper

In a large stockpot, combine regular water, sugar, kosher salt, rosemary, sage, thyme, peppercorns and marjoram. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, making sure salt and sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

When cooled, pour brine into a large bring bag or into a clean 5 gallon bucket. Stir in the ice water.

Make sure you have removed all of the turkey innards. Place the turkey, breast down, into the brine. Make sure the cavity gets filled. Place the bucket in a refrigerator overnight. (You can also use a cooler and leave in the garage if you live somewhere where temps are colder than your refrigerator.) Brine turkey for 24 hours.

Remove the turkey, draining off excess brine and pat dry. Discard brine.

Brine

For the aioli mixture, combine all ingredients and let sit in the refrigerator for a few hours, letting the flavors meld.

Lemon-Herb Aioli (you can make this a day ahead)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Place turkey in a large roasting pan, breast side down. Using a flexible spatula, rub mayonnaise mixture all over outside of turkey and inside of cavity. Salt and pepper the turkey well. Place onions, celery and butter inside turkey cavity.

Roast turkey at 450 degrees for 30 minutes. (If at any time your turkey is getting too brown, you an always place a sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil over the top of the turkey.) Turn oven down to 350 degrees for another 1-1/2 to 2 hours, or until thigh meat and breast meat both reach 165 degrees F on a meat thermometer. (This is where a digital thermometer comes in handy. You don&#x27;t have to keep checking the doneness of the meat while it&#x27;s in the oven. Start with the thermometer in the breast and when it reaches 160 move it to the thigh. Dark meat often takes longer to cook.)

Turkey

A brined turkey smoked on a pellet grill will always be the best way to cook a turkey. Here we share the best turkey brine recipe, and our favorite turkey rub. Then we provide step by step instructions to smoke it on your pellet grill.

Smoked Turkey with Brine Recipe

Garlic Cloves

2.5 Cups Brown Sugar

Salt

Cup Soy Sauce

Bay Leaves

TBS Coarse Black Pepper

Quarts Water (cold)

lbs Turkey (thawed)

canola oil

onion powder

paprika

garlic powder

sage

Cup Peanut Oil

Cup Butter (melted for basting)

garlic

Skin the garlic cloves and use a knife to crush each clove.

In the clean 5-gallon pail, add all the brine ingredients together and mix well with a large wooden spoon.

clean

Clean your turkey and make sure the giblets are removed.

brine

Submerge the turkey in the pail of brine. Do your best to make sure the turkey is completely submerged.

turn

Store in your refrigerator for 48 hours, turning the turkey 180 degrees after the first 24 hours.

brining complete

After the 48 hour brine is complete. Remove your turkey from the brine, rinse and pat dry with paper towel and store in the fridge for 1 hour. The brine process is complete.

Turkey Brine Instructions

Mix all the rub ingredients together and set aside for later.

Turkey Rub Instructions

preheat

wings

Take your brined turkey out of the fridge and prep it for the smoker. Move the wings behind the body of the Turkey as shown.

legs

Tie the legs together with butcher twine.

season

Apply the turkey rub liberally to the entire turkey. Then lightly brush some of the peanut oil over the entire turkey.

smoke

Once the smoker hits 300F, place your turkey in the smoker and attach your meat probe into the breast of the turkey.

baste

After the first 1.5hrs, I'll check in on the turkey and see how it looks. I'll baste it with melted butter now and then. I'll sometimes spritz the turkey with a 50/50 mixture of apple cider vinegar as well. It helps attract the smoke to the skin.

rest

Once the Turkey reaches about 160F, I will remove it and quickly wrap in foil. The Turkey will keep climbing in temperature and reach the 165F while it is covered in foil. Let the turkey rest a minimum of 20 minutes under the foil. The longer it rests, the better.

You are done and ready to carve the turkey. Enjoy.

Smoking the Turkey Instructions

This simple Smoked Turkey Brine infuse spices, herbs, and citrus flavors into the turkey meat to ensure it stays moist and tender while cooking.

Smoked Turkey Brine

garlic (, peeled)

Bay leaves

Tablespoon black peppercorns

Orange peel (, from 1 large orange)

Lemon peel (, from 1 lemon)

Turkey*

Fill a pot with 1 quart of water. Add the sugar, salt, garlic cloves, Bay leaves and peppercorns.

Add the orange and lemon peel, being careful not to include too much of the pith (the white, bitter flesh below the outer peel). Finally, add the sprigs of rosemary and thyme.

Let the mixture simmer over medium heat until the sugar and salt have completely dissolved.

Once dissolved, pour the brine into a larger container (one large enough to hold the turkey, but small enough to fit in your refrigerator) that contains 1-2 quarts of very cold water. Pour the brine into the container with the cold water to cool down the brine.

Place the turkey in the container with the brine, breast side down, making sure that the entire bird is submerged. If necessary, place a heavy plate or pot lid on top of the bird to keep it submerged.

Cover the container and refrigerate for 1 hour per pound of turkey (or a maximum of 18-24 hours*) prior to cooking.

If you&#039;re not ready to cook the turkey after the brining time is up, remove it from the brine, pat dry well, cover and refrigerate until ready to cook.

Now you can smoke the turkey or cook it in the oven.

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/meSqo4zE.mp4

This simple Smoked Turkey Brine infuses spices, herbs, and citrus flavors into your turkey to ensure it stays moist and tender while cooking. This brine can be used for any method of cooking a turkey.

Learn how to&nbsp;Smoke a Turkey Breast&nbsp;with our simple recipe.&nbsp;&nbsp;Turkey Breasts&nbsp;are perfect for feeding a smaller crowd and they are just as flavorful tender as the big bird!&nbsp; They provide delicious meat without the hassle of all the extra bones to worry about.&nbsp;

How To Smoke A Turkey Breast

Turkey Breast, 5-7 lbs

¾ C Kosher/Pickling Salt

Tbsp Dark Brown Sugar

Tbsp Poultry Rub

lbs Ice

Poultry Rub to Cover Turkey

Remove any leftover feathers and rinse Turkey

Brine Turkey 12-24 hours in refrigerator or cooler...

Brine Turkey 12-24 hours in refrigerator or cooler surrounded by ice

Season Turkey Breast

Smoke for 1.5-2.5 hours at 180 degrees F.

Increase heat to 350 degrees F and cook...

Increase heat to 350 degrees F and cook until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.

Slice and Enjoy!

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!

salt (or 1 cup table salt)

dark brown sugar

black peppercorns

Tablespoons allspice berries

clean 5-gallon bucket, (pot,

(12-15 pound) turkey

Combine 4 cups of the water with the salt and brown sugar in a large pot on the stove over medium-high heat. Cook for 5-8 minutes, stirring frequently, until the salt and sugar have dissolved. Add remaining brine ingredients, including remaining cold water. Make sure the brine is completely cool before adding it to the turkey.

Remove neck, giblets, and any plastic packaging from the turkey and place it in a very large non-corrosive pot, bucket, or even cooler with the breast side down. There is no need to rinse the turkey first.

Pour the cooled brine over the turkey so the turkey is covered with the brine. If it's not completely covered, you can turn the turkey partway through the brining time so all sides get brined, or make another half batch of brine to add to the container. Cover and transfer to the fridge for 12 to 24 hours. If there isn't room in your fridge, you can place a bag of ice on top of the turkey in the brine and leave it on the counter or in the garage overnight.

Remove the turkey from the brine and pat completely dry both inside and out using plenty of paper towels. Let the turkey air-dry for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight in the fridge, then cook the turkey using your preferred method.

A basic turkey brine, or basic poultry brine, to enhance the flavor of turkey.

Basic Turkey Brine Recipe

½ cups kosher salt

oranges, quartered

lemons, quartered

red onion,

dry bay leaves

whole dried cloves, (optional)

Bourbon

Combine

In a large stock pot add water, salt, and sugar. Stir to dissolve the sugar and salt in the water.

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Top 13 turkey brine recipes from across the web

The most viewed 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

Best Turkey Brine Recipe

The Best Turkey Brine

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Brined Lemon-Herb Aioli Style Mayon...

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Smoked Turkey Brine

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