Best Turkey Brine Recipe
This bright citrus and herb-infused turkey brine recipe guarantees tender and juicy turkey every single time. It'll become your holiday go-to! It's incredibly easy to make and always impresses family and guests. You'll never prepare your holiday bird without it.
Servings: 12 servings (1 14 lb turkey, brined)
Ingredients
- 1 14 lb turkey giblets and neck removed
- 2 gallons liquid (apple cider is my preferred choice; water also works)
- 1 cup coarse kosher salt or good quality coarse sea salt See tips below on measuring this
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 8 cloves of garlic, smashed
- 2 oranges, juiced and halved
- 2 lemons, juiced and halved
- 4 TBSP peppercorns
- 4 bay leaves
- Handful of fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, sage, and parsley.
Instructions
- Transfer about 8 cups of cider or water to a saucepan. Add the salt and sugar. Bring it to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Let it go, stirring occasionally, until the salt and sugar have dissolved. When done, set it aside and let the liquid cool completely. (You can speed this up by adding ice.)
- Pour the cooled brine to your brining container. Add the rest of the cider along with the garlic cloves, herbs, and peppercorns. Squeeze the juice from the oranges and lemons into the pot (don’t worry about the pits), and place the squeezed orange and lemon into the pot as well. Slowly and carefully submerge the turkey into the brine (careful, the liquid level will rise). Cover and refrigerate for an hour per pound.
- When brining time is up, carefully transfer the turkey to the sink. (I line mine with plastic grocery bags to try and keep things more sanitary. You could also use plastic wrap.) Carefully but thoroughly rinse the turkey with low water pressure to avoid splashback. This will rinse of excess salt. If you skip rinsing, you will end up with too salty of a turkey.
- After the rinse, pat the turkey dry with paper towels and transfer it to a cooking vessel. You can now prepare it and season it as you normally would.
Notes
Nutritional information was calculated minus the brine as the turkey is served without the brine.
The length of time a turkey should be brined is 1 hour per pound.
Something to note with coarse kosher salts is that they vary in volume by brand. There are two main brands (Morton, which is most common and accessible here in the US, and Diamond Crystal), and they don't pack into measurements the same way due to their different textures. Diamond Crystal salt flakes are lighter and fluffier, so less salt is packed into the same measurement as Morton's. If you're using Diamond Crystal, add an extra teaspoon of salt to your brine.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 728kcal | Protein: 149g | Fat: 14g