The Best Turkey Brine Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the best way to brine a turkey? ›

Using the ratio of one cup kosher salt to one cup sugar per gallon of water, combine all your brine ingredients in a large pot, and bring to a boil to dissolve the salt and sugar. Remember that you may add aromatics like peppercorns, bay leaves, or citrus for flavor in the brine. Allow the solution to cool completely.

Dry-brining is our preferred method for seasoning both large and small pieces of meat, poultry, and sometimes even seafood. Along with producing juicy, flavorful results, dry-brining also helps us get better Maillard browning and crispy skin.

The amount of time will depend on the type of brine you use; however, do not brine any longer than two days and always keep the turkey and brine refrigerated (at 40°F or less).

You should always rinse the turkey after wet or dry brining. Once rinsed, you can let the turkey air dry, uncovered, in the refrigerator for several hours, or pat it dry with a paper towel.

One key reason is the taste—whether you wet-brine or dry-brine, using all! that! salt! infuses the bird with flavor, giving it an extra boost before you add any spices or aromatics. It also helps the meat retain its moisture and can help you avoid over-cooking, our associate food editor Kelsey Youngman explains.

Besides brining a whole turkey, you can also use this recipe to brine turkey breasts, turkey legs, or even whole chicken. You need need enough brine to cover the meat. Stick to the basic ratio of 4 quarts of water and 1 cup of kosher salt and scale it up or down as needed.

Basic Brine

Place that volume of water in a container large enough to hold the brine and the meat. Add 1 tablespoon of salt for every cup of water you used and mix until the salt is completely dissolved. For example, if you are using 1 gallon (16 cups) of water, add 16 tablespoons (1 cup) of salt.

Along with salt, sugar (either brown or white granulated) is a dry-brine must-have, essential both for its browning capabilities and flavor-enhancing properties. Breaking out the sugar is my favorite way to ensure that my turkey comes out perfectly tender and golden brown every November.

The rule of thumb is to let a chicken brine for approximately one hour per pound of meat, though you may want to lengthen or shorten that time depending on the strength of your salt solution or the level of salt you want to achieve.

DO NOT OVER BRINE! Remove turkey from brine, pat dry, and store in refrigerator (uncovered) until ready to cook. Your turkey can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days before cooking.

How long to brine a 16 pound turkey? ›

The brining time depends on the size of your turkey. As a general rule of thumb, you'll want to let the turkey brine for at least 1 hour per pound of turkey.

If you brine it any longer than 24 hours the turkey will be too salty. Do you have to refrigerate a turkey while brining it? Yes!

Butterball turkeys are of the highest quality product and will be sure to impress your guests. Here's why Butterball is the right choice, especially for the holiday season: Butterball turkeys are always tender and juicy because we take the extra step of individually pre-brining them based on size.

Be sure that the brine is cold before adding the thawed turkey. Place the turkey and brine in a brining bag or non-corrosive food-safe container, making sure the turkey is fully submerged in the liquid. Cover and keep in the refrigerator for the recommended amount of time.

As a general rule of thumb, brine meat for about one hour per pound. You can go longer, but keep in mind that it's definitely possible to over-brine your meat. Most over-brining simply makes everything a little too salty, and you can soak the meat in cold water to draw out the excess salt.

Yes, you'll need to carefully rinse the turkey (inside and out!) to remove some of the saltiness from the brine. I actually like to soak mine in cold water for about 15 minutes. This is the only time you should ever rinse a turkey! If you don't brine your turkey, you don't need to rinse it.

Since there's no water, salting doesn't increase the amount of water in the turkey to start, but the salt diffuses into the muscle tissue and breaks down some of its proteins, which helps it retain more water during cooking and seasons this seasonal treat.

Both Reynolds (Oven Roasting Bag for Turkeys) and Ziploc (XL Storage Bag) make very large food-safe bags that are great for brining. Place one of these bags in a large stockpot, which keeps everything together and makes clean-up easier. Otherwise, you can use a large bin or bucket or even a cooler.

Wet brines infuse flavor and moisture more quickly than dry brines; however, a larger vessel for the brining process will be needed as well as enough refrigerator space. Turkeys that have been wet brined often yield slightly less brown skin due to more water in the skin.