Brines for Turkey – How to Brine a Turkey
Brining a turkey allows for a very tender and moist roasted bird. Brining is easy and I highly recommend it! Your final result will be completely satisfying! If you do not have a large pot or room in your fridge, go ahead and brine your turkey in a cooler. Make sure it is packed with enough ice to last through the night. Here is what you need for this:
1 turkey
1 ½ cups coarse salt
¾ cup dark brown sugar
4 cups boiling water
4 bay leaves
1 TBS whole black peppercorns
Ice water
Remove giblets from turkey and reserve for making stock for gravy. Rinse the turkey thoroughly.
Place turkey in a large container – large enough to be able to cover it with brining liquid.
Place the salt and brown sugar in a separate bowl. Add boiling water and stir until dissolved. Add the bay leaves and peppercorns. Add enough ice water to cover the turkey.
Once the liquid is COLD pour it over the turkey. Make sure the whole bird is immersed. Cover your container with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the turkey overnight.
Remove turkey from brine when you are ready to cook it. Discard all of the liquid.
Mirjana McIlroy
November 23, 2010 at 10:30 am
I have a frozen turkey I will be using for thanksgiving, it’s a Butterball 13 lb Turkey. Can I still brine it the same as a fresh turkey? Any suggestions?
theFrugalChef
November 23, 2010 at 10:49 am
Absolutely! Please make sure it is completely thawed before you brine it. Happy Thanksgiving!
Mary Ann
Mirjana McIlroy
January 26, 2011 at 12:07 pm
This brine was perfect! We will be making turkey like this, every year, from now on. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Jen
December 24, 2011 at 2:51 pm
I made a turkey using this brine recipe for Thanksgiving this year. It turned out so delicious and moist that I’m doing it again tomorrow for Christmas dinner! Thank you so much for doing these helpful recipes and videos. Merry Christmas!