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.

Print the Turkey Brine Recipe Here