If you’ve ever wondered how to brine a turkey, it’s easier than you might think! Brining your turkey is the easiest way to take it from good to unforgettable. A few minutes of prep the night before is all it takes to make this year’s Thanksgiving turkey your best one yet!
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You’ll Love This Turkey Brine
The secret to a flavorful, juicy turkey starts the night before! Brining is optional in my Roasted Turkey recipe, but if you have the time, it’s so worth it! The turkey soaks overnight in a flavorful, herb-filled brine, seasoning it inside and out.
Why You’ll Love This Turkey Brine Recipe:
- Simple Ingredients: The ingredients for this brine are simple – salt, brown sugar, onion, garlic, lemon and a few herbs and spices.
- Flavor All The Way Through: Instead of just adding flavor to the outside of your turkey, this helps infuse flavor inside and out.
- Hands-Off: After just a few minutes on the stove, the brine will do the work while the turkey soaks in it overnight.
- No Special Equipment: All you need is a extra large pot or a brining bag that you can pick up at your local grocery store.
- Video: Make sure to check the recipe card at the bottom of the post to see a video of how this is made.
Turkey Brine Ingredients
This is a discussion about the ingredients. For the actual turkey brine recipe with amounts, please see the recipe below. Some ingredients shown above are for cooking the turkey in the oven after brining.
- Turkey: Make sure you pick a turkey that hasn’t been pre-seasoned, brined, or injected with flavor already. A good rule of thumb for turkey size depends on how many people you’re feeding: about 1 to 2 lbs of turkey per person.
- Water: You’ll need about a gallon of cold water. You’ll divide this up, but at least 4 cups of it need to be cold.
- Kosher Salt: I prefer kosher salt for a brine, but use whatever salt you have on hand.
- Yellow Onion: Just peel and quarter this, then stick it in the brine.
- Peppercorns: Whole black peppercorns are ideal.
- Garlic: No need to peel or chop each clove; just slice the whole head in half and add it to the brine.
- Herbs: I like fresh rosemary and thyme for this recipe. Feel free to add any extra herbs you’d like.
- Brown Sugar: This will give the brine a sweetness that will make the meat tender. You can substitute this for white sugar.
- Lemon: I like the brightness of lemon, but you could use lime or oranges.
How to Brine a Turkey
This is just a visual overview of how this recipe is made to help you visualize the process. For the actual recipe directions with full details, please see the recipe card below.
Step 1: Add brine ingredients to a large pot.
Step 2: Boil and simmer for a few minutes. Let the brine cool completely.
Step 3: Place the prepared turkey in a brining bag with the brine.
Step 4: Let cool in the fridge for at least 12 hours. Cook the following day.
Christi’s Tips For Success!
Pre-Brined Turkeys: If you accidentally grabbed a pre-brined/flavor-injected turkey and are wondering if it’s okay to brine it still, I would say yes and no under certain circumstances.
I’ve brined a Butterball Turkey before, which is injected with flavor and salt, and it still turned out great. The biggest risk of using a pre-brined turkey is the level of salt. If you still choose to brine, you can reduce the salt in the turkey brine recipe by 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup. Use your best judgment, though, and if you’re really worried about it, just skip the brine.
Thaw Before You Soak: Ideally you should have your turkey fully thawed before brining. While you can use a partially frozen turkey, it doesn’t absorb the brine as well and can run into food safety issues.
Tiny Turkey: You can use this brine process on a turkey breast if you are making that instead of a full size turkey. You can cut the ingredients in half if doing this.
Not Enough Fridge Space?: The fridge can get pretty full the night before Thanksgiving. If you don’t have room in your fridge, you can place your turkey in the brining bag in a large cooler and keep it surrounded with ice. If you go this route, make sure to check the ice level regularly as you MUST keep it at 40°F degrees or cooler for safety. Also, make sure to clean and sanitize your cooler after using.
How Long to Brine a Turkey: 12 hours is the sweet spot. I don’t like to leave it in the liquid for too long, but I also don’t want anything less than 12 hours. The best method is to brine it the night before cooking.
Dry Time: After brining you must give your turkey some time to dry prior to cooking.
Safety Tips for the Turkey
The brine must cool completely before submerging the turkey in it. If the brine is still warm, there is a chance it could partially cook the turkey while it sits enclosed for several hours, which could cause contamination. If you want to be extra safe about it, just add ice to the brine.
*One more time for safety – THE BRINE MUST BE COMPLETELY COOL BEFORE YOU PUT THE TURKEY INTO IT. Nobody wants food poisoning for Thanksgiving.*
Storing The Turkey and Brine
There are a couple of things to keep in mind when storing the turkey in the brine in the fridge.
Using A Pot: This is my top choice for this turkey brine recipe, as it is the best way to really submerge the turkey in the brine. I prefer to put the turkey in the bring bag, then into the pot, it just keeps things cleaner and reduce any spills.
Roasting Pan or Baking Sheet: You can also use a roasting pan or aluminum pan to hold the turkey in the bag. Do your best to let out any excess air from the bag, make sure the whole turkey is covered in liquid, and seal it tightly. Store it so the seal faces up to avoid leakage.
No Pan or Pot?: Some people have even used a five gallon bucket, though that is a bit too large for more refrigerators I’ve seen. But it’s an option if your fridge will accommodate it. Make sure to sanitize it well afterwards.
Avoid A Mess: While brining bags are made for this job, let’s be honest – turkeys can be heavy! I do not recommend putting it in the bag then picking it up by anything other than the bottom to support the weight. I also do not recommend putting it in your fridge without a pan or tray underneath it to catch any possible leaks.
Thanksgiving Recipes
Want to learn more about Turkey preparation for Thanksgiving? Check out my related recipes:
- How to Cook A Turkey In The Oven
- Air Fryer Turkey Breast
- How to Make Turkey Gravy from Drippings
- How to Make Turkey Gravy without Drippings – perfect if you are making a turkey breast versus entire turkey.
- See all my Thanksgiving Recipes here!
Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipe
Delicious and easy Thanksgiving side dish recipes.
Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes
While turkey may be the star of the show, everyone looks forward to the desserts!
Turkey Brine Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 whole turkey (12 to 16 pounds, thawed)
- 12 cups cold water (divided)
- 1 cup kosher salt
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 whole garlic (halved crosswise)
- 1 large yellow onion (quartered)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 lemon (sliced)
- ice (if necessary)
Instructions
- Start by adding 8 cups of water to a very large pot over medium heat. To the water, add the kosher salt, brown sugar, a whole head of garlic, onion, bay leaves, peppercorns, thyme, rosemary, and sliced lemons. Stir well, and allow it to come to a boil. Let the brine simmer for a few minutes to ensure the salt and sugar dissolve completely.
- Remove the pot from the heat and let the liquid come to room temperature. If you need to speed up the cooling process, add a bit of ice. Once it’s completely cooled, add 4 more cups of cold water to the brine.
- Prepare the thawed turkey. Remove the neck and giblets from the cavities. Either discard these or save them in a separate container in the fridge to cook them later.
- If it fits, you can place the turkey in the pot with the brine, OR place it in a brining bag and pour the contents of the pot into the bag with the turkey Place the turkey in bag into a pot or pan. Let the turkey sit in the brine in the fridge for no less than 12 hours, preferably overnight, to roast the next day. Turkey must be kept cold while brining – 40°F or below.
- Turkey does need time to dry completely before cooking, which usually takes around two hours.
- Season and cook turkey as desired. I recommend my Roasted Turkey recipe.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
The nutrition facts provided are calculated using a third-party tool and are estimates only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on the ingredients and brands you use, as well as portion sizes. For accurate results, please consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
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Meet Christi, Love From The Oven
I’m Christi I love sharing easy & delicious recipes that your family & friends will love. I’m a mom, baker, cookbook author and lover of sprinkles.
