Easy Turkey Brine Recipe

Kristen's Keys for Brining a Turkey

Brining a turkey isn't complicated, but it does require a little planning. Let these tips help make the process as smooth, affordable, and mess-free as possible. 

• A fresh turkey works best. Frozen turkeys are often pre-injected with sodium, which can affect how well they absorb the brine. That said, brining a defrosted frozen turkey will still taste better than one that hasn't been brined.
• Timing is everything! If needed, plan for time to fully thaw a frozen turkey (3-5 days), prepare and cool turkey brine (1-2 days in advance), and brine the turkey (8-18 hours).
• Cool the brine completely. Pouring a warm brine over raw turkey is a food safety no-no. Make the brine a day or two in advance or use ice to speed up the cooling process.
• Don't trust a brining bag alone! After placing the turkey and turkey brine in a brining bag, place that bag into a large pot or bucket. This will help protect your fridge from any potential leaks.
• Temperature matters. Always keep the turkey and brine between 31°F and 40°F (any colder and the turkey or brine may freeze; any warmer and bacterial growth can occur). I personally recommend leaving room inside the refrigerator to ensure those temperatures are safely met.

Turkey Brine Ingredients

The star ingredient in any brine is kosher salt. The salt works to flavor and tenderize the turkey. But beyond the salt, the ingredients are simple and interchangeable.

• Water: While you certainly can use apple juice, apple cider, chicken stock, turkey stock, or vegetable broth to make your turkey brine, I find the difference in flavor to be negligible. I let the aromatics and herbs do the heavy lifting and stick with water to cut down on the overall cost.
• Kosher Salt: Only kosher salt will do! Table salt, or iodized salt, will lead to a metallic tasting turkey.
• Aromatics: Celery, onions, sweet apples, and garlic impart fresh, slightly sweet flavor to the brine.
• Herbs & Spices: Fresh garlic, thyme, and rosemary are my go-tos, as they add savory, earthy notes to the turkey.
• Brown Sugar: Dissolves easily into the wet brine and works to add subtle sweet notes to the turkey.

How to Brine a Turkey

While brining a turkey may seem complicated, I promise that the process is easy! Let my step-by-step process guide you and help you feel confident.

Step One: Thaw Turkey (3-5 days in advance)

If you are not starting with a fresh turkey, you will need to fully thaw the frozen turkey in the refrigerator before placing it into the brine. Plan for 24 hours for every 4 pounds of

👉🏻How long does a frozen turkey need to thaw? Plan for 24 hours in the fridge for every 4-5 pounds. A 20-pound turkey will likely need a full 5 days.

Step Two: Prepare Brine (1-2 days in advance)

In a large stock pot, combine salt, sugar, herbs, and aromatics with water. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the salt and sugar are fully dissolved.

Step 4: Brine the Turkey (8-18 hours in advance)

Don't skip the long soak in the brine! It is key to ensure the turkey turns out tender and juicy. Plan for 8 hours minimum or up to 18 hours. Longer than 18 hours, the proteins begin to break down.

• Remove and discard the packaging, gizzards, neck, and plastic pop-up timer from the turkey.
• Place the turkey in the brining bag, pour the chilled brine over the turkey.
• Add enough cold water to submerge the turkey fully in liquid.
• Seal the bag, place the brining bag in a bucket or large pot (just in case leaks occur).
• Place in refrigerator for 8-18 hours.

Step 5: Remove Turkey From Brine

After brining the turkey, it is time to cook it! But first let me give you a few pro-tips to keep in mind when removing the turkey from the brine, so clean-up is a breeze!

• Prepare the kitchen by removing any food or clean dishes from around your sink and place a trash can and roasting pan near the sink.
• Bring the turkey and brine to the sink. Remove the turkey from the brine and lightly rinse off the brine. Once rinsed and place it on the roasting pan and pat dry with paper towels. 
• Strain off the brining liquid and discard solids and bringing bag away in the trash. 

👉🏻Sanitize everything! After handling the raw turkey, be sure to sanitize your sink and counters with bleach to prevent food poisoning.

A Few Final Tips

• Budget-Friendly Trick: Leading up to the holiday meal, place scraps like onion peels, celery ends, apple peels and cores, and wilted herbs in a large freezer-safe bag the freezer (add to it as you collect the scraps) and use them in your brine to reduce food waste and cut costs.
• No room in the fridge? If it is reliably below 40°F and above 31°F outside, you can use a cooler, but monitor the temperature carefully to stay in the safe zone. Also, be mindful if you live in an area with critters!
• Note on Gravy: It is not recommended to make gravy using drippings from a brined turkey, as it is just too salty. You can opt to serve your brined turkey with my turkey gravy made without drippings or skip the gravy altogether--it is so flavorful and juicy you won't need it!

Complete Your Holiday Meal

Serve your Brined Turkey with crockpot mashed potatoes (so easy!), bread stuffing, sweet potato casserole, and cranberry orange sauce and/or one of the following dishes for a Thanksgiving dinner everyone will rave about.

• Green Bean Casserole from Scratch
• Twice Baked Butternut Squash
• Roasted Butternut Squash Salad
• Green Beans Almondine
• Corn Casserole
• Homemade Pumpkin Pie