This Turkey Brine Recipe will give you the most succulent and juicy bird you’ve ever had. Not only is this brine recipe easy and creates such a lovely turkey, but it also helps tenderize the meat. With almost zero effort and a little time, you’ll be the talk of the turkey table.
Let’s get started!
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what is a brine and why is it important?
Do you like a juicy, juicy turkey? Then you need to brine it before you cook it. It’s just that simple.
A brine is basically salt water. Most of the time, a brine is salt water plus a sugar of some sort and other ingredients and aromatics to add flavor.
What happens when you brine something is that the salt in the brine mixture helps the protein absorb and retain more water. Because cooking always means a loss of moisture, brining just helps prevent that as much as possible.
Brining, in the end, is a super simple step to help prevent your bird from drying out. Nobody likes turkey jerky. Nobody.
turkey brine ingredients
- Kosher Salt
- Dijon Mustard
- Yellow Mustard
- Brown Sugar
- Fresh Thyme Sprigs
- Peppercorns
- Bay Leaves
- Garlic
- Onions or Shallots
- Water and Ice
how to brine the bird
Like I said, brining a turkey is a super simple step to create the most succulent bird you’ll ever eat. There is little do it and it’s so easy.
First step, grab your husband’s favorite beer cooler. Clean it out and scrub it on the inside. Scrub it on the outside. It probably needed it anyway, but it’s imperative you start with a clean cooler.
Next, heat up the water. You do not have to cook this brine on the stovetop for hours on end. You need to have water hot enough to dissolve the salt and sugar. That’s it. I use my kettle, heat the water, and pour enough on the brine ingredients to stir and dissolve the salt and sugar.
After the salt and sugar have been dissolved, add the remaining water. This time, add cold water. Cold as you can get. When you pour the brine over the turkey, it needs to be very cold to prevent any cooking and for food safety reasons. We will even add ice to help with this.
Now, just pour over the brine over the turkey that’s in the clean beer cooler. Add a good amount of ice and shut the lid.
I suggest checking the cooler for ice occasionally. It’s very, very important that the turkey and the brine remain cold.
Other than that, that’s all you have to do. In 24 hours, your bird will be ready to cook!
frequently asked questions
If you have a pot big enough to brine a turkey in, then you have a big ole pot. However, you’ll need a ton of space in your fridge to keep said turkey and pot.
I like brining in a cooler because I can keep all the needed space in my fridge open. A cooler will also help keep the ice from melting and help prevent any chance of food safety issues.
Just make sure you thoroughly clean the cooler on the inside and the outside. Scrub scrub scrub.
I would recommend brining the turkey at least 8 hours. The size bird I buy will brine for about 24 hours and I’ve seen recipes that call for 36 hours.
I would not go long than 36 hours, however. The salt in the brine can make the protein in the bird break down and you don’t want that. It will result in a strange textured bird. Woof.
After your turkey has taken its brine bath, the liquid needs to be discarded. It’s done its job.
I 100% recommend using kosher salt for a brine. The flavor and its ability to dissolve is what you need and want for this recipe.
Using table salt would not be a good idea as it is too salty and too bitter. I know that sounds odd, but yes, salt can be too salty.
My favorite kosher salt is the Diamond Crystal brand. I like the size of the grain and the flavor.
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Turkey Brine Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup kosher salt
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup dijon mustard
- ½ cup yellow mustard
- 3-4 dried bay leaves
- 1 bunch fresh thyme 2-3 Tablespoons if using dried
- 2 tbsp whole peppercorns
- 2 heads garlic, halved
- 1 large onion, halved
- 1 gallon water
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add all of the ingredients except the water.
- Heat about half of the water to almost boiling and add to the bowl of ingredients. Whisk until the sugar and salt have completely dissolved.
- Add the rest of the water, but this time, make sure it is very cold.
- Pour the brine over the turkey and add ice to ensure both the brine and the bird are very cold. Brine the turkey for 24 hours.
- Remove turkey from the brine and discard the liquid. Cook turkey as desired.
Nutrition
Thank you!
I am so incredibly happy that you are here! I hope you try my Turkey Brine recipe and fall in love with it. If you make this recipe, please share and tag me on Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok! And, please leave a comment or review. I absolutely love seeing each and every one of your kitchen masterpieces. And, as always, if you ever have any questions about any of my recipes, please don’t hesitate to contact me!
Happy Cooking!
–Rufus
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Next up, let’s fry a turkey!
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