Who wouldn’t want to eat a tender, moist, and flavorful turkey for their Thanksgiving feast? Brining is a salt marinade which causes the meat tissues to absorb water and flavorings by breaking down the proteins. This is why brining is a popular method of preparing a Thanksgiving turkey because any moisture loss while roasting still produces a juicy and flavorful turkey.
It’s important to note that you do not want to brine a kosher or self-basting bird. Otherwise the turkey will be too salty.
Most brining recipes call for a gallon of water or stock and a cup of salt and sugar each. From there, people often add apple juice, vinegar, whiskey, and other aromatics. I like to keep things simple by using ingredients I have in the pantry.
A few weeks ago I brined a turkey for two days for my father’s birthday. Everyone commented on how juicy and tender the turkey was. Dad was happy, I was happy, and I decided brining is the only way I’ll ever prepare turkey again.
I thought I would share with you how I brined the turkey.
Using a thawed turkey, I removed the giblets and neck from the inside. Next, I rinsed the outside and inside of the bird thoroughly. Then, I set the turkey in a rimmed roasting pan and pat it dry with paper towels.
I placed an oven roasting bag in a large soup pot with the opening of the bag over lapping the rim of the pot, carefully placing the turkey in the bag.
***Many people will tell you to brine your turkey in heavy duty garbage bags, Home Depot style pails, and XXL size ziplock bags. I’ve read that garbage bags shouldn’t be used because they are not made from food-grade plastic. Unless you have a second refrigerator, I don’t see how a large pail can fit in a family refrigerator. I also had a hard time finding the XXL ziplock bags. So what I decided the most practical thing to to do was buy poultry oven roasting bags I knew would fit my turkey. I also emptied out, washed, and sanitized the bottom meat drawer of the refrigerator. I found this was a good way to brine my turkey with the least amount of hassle, taking up the least amount of space, and kept the turkey nice and cold.
I slowly poured the brine into the bag and tied a loose knot.
I carefully transferred the turkey to the (cleaned and sanitized) meat drawer from the refrigerator with the knot facing upwards. I marinated the turkey for 1 day before turning the turkey over so the top side was bottom, and the bottom was top. This way both halves of the turkey had ample time to marinate. I basted the upper side of the turkey once during the process.
When it was time to roast the bird, I rinsed the turkey again, including the inner cavity. I patted the turkey dry before lathering with seasoned butter before cooking. This is how I brined the bird and highly recommend you do the same for moist, flavorful turkey!
*Notes:
-Someone suggested in the comments that you should brine your bird for 1 hour for every pound. I think this is a good rule of thumb but I have brined for longer with good results too.
-I’m getting asked a lot if a person can brine a pre-seasoned turkey. Technically speaking, experts say not to. However, I have and I cut the brine time down in half with no problems of excess salt. I am not recommending you do this but just sharing my own experience. Your mileage may vary (YMMV).
-The “things” floating in the picture are not anchovies or sardines as people have mistaken them for in the comments. They’re ice cubes. 🙂
Here’s my guide on how to roast a turkey.
- 12 cups water, divided
- 1 cup kosher salt
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sage
- 2 tablespoons thyme
- 2 tablespoons rosemary
- 1 tablespoon pepper
- 4 cups ice
- Bring 4 cups of water to a simmering boil. Add salt and sugar. Stir until the sugar has completely dissolved. Turn off the heat. Stir in 8 cups cold water, apple cider vinegar, sage, thyme, rosemary, pepper, and ice. The brine is ready to be used.
- Remove giblets and neck from the cavity. Rinse the outside and inside of a thawed turkey. Using paper towels, pat the turkey dry. Complete submerge the turkey in a large soup pot bigger than the bird and cover with a lid. Allow the turkey to marinate for 12 hours for a small turkey (8-10 lbs) and up to a full day for a bigger bird. (Update: 11/27/13 - You may need to flip your bird half way through the brine process) Rinse turkey and pat dry before adding additional seasoning, butter, or oil in preparation for roasting.
Here’s my guide on How to Roast a Turkey. Click here for the recipe.
Alice Currah says
Geneva,
Sounds wonderful. Some friends and I were just discussing the cheese cloth method. I haven’t done it personally but I am intrigued! Happy Thanksgiving!
Geneva says
I’m so excited to be cooking Thanksgiving dinner by myself this year. I’ve been wanting to do it for a while. I’ve never brined anything so I’m especially nervous. I believe it’s going to be good. I had to make a few adjustments but after reading a lot of the comments I’m confident that I’m on the right track. One of the things I modified was with the herbs. I used half the amount of each herb in the brine and put the other half in 2 sticks melted butter. After I rinse the turkey of the excess brine I will soak cheesecloth in the butter and wrap the turkey with the cheesecloth. This will give it a buttery outside and load it with flavor all while the cheesecloth protects it from drying out during roasting time. I can’t wait to try my turkey! Thank you so much for the easy brine recipe. 😉
Iva says
So I’ve brined my turkey and am ready to cook. Can I add additional seasoning?
bree bosley says
Hi there, can I still make turkey gravy if I brine the turkey. Also, will it taste ok to brine the turkey and cook it in the reynolds bag? Thank you
Melissa says
Basting: butter vs olive oil? Thanks!
Jasmine says
Hi,I was interested to know what is the difference between Kosher salt and regular salt.
Molz says
Is the bag important? I was thinking of doing it in a large metal pot. Will it cause a reaction with the salt?
Thanks for recipe. I’m looking forward to trying it. I just don’t want to go to the store again to get the oven bag.:)
Di says
I brined for the first time last year and WOW! what a difference. You cannot mess it up as long as it sits in the brine for a good 20 hours. I’m lucky to have a 2nd fridge that I can put the huge pot full of turkey brine and all. I throw in tons of herbs in the brine thyme, rosemary and sage plus lots of roasted garlic! You will notice how moist your turkey is after roasting or deep frying. We do both! Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving.
Terry C. says
In agreement with everyone who has given a big THANK YOU for taking time out of this busy Thanksgiving season to offer so much help. This will be my first time brining and your instructions and apparent ease trumped anything foodnetwork.com had to offer. You’re appreciated! If I screw this up the fault will be mine. 🙂
Alice Currah says
Hi JC,
Yes you can use table salt but I would cut the amount in half because it is way stronger than Kosher. Hope that helps! Happy Thanksgiving.
Alice Currah says
Hi Bernardo,
You can stuff the turkey with unbaked stuffing or bake it its own baking dish. I prefer the latter because roasting a stuffed turkey takes longer if you dress it. As for the brine, YOU MUST RINSE it first… and rinse it really well. Then pat it dry with paper towels. I also like to let the uncooked turkey rest on the counter its roasting pan for 60 minutes prior to baking. Hope this helps! Happy Thanksgiving from Seattle!
Alice Currah says
Hi George,
It’s to cool the water down so the heat doesn’t start mess with the turkey. You would be surprised how a little bit of warm water can start cooking the outside layer of the meat.
George says
Very helpful, but I have a few questions. First one ever doing this myself. Moved out of my parents house this past year and I’m not too sure why I suggested everyone come to my house this year lol.
Excuse my ignorance, but I looked over the steps a bunch of times. Can someone tell me exactly what the ice cubes are for? Is that a part of making the actual brine? Again, sorry if this was answered in the instructions, but I really feel lost right now lol.
Any help on the process of making the actual brine is greatly appreciated.
Anyway, thanks for this. I really needed it.
Bernardo Hinkelmann says
Hi Alice!
First of all, thanks a lot for you amazing website. I am cooking my first thanksgiving dinner ever, I live in Berlin and here we have no tradition of thanksgiving. But, in spite of that, I gather with friends every year to have dinner on this date, and this time I am the one hosting and preparing the dinner. I could say 80% of my dinner is coming from your website 😀
I started the brining today, added a couple of other spices besides what you described – I like to create a bit… But my question is more about the roasting… Shall I rinse the brining away before putting the turkey in the oven, shall I use it somehow?
I have another question related to the stuffing, I am following the recipe you also give here in your website (https://savorysweetlife.com/thanksgiving-stuffing-recipe/) and I would like to know how do I stuff the turkey with it? I mean, the stuffing will be baked, so I stuff the turkey with not baked or baked stuffing? Or a different type of stuffing?
Again, thanks a LOT for your help.
Gobble gobble, happy thanksgiving 🙂
JC says
I’m on a very limited budget this week and have a turkey already but really down to pennies at the moment. Is it possible to use regular salt as opposed to kosher salt, all the brining recipes I see say to use kosher.
Alice Currah says
Yes, the brine will look unsightly green. Don’t worry, you will rinse most of it off. Yes, use dried herbs for the brine, fresh herbs to garnish your serving platter. Happy Thanksgiving!
Nichole says
Thanks for the great step by step instructions. I do have one question though, can you use ground dried herbs and if so should I decrease the amount? I started my brine and it looks a little green.
Alice Currah says
Thank you Lauren. Happy Thanksgiving!
Lauren says
This was my first time to brine a turkey. I just want to say thank you for the step by step instructions and all the little extra tips you provided. It made for a very easy process! Can’t wait to try it tomorrow. Happy Thanksgiving!
Alice Currah says
Hi Tina,
Thanks for your encouragment. Glad you are enjoying the recipes. Happy Thanksgiving.
Alice Currah says
Hi Karen,
Most people recommend brining 1 hour per pound of turkey. I like to double that amount. If you’ve been brining since Sunday, I would recommend removing the turkey from the brine and rinsining it off well. Wrap the turkey in plastic wrap really well and place in a extra large freezer bag and keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to roast. Remove from the fridge one hour before roasting to bring it to room temperature and roast acccordingly. Don’t forget to rinse the turkey off one more time before roasting making sure to pat it dry with paper towels. With your hands, rub olive or canola oil all over the turkey before putting it in the oven.
Alice Currah says
Hi Veronica,
It is a personal choice. I don’t like stuffing the turkey because it increases roasting time and some people complain the brine makes the stuffing too salty. But if you don’t salt your stuffing and your rinse your turkey well, it shouldn’t be a problem.
Alice
Alice Currah says
Hi Tony,
No, your turkey will not be sweet.
Alice Currah says
Hi Nicole,
Brine for 1 hour for every pound of turkey. Happy Thanksgiving.
Alice Currah says
Thanks Bentley, appreciate your input!