Ree's Turkey Brine Recipe Is the Key to Your Best Thanksgiving Bird Yet (2024)

I brine a Thanksgiving turkey every year because it's the right thing to do. Brining involves soaking a turkey in a very salty solution for a certain length of time, long enough for the salt to infiltrate the turkey and actually alter the molecular structure of the meat. It doesn't turn it into a salty mess, either. It just results in a juicy, fantastic turkey. If you've never brined a turkey, you'll just have to trust me on this. It really makes all the difference and adds so much flavor.

You can buy ready-made brining solutions. I used to buy one at Williams-Sonoma. But making one is a cinch, too. You basically need salt and a mix ofother seasoning ingredients. I like to balance the saltiness with the mild sweetness of apple cider (and, okay, the not-so-mild sweetness of brown sugar). It's the easiest way toseason a turkey!

There's a couple important things to remember, though:

Though you can brine a frozen, thawed bird, it's best to brinefresh turkeys. Brining a frozen turkey isn't always necessary, because frozen turkeys are typically alreadyinjected with a sodium solution. Putting this into a well-salted brinecould lead to over-seasoning.There are, however,some organic frozen turkeys that have a much lower concentration of the sodium solution. That said, it's best to stick to a fresh turkey for optimal brining results and flavor!

Making homemade turkey gravy from the drippings of a brined turkey can result in a really salty gravy if you're not careful. Don't worry, I'll show you a few steps that will prevent this from happening.

What's the best way to cook a brined turkey?

I think roasting the bird is the way to go because it requires no special equipment (well, other than a good meat thermometer so you don't overcook it!). You could also smoke this brined turkey if you wanted. If you want to fry it, though, take the turkey out of the brine 24 hours before frying. Let it sit uncovered in your refrigerator during that time so the outside has a chance to dry. You never want to take a turkey from abrine straight tohot oil as the excess liquid can cause lots of dangerous splattering!

Do you spatchco*ck a turkey before or after brining it?

Brine, then spatchco*ck.Spatchco*cking a turkeyis a technique that essentially butterflies the bird. Youremove the backbone so the turkey lies flat and cooks quicker than a whole bird. That said,a spatchco*cked turkey also absorbs salt and seasoning quicker than a whole bird. So, to avoid a too-salty turkey, brine your bird first, then, do the spatchco*cking.

Can you make the brine ahead of time?

Yes, you can make it several days in advance and store it in the fridge until you're ready to submerge your bird!

How long should you brine a turkey?

Shoot for atleast 16 hours butno longer than 24 hours. If you brine it any longer than 24 hours the turkey will be too salty.

Do you have to refrigerate a turkey while brining it?

Yes! Do not leave aturkey brining on the counter or it'll spoil. Treat it just like you would a raw turkey, because that's what it is—always refrigerate it!

Do you rinse a turkey after brining?

Yes, you'll need to carefully rinse the turkey (inside and out!) to remove some of the saltiness from the brine. I actually like to soak mine in cold water for about 15 minutes.This is the only time you should ever rinse a turkey! If you don't brine your turkey, you don't need to rinse it. But you should definitely brine it, just so I'm clear.

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Yields:
18 serving(s)
Prep Time:
10 mins
Cook Time:
15 mins
Total Time:
25 mins

Ingredients

Directions

    1. Step1Combine all of the ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil, stirring until the salt and sugar dissolve. Turn off theheat, cover,and allow the brine to cool completely.
    2. Step2Place the uncooked turkey in a large brining bag or pot, pour in the brine solution to cover the turkey, and refrigerate for 16 to 24 hours.
    3. Step3Before roasting, remove the turkey from the brine (discard the brine) and submerge the turkey in a pot or sink filled with fresh, cold water for 15 minutes. This removes excess salt from the outside.
    4. Step4Remove the turkey from the water, pat verydry, and cook according to your normal roasting method.

It's time. It's time for Thanksgiving recipes.

I don't care that it's not even Halloween yet!

Oh, I know how it goes. Every year around this time, I think I have all this time to post Thanksgiving recipes on this little food blog of mine. I think, "It's not even Halloween yet. I've got all the time in the world!" Then it happens. It's the same every year. We dress up our children in Iron Man and Richard Nixon costumes, go trick-or-treating in our quaint little town, then by the time they're on their last piece of candy—which is actually like twenty hours later—it's suddenly Christmas. And I’m looking around my kitchen and my little food blog like, "Okay… what just happened?"

And then I ask my children if they have any candy left because I'm having a wicked sugar craving. And they tell me to go bake a pie or something. Smart aleck little varmints. Anyway, today I'm sharing my step-by-step method for brining a turkey. I brine a turkey every year.

Ree's Turkey Brine Recipe Is the Key to Your Best Thanksgiving Bird Yet (2)

Here's what you need:

Ree's Turkey Brine Recipe Is the Key to Your Best Thanksgiving Bird Yet (4)

Cut off the top and bottom of each orange.

Ree's Turkey Brine Recipe Is the Key to Your Best Thanksgiving Bird Yet (6)

Carefully slice off the peel in sections.

Ree's Turkey Brine Recipe Is the Key to Your Best Thanksgiving Bird Yet (8)

Mmm. Fragrant to the max.

Strip the leaves off the rosemary sprigs, measure the salt, sugar, bay leaves, and peppercorns. Inhale. Exhale. Thank the Lord above for the aromas that spring forth from the earth.

At least that's what I do every time I make this turkey brine.

(Oh, and you'll need some minced garlic. I just forgot that step. Happens.)

Ree's Turkey Brine Recipe Is the Key to Your Best Thanksgiving Bird Yet (12)

Pour three cups of apple cider into a stock pot.

Ree's Turkey Brine Recipe Is the Key to Your Best Thanksgiving Bird Yet (14)

Add two gallons of water…

Ree's Turkey Brine Recipe Is the Key to Your Best Thanksgiving Bird Yet (16)

A cup and a half of salt…

Ree's Turkey Brine Recipe Is the Key to Your Best Thanksgiving Bird Yet (18)

Two cups of brown sugar…

Ree's Turkey Brine Recipe Is the Key to Your Best Thanksgiving Bird Yet (20)

Bay leaves…

Ree's Turkey Brine Recipe Is the Key to Your Best Thanksgiving Bird Yet (22)

Rosemary…

Ree's Turkey Brine Recipe Is the Key to Your Best Thanksgiving Bird Yet (24)

Peppercorns…

Ree's Turkey Brine Recipe Is the Key to Your Best Thanksgiving Bird Yet (26)

And orange peel.

And the forgotten garlic.

Ree's Turkey Brine Recipe Is the Key to Your Best Thanksgiving Bird Yet (28)

Loveliness!

Ree's Turkey Brine Recipe Is the Key to Your Best Thanksgiving Bird Yet (30)

Now, bring the mixture to a boil, then immediately turn off the heat and cover the pot. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature; feel free to stick it in the fridge or freezer halfway through the cooling down process

Ree's Turkey Brine Recipe Is the Key to Your Best Thanksgiving Bird Yet (32)

This is an alien hand (left) and a brining bag.

I'm obsessed with brining bags. Obsessed!

It's all I think about anymore.

Ree's Turkey Brine Recipe Is the Key to Your Best Thanksgiving Bird Yet (34)

Here’s the turkey inside the brining bag.

Ree's Turkey Brine Recipe Is the Key to Your Best Thanksgiving Bird Yet (36)

Once the brine solution is cooled, pour it over the turkey.

Ree's Turkey Brine Recipe Is the Key to Your Best Thanksgiving Bird Yet (38)

Now you’ll just need to seal up the bag and refrigerate it for at least sixteen hours. Twenty-four hours is better, though, especially for a large turkey. Place the turkey, breast side down, in the bag, but 2/3 of the way through the brining, flip the turkey in the bag to make sure it brines evenly. Just pretend you’re an obstetrician and you’re trying to get a breach baby to flip!

Note: This is enough brine for a 20-pound turkey. If you feel as though the turkey needs even more liquid, just top it off with more water and it'll be fine. If you're using a much smaller turkey or a turkey breast, just halve the recipe.

Next up: Roasting this dang thing. (Here are the turkey roasting instructions!)

The fun has only just begun.

Ree's Turkey Brine Recipe Is the Key to Your Best Thanksgiving Bird Yet (2024)

FAQs

How many days before Thanksgiving should I brine my turkey? ›

Youngman says you'll want to brine the turkey a few days in advance, before cooking. While you can brine it overnight, "two to three days is kind of the sweet spot of flavor."

How to make the juiciest tastiest Thanksgiving turkey according to science? ›

  1. Make your dry brine: Mix 1.5 percent of your turkey's weight in salt with seasonings and baking powder.
  2. 24 to 48 hours before roasting, coat your turkey (defrosted or not) with the dry brine and refrigerate.
  3. One hour before roasting, remove your turkey from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature.
Nov 19, 2018

Does it make sense to brine a Butterball turkey? ›

"If you want to you can, but you don't have to," says Miller. "Most turkeys are already brined. Butterball turkeys have a solution in them that really helps to keep them moist and juicy and tender. If you're going to brine it, we do suggest that you cut down on the salt.”

Is brining a turkey worth it? ›

Both the bird soaked in brine and the bird soaked in water gained a significant amount of weight prior to roasting, but while the watered bird lost nearly all of that weight as it cooked, the brined bird retained a good deal more. This corresponded to a juicier texture on eating.

Do you rinse a turkey after brining? ›

According to a study by the food safety experts at the USDA, washing or rinsing raw turkey can put you at risk of foodborne illness. There's only one time you should wash a raw turkey, and that is after brining. Otherwise, do not wash a turkey before cooking.

Does a turkey need to be refrigerated while brining? ›

Then place the turkey in the brine and place in the refrigerator. Don't leave the turkey sitting out at room temperature while brining. Place the bird breast down in a large container made of food-grade plastic, stainless steel or glass, or a brining bag. Be sure the container will fit in your fridge.

What is the secret to a moist turkey? ›

HOW TO COOK A PERFECTLY MOIST AND JUICY TURKEY. Start by “brining” the turkey. This means soaking it in salt water overnight in the fridge (generally using a brining bag). You can also add a few flavors to the brine if you so desire.

Do you use baking soda or baking powder for brine? ›

This is why you can and should use baking powder over soda in most cases. Adding baking powder to your rub or dry brine will also break down peptide bonds (the link between amino acids and building blocks of protein). Meat is slightly acidic and tends to be moist.

What is the trick to crispy skin on turkey? ›

In fact, I use it literally every single time I cook skin-on chicken, turkey, duck, or goose. That trick is a sprinkling of baking powder, and it'll get you the crispiest, crackliest bites of fatty, salty skin imaginable, whether you're cooking just one thigh, a plate of wings, or an entire bird.

Why not stuff a brined turkey? ›

Q: Can I stuff a brined turkey? A: We do not recommend stuffing a brined bird because the drippings from the turkey can add too much salt to the stuffing. We prefer to cook our stuffing separately.

Are frozen turkeys already brined? ›

Each turkey is pre-brined before freezing for meat that's always tender and juicy. Frozen turkey can be purchased ahead of time for convenience and thawed prior to cooking.

Does brining a turkey make it taste salty? ›

While it unquestionably injects a lot of flavor in the turkey and helps it to retain a lot of juiciness and moisture, it also can result in saltier drippings, which can cause problems with both the stuffing (if you stuff your bird, which I don't generally do) and the gravy, since the gravy is made from turkey drippings ...

How long should you brine a 12 lb turkey? ›

As a general rule of thumb, you'll want to let the turkey brine for at least 1 hour per pound of turkey. Here's a breakdown of how long to brine a turkey based on size:
  1. 12–14-lb. turkey: 16–18 hours.
  2. 14–16-lb. turkey: 18–20 hours.
  3. 16–18-lb. turkey: 20–22 hours.
  4. 18–20-lb. turkey: 22–24 hours.
Oct 23, 2023

Can you brine a turkey too long? ›

Brining for too long can result in meat that tastes overly-salty and has a spongy texture. If you're not ready to roast the bird after 18 hours, remove it from the brine, rinse it, pat it dry, and refrigerate for up to two days.

Is it better to wet or dry brine a turkey? ›

Both ways produce a flavorful and moist turkey but have other important considerations that may impact your choice. Wet brines infuse flavor and moisture more quickly than dry brines; however, a larger vessel for the brining process will be needed as well as enough refrigerator space.

How far in advance should I dry brine turkey? ›

We recommend dry-brining the turkey for at least 12 hours, or up to 48 hours in advance of cooking. This gives the brine enough time to penetrate the meat of the bird for the most flavorful and juicy results. If you're trying to get ahead of your turkey-day prep, just don't brine the turkey too far in advance.

Is it safe to dry brine a turkey for 3 days? ›

With a dry brine for turkey, you can't really overdo it, but you'll probably want to max out the salt-covered rest at three full days before moving your bird to a preheated oven.

What if I don't brine my turkey? ›

Brining a turkey is totally optional. If you're short on time or just want the most straight-forward method to roast a turkey, skip the brining step and just use the Simple Roasted Turkey method. Some people swear that brining yields the most tender, juicy meat, but it takes planning ahead.

Do brined turkeys cook faster? ›

Continue to roast until internal temperature reaches 165°F. NOTE: A brined turkey cooks slightly faster than an unbrined turkey, so check the internal temperature frequently. Remove turkey from the oven and allow to stand for 20 minutes before carving.

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