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Easy turkey brine recipe. This wet brine will make your turkey tender and juicy when roasted, grilled, or fried. Learn how to brine a turkey for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or at any time for any occasion.
This turkey brine is similar to my chicken brine recipe. It’s easy, simple and quick to make the brine itself.
Brining makes turkey moist and crispy all the time and now is the time to share my recipe just in time for Thanksgiving.
Turkey is not a flavorful bird and to get flavor in it and avoid dry turkey, it’s best to brine turkey before roasting.
Turkey Brine Recipe
With this quick turkey brine, you need just about 10 minutes to make the brine solution, then depending on the size of the turkey, you then brine for 3-12 hours.
This turkey wet brine makes use of the basics salt and water with some other ingredients like rosemary, thyme, lemon or oranges, parsley, black pepper, brown sugar to enhance the flavor.
You will need a deep pot or bowl big enough to contain the turkey or you can make use of a brine bag.
This is a simple turkey brine recipe and you will be glad of the outcome.
Ingredients
Detailed list of ingredients, directions, and video are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
This recipe makes 3 liters of brine which is enough for 3kg Turkey. For a bigger bird, which will require a bigger container, you can increase the recipe by calculation.
Whole Turkey – Remove the giblets before brining.
Salt– Kosher salt is popularly used but i use sea salt or table salt. For this post, i used sea salt.
Sugar or honey
Bay leaves
Thyme
Rosemary
Parsley
Lemon
Garlic
Onion
How to Brine Turkey
Step 1: Prep the ingredients and remove giblets from the turkey.
2: Place a pot on stove and add 2 cups of water.
Step 3: Add in the sea salt and stir till dissolved then add in the brown sugar, bay leaves, rosemary, thyme, black pepper, and all other ingredients except the turkey. Stir till the sugar is also dissolved in the water.
4: Take the pot off the stove then add the remaining water. Leave the solution to cool completely.
Step 5: Immerse the turkey in the brine breast side up ensuring it’s covered with the solution.
Put in the fridge to brine for at least 3 hours but do not exceed 2days.
After the dedicated time, remove the turkey from the brine, and discard the solution.
Pat the turkey dry, brush with butter, and it’s ready to roast in the oven.
How long should you brine turkey
Whole turkey – I recommend 3 hours for every 2kg (3.5lb) of turkey
Turkey breasts (crown)- 3 hours for every 3kg.
You should brine for atleast 3 hours and up to 24 hours depending on the size. Do not exceed 48 hours.
How to Dry Brine Turkey (Dry Turkey Rub)
First you make the dry brine. I use my easy turkey seasoning recipe for this.
Next, you pat the turkey dry then apply the dry rub all over, inside, and under the skin of the turkey.
I recommend you use 3 tablespoons of the seasoning for every 1 kg turkey.
Leave to marinate for 3 – 24 hours before cooking.
How to Roast a Brined Turkey
To roast your turkey after brining, follow these simple steps:
Place turkey on an oven tray with the breast facing up then brush with melted butter and black pepper.
For a 3kg brined turkey, roast in the oven for 90 minutes at a temperature of 200C or until the juice runs clear.
Bring the roasted turkey out of the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes before cutting.
Serve and enjoy.
Tips
- Check that the turkey isn’t pre-salted.
- Ensure the salt and sugar are fully dissolved in water before taking the pot off the stove.
- Allow the brine to completely cool down before immersing the turkey.
- Don’t over brine your turkey
- Lightly salt chicken after brining the chicken to avoid making it salty.
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Easy Turkey Brine Recipe (How to Brine Turkey)
Equipment
- Pot
Ingredients
- 3 kg Turkey
- 4 tablespoons Sea salt
- 4 tablespoons Brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Black pepper
- 2 Bay leaves
- 6 sprigs Rosemary
- 10 sprigs Thyme
- 10 springs Parsley
- 1 Big Lemon
- 3 litres Water
- 3 cloves Garlic Optional
Instructions
- Prep the ingredients and remove giblets from the turkey.
- Place a pot on stove and add 2 cups of water.
- Add in the sea salt and stir till dissolved then add in the brown sugar, bay leaves, rosemary, thyme, black pepper, and all other ingredients except the turkey. Stir till the sugar is also dissolved in the water.
- Take the pot off the stove then add the remaining water. Leave the solution to cool completely.
- Immerse the turkey in the brine breast side up ensuring it's covered with the solution. Put in the fridge to brine for at least 3 hours but do not exceed 2days.After the dedicated time, remove the turkey from the brine, and discard the solution.
- Pat the turkey dry, brush with butter, and it’s ready to roast in the oven.
Recipe Notes
- Check that the turkey isn’t pre-salted.
- Ensure the salt and sugar are fully dissolved in water before taking the pot off the stove.
- Allow the brine to completely cool down before immersing the turkey.
- Don’t over brine your turkey
- Lightly salt chicken after brining the chicken to avoid making it salty.
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