How to Brine a Turkey -Best Turkey EVER!

Posted by on Monday, November 21st, 2011

How to Brine a Turkey

This is our third year to brine a turkey and we decided to make a video to share with you about the process.  Hope you enjoy it.

This is an easy way to prepare your turkey for that Thanksgiving feast.  The fruits and herbs which go into the brine give the turkey a savory flavor that is out of this world!  Kroger has fresh turkeys now, so pick up one as soon as possible, before they sell OUT!

In large stock pot add: turkey-brine-2

  • 2 gallons water (I filtered mine)
  • Zest of one orange + slices of remaining orange
  • Zest of one lemon + slices of remaining lemon
  • 1 package fresh rosemary (from Kroger produce section)
  • 1 package fresh thyme (from Kroger produce section)
  • 1 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 apple cut and diced
  • 1 ½ – 2 cups of salt
  • Toss in a few peppercorns if you have them
  • 4-5 bay leaves

Combine all ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil. Turn off heat immediately, cover, and allow mixture to come to room temperature. Cool mixture in the fridge until you’re ready to brine (I’m always in a hurry and added some ice to the brine).

To brine the turkey, remove turkey from wrapper, remove gross bags, and rinse thoroughly under cool water. Place the turkey into a plastic brining bag OR a very large pot. Pour cool brine mixture over the top, adding extra cold water if you need more to cover. Seal bag or cover pot and allow turkey to brine in refrigerator for 8-24 hours before roasting.

Before roasting, remove turkey from brine and rinse thoroughly under cold water. Pat dry. Discard brine.

When you brine your turkey, the drippings are quite salty. For this reason, it is VERY important that you use a no-sodium (or low-sodium) chicken broth when you make the turkey gravy.

Many frozen turkeys are injected with a sodium solution—it’s best NOT to brine these turkeys! Brine fresh turkeys for best results!

Coming to TARACOOKS.com tomorrow – HOW TO ROAST A TURKEY, and SOUTHERN CORNBREAD DRESSING!

Filed in Christmas,Holidays,Main Dishes,Thanksgiving | 3 responses so far

3 Responses to “How to Brine a Turkey -Best Turkey EVER!”

  1. Nikkion 26 Dec 2008 at 9:14 pm 1

    Yum Yum! :-)

  2. Gayleon 27 Dec 2008 at 8:21 pm 2

    I brined my turkey this Thanksgiving and it turned out so moist. I am going to do it every year now.

  3. […] turkey in brine (click here for recipe) for 8-24 […]