Why brine a turkey

To minimize cleanup, line the container with a liner bag. If you don't have the fridge space for a 5-gallon container, you can place the turkey in tied bag inside an ice chest. Replenish ice as necessary to keep the temperature 40 degrees F. Note: If you cannot fully submerge the turkey, you will need to turn it periodically so that each side rests in the brine. The basic ratio for a wet turkey brine is to use 2 cups of kosher salt or coarse sea salt for every 2 gallons of water.

The benefit of a wet brine is that it can work slightly quicker than a dry brine because it infuses the entire turkey in a salty solution. Wet brines take no longer than 24 hours, whereas a dry brine can be effective for up to 72 hours.

Proceed with your preferred recipe , but remember that the turkey has already absorbed a significant amount of salt; any drippings that you use for gravy will already be salty, and no salt should be added to compound butters or spice rubs.

Brined turkey also tends to cook a bit faster, so begin checking your bird's temperature about an hour before the end of your estimated cooking time. Dry-brining does exactly what wet-brining does, only without the water and the big ol' bucket. It's serious salting, essentially. Check out How to Dry Brine a Turkey.

Check out our collection of Turkey Brine Recipes. How to Brine a Turkey. By Carl Hanson Updated July 15, Each product we feature has been independently selected and reviewed by our editorial team. Totally the best brine ever!

How big of a cooler do I need for a 13 lb Turkey? Also, howling does it take to dry the turkey? You can use a quart cooler for most turkeys. Then I always dry it overnight before Thanksgiving. My turkey is 22 lbs. Would it be wise to use 3 gallons of water and 3 cups of salt?

Would I add more herbs and spices as a result? Also, I only h and very one oven and need it for all the other side items, so I use a roaster to cook my turkey…..

I used your brine recipe and it was delicious!! Had to hunt for juniper berries Walmart. What I did different were; used Kosher salt 1cup, 3 cups of apple cider and 2 gallons of water. Brine 2 days. Dry 1 day. The cooler method is awesome. I used 3 iced water bottles. Had to a changed them every 12 hours to keep cooler at 40 degrees. I did it all in the basement near laundry sink except the baking part.

Bake time was 3hr 20mins for 19lbs. Thank you very much!! However the brown sugar from the brine drips to bottom of pan and gets burnt and totally ruins my gravy. What am I doing wrong?

Not allowing it to drain and dry enough? In this brine, there should not be enough brown sugar left on the turkey to cause any burning. It will mostly stay in the cooler when you lift it out. However, it is very important to let the turkey dry out, so the skin can turn brown and crispy. Yes, sorry about the typo! I will brine 24 hours then let it dry for another 24 hours want the crispy skin. I rinsed the turkey before roasting; it was great. I was sceptical that it may be too salty? Hope that this helps , John Clifton.

It was the second time I have brined a turkey — ever. I am 65 yrs. This was the BEST turkey we have ever had, hands down! Thank you for sharing. From now on, this is the way I am roasting a turkey. The gravy was so flavorful all I had to do was whisk in some flour and add a few cups of water and it was amazing.

If you are worried about your homemade turkey gravy being too salty, you can rinse it off. I just met you!! I would appreciate receiving your recipes on email. Can you please help me to be able to do this? But, your recipes are so reliable thank you! Is the beautiful coloring on the bird in your photo enhanced in any way?

I have never taken a turkey from the oven and had it looked so gorgeous. Very tempting to give it a whirl. Wish I had the ability between now and T-giving to do a practice bird, but that would be just too much turkey.

I probably should make one each quarter of the year, just to get some practice in. Once a year turkey and once a year ham at Easter is not a good way to learn! Thanks for your explicit instructions. That is the natural brown color of the turkey skin. The key to getting it brown and crispy is to make sure the skin is VERY dry, then buttered, before going in the oven. If it goes straight from the brine to the oven, without allowing it to dry, it will not brown properly.

Also, cooking it in a turkey bag inhibits the browning. I'm Sommer Collier I'm here to help you make mealtime memorable, and life a little spicy! All images, recipes, and original text content are copyright protected. Do not copy or publish A Spicy Perspective content without prior consent. Design by Purr. Jump to Recipe. Prep Time: 10 minutes. Resting: 12 hours. Total Time: 12 hours 10 minutes. Servings: Ingredients US Customary — Metric.

Instructions Place a gallon of warm water in a clean bucket or cooler. Add the brown sugar, salt, shallots, garlic, herbs and spices. Stir to dissolve the salt and sugar. Carefully submerge the turkey in the brine.

Or more water! If using a bucket, cover the bucket with plastic and place in the refrigerator for 1 to 3 days. If using a cooler, filled it with ice to keep the turkey cold for up to 3 days. The brine time should be determined based on the size of turkey. For a turkey 15 pounds or under, brine for just 24 to 36 hours.

For a turkey larger than 15 pounds, brine for up to 3 days. Before roasting, take the turkey out of the brine water and place on a rack for at least a couple hours. Allow the turkey skin to dry thoroughly. Use paper towels to pat it dry if needed. You can place the roasting pan in the refrigerator or back in the cooler over ice if you want to give the bird longer to dry.

The dryer the skin, the better it browns. Drying it overnight is best. Once dry, rub the turkey skin thoroughly with butter. Sometimes I stuff the turkey with herbs, but this is not necessary. Allow the turkey for rest for at least 25 minutes before serving to allow the juices to redistribute.

Course: Main Course. Cuisine: American. Author: Sommer Collier. Share Pin Twitter Email. Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Rate it! Did you make this recipe? Anna — November 3, am Reply. Lily — November 2, pm Reply.

Betsy — November 2, pm Reply. Shelly — November 2, pm Reply. Wade coffin — August 30, pm Reply. Sommer Collier — August 30, pm Reply. Hi Wade, Whoa! Wade coffin — July 8, am Reply. Stephanie — December 23, pm Reply. Joni Gonzales — December 18, pm Reply. Gail — November 30, pm Reply. AI — November 30, pm Reply. Coral — December 19, pm Reply. Hey Al, did you use a cooler? How much water did you end up using? Nathalia Hardy — November 27, am Reply. Baylee Holt — November 27, am Reply.

Tiffany — November 26, pm Reply. Olson — November 26, pm Reply. Michelle — November 25, pm Reply. Juniper — November 25, pm Reply. Beth — November 24, pm Reply. Sommer Collier — December 1, pm Reply. Hi Beth, Absolutely! Stephanie Shepard — November 24, pm Reply. Is it okay to substitute regular sugar for brown sugar? Or should I just omit the sugar? Hi Stephanie, You can use granulated sugar if you like. Rob — November 24, pm Reply.

Hi Rob, It should be ok in the brine if you add extra water and keep it very cold. Terry McQuirter — November 24, pm Reply. Cassandra B — November 24, am Reply. Jordan — November 25, am Reply. I just did this but removed a shelf in my fridge so the bucket would fit! Hi Cassandra, As long as the temperature stays at or under 40 degrees, it should be fine.

Mary — November 23, pm Reply. Samantha — November 23, pm Reply. Jessica — November 23, pm Reply. Brining a turkey in a stockpot in the refrigerator without ice is perfectly fine! Judy Houth — November 23, pm Reply. Rocky — November 23, am Reply. Hi Rocky, Interesting idea! Matt — November 22, pm Reply. Sommer Collier — November 22, pm Reply. Jolene kowalski — November 22, am Reply.

Hi Jolene, It should be fine as-is. No need to add more salt. Happy Thanksgiving! Katie — November 19, pm Reply. Liam Lynch — November 24, am Reply. Barbara keen — November 19, pm Reply. Sommer Collier — November 19, pm Reply. Hi Barbara, Yes, you only need ice if you are brining the turkey in a cooler. Lopez-Alt states plainly, "I don't brine my turkey. First, it's a hassle because you need a giant container to house your bird, and you need to keep it cold, which either means deploying ice bags or taking up valuable real estate inside your fridge.

Second, he says the added juiciness comes at the expense of flavor: "It's juicy, but the juice is watery" because you forced the bird to absorb water. In summary, Lopez-Alt says, "I don't brine my birds because I like my birds to taste like birds, not like watered-down birds. Brown favors a dry brine and spatchcocking his bird before roasting it. For people like me who have difficulty planning ahead, however, he suggests you combine the brining and thawing process and points to a brined bird's superiority for leftovers, "Is the flavor as good as the dry cure method?

It's not quite as intense but on scale of I'd still give it 8. Read more : Here are three ways to thaw your turkey in time for Thanksgiving. Get a big stock pot, the crisper drawer from your fridge or a cooler. And make sure you are using a natural turkey one not already injected with a salt solution. Add a cup or two of kosher salt and then add a pitcher of hot water to dissolve the salt.

Let the salted water cool and place your turkey in the container. Add cold water to cover the turkey. The ratio of salt to water isn't terribly important.

You are looking for a ratio of about two cups of salt to one gallon of water. Put the container in your fridge or, if you don't have room in your fridge, use ice bags to keep it cool.

If you have a frozen turkey, you can thaw it while you brine it a la Alton Brown, but plan on it taking two days to defrost. When the big day arrives, remember to rinse off excess brine before roasting so that you don't end up with insanely salty pan gravy. Because good gravy is the best part of any feast.