Best Turkey Brine Recipe
This is the best turkey brine recipe. Make this easy turkey brine, packed with flavor, and turn your turkey into the juiciest, tastiest bird ever.
Ingredients
- 2 gallons water 8 liters
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 1 cup salt
- 5 cloves garlic lightly smashed
- 3 tablespoons black peppercorns
- 2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 5 bay leaves
- 1-2 oranges sliced
Instructions
- To a large saucepan or dutch oven, add four cups of water, brown sugar, salt, and the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil, whisking to dissolve the sugar and salt completely.
- Pour in the rest of the water and allow the brine to cool down COMPLETELY to room temperature. It’s super important that the brine is cool. Refrigerate if necessary.
- When the water has completely cooled down, submerge the turkey in brine breast side down, cover, and refrigerate for at least a day but you can do up to 2 days. If the turkey is not covered in liquid, add more water.
- Before roasting, take the turkey out of the brine and place it on a wire rack so the liquid drips off, use paper towels to pat dry. Allow to air dry in the fridge for 1-2 hours, preferably overnight. The drier the skin, the crispier it will be when roasted.
- Roast/cook according to your recipe.
Notes
- Time: The amount of time needed for brining depends on the size of your bird. As a general rule, the larger the turkey, the longer you can leave it in the brine. As an example:
A 16 to 20 pound turkey needs 12 -24 hours in brine.
A smaller 12-14 pound turkey should brine for 12 hours
If brining a chicken, you need just 6-8 hours.
Find it online: https://littlesunnykitchen.com/turkey-brine/