We are here to talk to you today about how to brine a turkey to make it really moist and flavorful.

A few years ago we raised a bunch of free-range organic turkeys and chickens for the freezer. When we took them to the butcher, I knew I could have done it myself- I actually have before once with the help of a very dear friend and another time Mr. Cottage and I took on a very large turkey. It took about 6 hours in a January sleet storm. But I am a wimp so you will have to cut me some slack I did raise these guys after all. The people at the place we took them were stunned.

Huge turkey in a large stock pot not able to fit in the pan and 3/4 of it sticking up over the stock pot while trying to brine a turkey

We took six all at one time, all weighing over 20 lbs. The biggest broke their record at 50 lbs. I’m not exactly sure what the four of us are going to do with a 50 lb bird…

Photo of a stock pot with a liquid brine with chopped onions, bay leaves and other herbs and spices for brining a turkey.

Finding A Brine For Turkeys

Contents hide

1 Finding A Brine For Turkeys

2 Why Should We Brine A Turkey?

3 How Long To Brine Turkeys?

4 Should I Rinse My Turkey After Brining?

5 Brine A Turkey 101

6 How To Brine A Turkey

6.1 Ingredients

6.2 Instructions

We decided to brine and then smoke one of the turkeys for Thanksgiving. We picked the smallest (hey there are only so many meals you can make out of turkey!) and looked around on the internet for a good recipe. After looking at a couple we finally decided to just come up with our own.

Why Should We Brine A Turkey?

Now you may be asking, why brine a turkey and take that extra step? Brining a turkey gives you a more flavorful and more tender turkey. It does not make the turkey meat very salty but just adds a great flavor and the meat very tender. This turkey that we used was fresh and had not been injected with any brine, “broth” or flavorings.

How to brine a turkey, Thanksgiving Turkey, How to have a moist turkey, Turkey brining Photo of a turkey in a very large stock pot soaking in brine.

How Long To Brine Turkeys?

Brining your turkey takes time so you will have to plan ahead for the process. You want to let the turkey set in the brine for between 8 -18 hours before cooking to allow the flavors from the brine to permeate the meat and tenderize and make the meat delicious. Turkey breast is quite dense and the fat level is low so this time will help to make it not so dry. You do not want to go much longer than this as it can break down the meat too much and cause it to get a mushy texture.

Should I Rinse My Turkey After Brining?

The turkey should be rinsed well after the brining process and then pat it dry with a paper towel. It is then ready to prepare for cooking.

Brine A Turkey 101

1/2 Onion chopped

4-6 Bay leaves

1/2 Tablespoon Sage

1/2 Tablespoon Thyme

1/3 Cup Raw Sugar

1/2 Cup Of Salt

1 Gallon of Water

1/2 Tablespoon Pepper

You can get creative here. Add your favorite herbs and spices. Garlic makes a delicious addition, add a citrus flavor by adding lemon, lime, orange juice, or even pineapple juice.

Make room in your refrigerator for your brining turkey.
Heat up a stock pot with the water and then dissolve salt and sugar in water, and add onions and seasonings.]
Allow the brine to cool off completely.
Find something that is food-grade plastic, stainless steel, or glass, a bucket, brining bag, etc. We used our canning stock pot because we couldn’t find anything large enough to hold the turkey.
You want to have the turkey breast side down in the vessel to really concentrate that brine in the breast meat that is thicker and more densely filled with meat.
Cover the top of the pot or whatever you used with plastic wrap then put the whole thing in the refrigerator for 8 to 18 hours.
When it was time to cook it we rinsed the bird before cooking.