How to Brine a Turkey (2024)

FAQs

How long should you brine turkey? ›

Brine is all about ratios. 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) of salt to 1 quart (4 cups) of cool water. If you have time, heating the brine solution and then letting it cool before pouring it over the meat helps to get more flavor, especially if you are using spices.

You should always rinse the turkey after wet or dry brining. Once rinsed, you can let the turkey air dry, uncovered, in the refrigerator for several hours, or pat it dry with a paper towel.

"And a brine is a really great way, even if you go a few degrees over your desired cooking temperature, if you forget the turkey in the oven for some reason [to help avoid over-cooking]. You have a much greater range where you're still going to have moist, delicious meat because that salt is in there."

Then place the turkey in the brine and place in the refrigerator. Don't leave the turkey sitting out at room temperature while brining. Place the bird breast down in a large container made of food-grade plastic, stainless steel or glass, or a brining bag. Be sure the container will fit in your fridge.

Butterball turkeys are of the highest quality product and will be sure to impress your guests. Here's why Butterball is the right choice, especially for the holiday season: Butterball turkeys are always tender and juicy because we take the extra step of individually pre-brining them based on size.

Sugar: This is an optional ingredient and is typically used to balance the saltiness of a brine. Use about 2 tablespoons per quart of liquid. You can decrease that amount if desired, but I wouldn't recommend using any more or it could make the final cooked protein burn easier and taste too sweet.

Basic Brine

Place that volume of water in a container large enough to hold the brine and the meat. Add 1 tablespoon of salt for every cup of water you used and mix until the salt is completely dissolved. For example, if you are using 1 gallon (16 cups) of water, add 16 tablespoons (1 cup) of salt.

Morton Coarse Kosher Salt is perfect for brining because the flat, flaky crystals dissolve extremely well in water and create a crystal clear brine. Consider brining this grilling and holiday season.

This master pickle brine calls for just four ingredients: white vinegar, sugar, salt, and water. The white vinegar provides a mild acidity that doesn't impart too much extra flavor on the fruit or vegetable you choose to pickle. A small amount of granulated sugar adds a balanced sweetness you'll love.

Do you fully submerge a turkey when brining? ›

This dilutes the salt solution to the best ratio for brining and also helps further cool the solution. Make sure the turkey is completely submerged. If needed, prepare more brine solution at a ratio of 1/4 cup salt per quart of water to completely submerge the turkey. Cover and refrigerate.

Brine is a very salty solution, so it works pretty quickly. As a general rule of thumb, brine meat for about one hour per pound. You can go longer, but keep in mind that it's definitely possible to over-brine your meat.

Brining a turkey is totally optional. If you're short on time or just want the most straight-forward method to roast a turkey, skip the brining step and just use the Simple Roasted Turkey method. Some people swear that brining yields the most tender, juicy meat, but it takes planning ahead.

While it unquestionably injects a lot of flavor in the turkey and helps it to retain a lot of juiciness and moisture, it also can result in saltier drippings, which can cause problems with both the stuffing (if you stuff your bird, which I don't generally do) and the gravy, since the gravy is made from turkey drippings ...

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.

Brining for too long can result in meat that tastes overly-salty and has a spongy texture. If you're not ready to roast the bird after 18 hours, remove it from the brine, rinse it, pat it dry, and refrigerate for up to two days.

Wet brining involves soaking your turkey in a bath of saltwater and refrigerating it for 24 to 48 hours. Wet brining will increase the turkey's moisture. That extra moisture helps ensure that the meat doesn't go dry during cooking.

I recommend dry brining a turkey for at least 24 hours. If you have less time, do a wet brine, which works in as few as 12 hours. If you want to brine a turkey in 1 day, do a wet brine.

The salty water and the frozen turkey will keep the temperature of the water low, allowing you to not have to continually switch out the water as the turkey thaws. Cover the vessel and let the turkey thaw and brine at the same time, 24-48 hours at room temperature, depending on the size of the turkey.