How to Brine a Turkey

This post may contain affiliate links of all the products I have used to assist in brining a turkey.  

How long do I Brine a Turkey

The actual Brine process will take 48 hours.  Not something you decide at the last minute but trust me, the process os worth it. 

Brine A Turkey

Turkey Brine is hugely popular now,  good lord when I was young we would never ever have thought this to be a real thing. Truly think about this for a minute, take a bird soak it in salt water for days and then cook it.  What the heck, right?  Who ever would have thought that the combination of salt and spices would create such a moist turkey. Have you caught on to the craze yet?  Curious as to how it actually works?

Watch below as Kent walks you through the Brine exercise.  I feel like I should apologize in advance for the stellar outfits we were wearing. Never one to pre-plan, I opted to paint a room the same time we were prepping the holiday meal. Doesn’t everyone do crazy things like that?

What will you need to Brine a Turkey

The ingredients are simple but please remember this is a “pre” exercise and you need to start several days before you want to cook the turkey. 

• 4 l vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 c sea salt
• 1 tbsp thyme
• 1 tbsp rosemary
• 1 tbsp sage
• 1 tbsp savory
• 1 tbsp poultry seasoning
• ice cubes
• water
• small cooler

How do I make the brine?

1. add the seasonings, sea salt and broth to a pot on the stove, bring to a boil
2. let the liquid cool and sit for 24 hours
3. place turkey in a cooler or very large container and pour the cooled broth over the turkey
4. add enough water to ensure the Turkey is covered,  and add ice cubes to keep cold
5. let sit for 24 hours completed covered in a cool area
6. remove turkey and start preparing for the oven

After the Brine

For the actual brine exercise- Once the 48 hours elapses, you drain the brine off the bird,stuff it and start the  cooking. I have seen many a ways to store the bird in the brine, we find a small cooler works best.  I have seen people use large bags and then the seal the bird and the liquid and store in the fridge.  To me a cooler left in your garage, or balcony or even in a corner works best.

Rinse the bird

and start stuffing ( here for that recipe)

Recipe to Brine a Turkey

Brine a Turkey

The secret to the perfect turkey is in the brine

Print Pin Rate

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 1 day day 9 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 day day 10 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 7

Calories: 268kcal

Author: lindaandkent1@gmail.com

Ingredients

• 4 l vegetable or Chicken Broth
• 1 c sea salt
• 1 tbsp thyme
• 1 tbsp rosemary
• 1 tbsp sage
• 1 tbsp savory
• 1 tbsp poultry seasoning
• ice
• water
• cooler

Instructions

• add the seasonings, sea salt and broth to a pot on the stove, bring to a boil
• then let sit for 24 hours
• place turkey in a cooler or very large container and pour the cooled broth over top
• add enough water to ensure the Turkey is covered,  and add ice to keep cold
• let sit for 24 hours completed covered in a cool area
• remove turkey and start preparing for the oven

Nutrition Facts

Brine a Turkey

Amount Per Serving (7 Servings)

Calories 268

% Daily Value*

Sodium 86000mg3739%

Carbohydrates 48g16%

Sugar 48g53%

Protein 24g48%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Video

Notes

this requires 48 hours to prepare

Nutrition

Serving: 7Servings | Calories: 268kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 24g | Sodium: 86000mg | Sugar: 48g

Have you tried this recipe? I would love to see the resultsMention @alabouroflife or tag #alabouroffood!