6 ratings

Basic Turkey Brine Recipe

Name: Basic Turkey Brine Recipe
Yield: 4

November 12, 2010

Sabrina Sexton

Maryse Chevriere

Basic Turkey

If you decide to brine a turkey, try this simple recipe and play around with the optional ingredients to find what works best for you. This recipe is meant for an 8-10 pound turkey, so if your bird is larger than that, this recipe may need to be doubled or tripled.

For Turkey 35 Ways Gallery, click here.

Servings

Notes

*Note: You can substitute 1 cup of honey for every cup of sugar.

Ingredients

1 gallon water
1 ½ cups kosher salt
1 cup sugar*
2 tablespoons peppercorns
1 tablespoon whole coriander seed
3 bay leaves
½ teaspoon whole cloves
2 cups orange juice (optional)
3 tablespoons orange zest (optional)
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
6-8 sprigs fresh thyme or rosemary (optional)

Directions

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and whisk until the salt and sugar is dissolved.

Place the turkey in a large, non-reactive container, and add the brine. Make sure the turkey is completely submerged in the brine.

Refrigerate the turkey in the brine for 36-48 hours before cooking.

Click here to see the Basic Roasted Turkey recipe.