Brine a Turkey from Scratch - Much Better Holiday Turkey
Plan Ahead and Impress Guests with Your Turkey Brined from Scratch

Never brined your own turkey? You really ought to give it a try. Home brined turkey tastes extra good, and you have much more control over the various flavors. You ingredients are fresh – unlike the turkeys at the store which are shot full of all kinds of unnatural ingredients.

Why Brine a Turkey in the First Place?

Turkey does not have a lot of flavor; it’s a really mild. So, overall turkeys are generally pretty bland which is why most turkeys are processed in some way to add flavor.

What is Brining?

Brining is a process similar to marinating; however, there are differences. A marinade uses an acid base to tenderize meat with the flavors concentrated on the outside of the meat. Brining uses a salt base which chemically allows the flavored fluids to infuse the poultry cells and provide extra moisture and flavor.

What Kind of Turkey Can be Brined?

When brining your own turkey, avoid turkeys that are labeled self basting or flavor injected. Although you can brine a pre-brined or flavored turkey, you’re really doubling up on the pre-cooking process. You end up with a combination of flavors rather than the pure taste of your personal brine and then your also have those additives and preservatives.

The best turkeys for home brining are natural turkeys which have not been processed beyond the very basics. Such turkeys are generally labeled natural or have notes on the label like “no additives” or “minimally processed.” When in doubt, check with the meat department. The meat guys and girls really don’t mind. In fact, they seem pleased when you ask for input on their area of expertise.

Time Involved in Brining a Turkey

Don’t roll out of bed on a holiday morning and expect to brine and bake a turkey. The brining process does take some time, but it’s well worth the extra hours to brine.

Here is a rough break down of the steps involved to have a brined turkey ready to go in the oven or on the smoker or in a fryer, and you can gauge your time depending on what you decide to do as far as your home brining.

1. Mix up brine and cook solution.
2. Allow time (overnight is a good idea) for brine mixture to thoroughly cool (can’t add turkey to hot brine or it starts to cook).
3. Let turkey rest in brine for 8 hours or more.
4. Air dry for 8 hours on rack in refrigerator (so skin will cook up crisper) – optional but a good idea if you have or make the time.
5. Remove turkey from brine, pat dry, and allow turkey to rest for an hour before cooking.
6. You can brine a turkey overnight or brine the day before and allow time for drying during the night hours. In either case, brining means that you start the day before (or sooner), unless you’re planning a dinner meal and begin early on the meal and skip the extra drying time.

Basic Homemade Turkey Brine Recipe

There are many recipes for turkey brine but most include the basic ingredients - liquid, salt, and sugar.

- 2 gallons of water (or one gallon vegetable stock and one gallon of cold water)
- 2 cups kosher salt (or 1 cup table salt or 1 1/2 cups sea salt)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- Seasonings of choice (I’ve listed some traditional ideas below)

Directions:

1. Bring one gallon of water or one gallon of vegetable stock and the salt to a boil in a large cooking pot and stir until salt is dissolved.
2. Remove hot brine from heat and add brown sugar and seasonings. Stir until sugar is dissolved.
Add cold water and stir.
3. Cool brine in non-reactive container large enough to hold the brine and a turkey with the turkey fully submerged. Most cooks don’t have containers in this size range, so a large plastic bucket may be a good idea. 4. A cooler may also be used. The brine and turkey will go in the cooler, and tightly closed bags of ice are added to keep the temperature at 40 degrees or lower.
5. Once the brine is cold, add the thawed turkey breast side down with the spare parts (giblets, neck and so on) removed. Shake so that brine goes into the cavity. The turkey will float at this point, so add a heavy plate or something (a brick in a tightly closed bag is an option) to hold the turkey down in the brine mixture.
6. Let turkey sit in brine mixture for 8 hours minimum (can go up to around 18 hours – but the turkey meat can taste kind of mushy if brined too long).
7. Remove from brine carefully, remembering that cavity is full of brine too. Rinse and pat the turkey dry. Leave on cabinet for an hour or put on rack over pan and leave in refrigerator uncovered for around 8 hours for a crispy skin when cooking.
8. If stuffing the turkey, do that immediately before cooking and after the brining and drying process is complete.

Good Seasoning to Add to the Homemade Turkey Brine

Enjoy various combinations of seasonings in the brine. You can use any or all (all might be a bit much) of the following seasoning by putting them in a little cheesecloth bag and floating the bag in the brine mixture. Experiment with other favorite seasonings as well. It’s really hard to wreck a brined turkey.

These are just general ideas with typical amounts.

1 TBS crushed dried rosemary
10 whole cloves
1 TBS savory
1 TBS dried sage
1 TBS dried thyme
1 TBS dried savory
3 tsp peppercorns
1 (1 oz) pack of pickling spice

For an Extra Kick to Your Homemade Turkey Brine

In place of the second gallon of cold water, add cold fruit juice (like apple juice) or a cider or even beer. Just add these various liquids in place of the uncooked second gallon of water for a different overall flavor.

You can also cut up an orange or lemon or something like that and float it in the brine mixture too.

In the Oven with the Thanksgiving or Christmas Turkey

Once your turkey is brined and ready, you can go with a traditional turkey baking method or smoke the turkey or cook it in a deep fryer. If cooking outdoors, fruit juices in the base may cause the skin to overcook or burn, so the basic water base is best for outdoor turkey cooking. If deep frying the turkey, then make sure it’s good and dry. The longer drying method is important, since wet turkeys make oil pop and splatter.

Yum! That’s Some Tasty Holiday Turkey

Once you brine your own turkey, you won’t want to skip that step again. Sure. It takes more work, but it’s your own special turkey recipe, and a home brined turkey really does taste better.