This Turkey Brine Recipe is the secret to making a juicy, flavorful turkey every time. A simple mixture of salt, sugar, herbs, and spices helps the turkey retain moisture while adding flavor throughout the meat.
Whether you’re roasting a Thanksgiving turkey, smoking a turkey, or cooking one for Christmas dinner, this easy wet brine is a simple step that delivers impressive results.
Making this Easy Turkey Brine Recipe is the first step to making the most moist turkey that anyone has ever had. Slow Cooker Whole Turkey can get dry if you don’t start with this easy brining process.
Following these easy steps helps the turkey to retain moisture during the cooking process. So if you are making this Christmas Turkey or Grilled Turkey use this wet brine to impress family and friends this holiday.
Why We Love This Recipe
After testing different ways to prepare turkey over the years, brining is the method that consistently gives the best results. The turkey stays juicy, flavorful, and tender, even when serving a large holiday crowd.
- Helps prevent dry turkey
- Adds flavor throughout the meat
- Easy to prepare with pantry ingredients
- Works for roasting, smoking, and grilling
- Perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas
- Great for large turkeys
- Family-tested holiday favorite
What Is a Turkey Brine?
A turkey brine is a saltwater solution combined with herbs, spices, and seasonings that helps a turkey retain moisture and absorb flavor before cooking. Brining is one of the easiest ways to create a juicy, flavorful turkey for holidays and special occasions.
Ingredients
- Kosher Salt – For best results, we recommend using kosher salt
- Water – We have added in Apple Cider with the water for even more flavor
- Sugar – Substitute with Brown Sugar
- Honey – We like using pure raw honey
- Black Peppercorns – Use whole spices makes the taste so much better. For a deeper, warm spice flavor, add in a cinnamon stick or teaspoons of allspice berries
- Fresh Herbs – We used dried thyme and rosemary, but you can use fresh herbs if you prefer. We have even added rosemary sprigs.
Scroll to the bottom for the full recipe and ingredients in the recipe card.
How to Make Turkey Brine
Step 1 – In a large stockpot, combine 4 cups of the water with the salt, granulated sugar, and honey. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring until the salt and sugars dissolve completely.
Step 2 – Remove the large stock pot from the heat and add the peppercorns, dried thyme, dried rosemary, and bay leaves.
Step 3 – Add the remaining 12 cups of cold water. Stir and let the brine cool completely.
Step 4 – Place the turkey in a large brining bag or a container large enough to hold the turkey and brine.
Step 5 – Pour the cooled brine over the turkey, making sure it’s completely submerged.
Step 6 – Seal the bag or cover the container and refrigerate for 12-24 hours.
Step 7 – Before cooking, remove the turkey from the brine, rinse it thoroughly under cold water, and pat it dry with paper towels.
Step 8 – Discard the brine after use.
Expert Tips
- Rinsing Turkey – Don’t skip rinsing the turkey after brining. This removes excess salt from the surface.
- Pat Dry – Make sure to pat the turkey very dry after rinsing. This helps achieve crispy skin when roasting.
- Table Salt – If you’re using table salt instead of kosher salt, reduce the amount to ¾ cup.
Variations Ideas
For even more flavor, you can toss in these variations in with the other turkey brine ingredients.
- Orange Peel
- Cloves Garlic
- Lemons
- Sage
How to Use Leftover Turkey Brine
Any turkey brine that has come in contact with the turkey will need to be discarded. But if you did not use all the turkey brine, then use it for other cuts of meat.
This turkey brine can be used on Oven Baked Chicken Breast Recipe, Grilled Chicken Tenders, Baked Pork Chops, and even a Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin.
Make Ahead and Storage Tips
- Prepare the brine up to 2 days in advance.
- Store prepared brine in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Once the turkey has been removed, discard the used brine.
- Do not store or reuse brine that has come into contact with raw poultry.
Frequently Asked Questions
Brine the turkey for one hour for every pound of turkey that you are planning on cooking. The longer you brine the turkey, the juicier and more flavorful your turkey will be.
We think that brining a turkey is a must for our Thanksgiving Turkey. It gives the turkey so much flavor, and we think it is always juicier.
There is no need to rinse the turkey before starting the brining process. But you will rinse after brining the turkey.
You can brine a frozen turkey, but it will need to be fully thawed before cooking. It is best to brine a thawed turkey to be on the safe side.
More Easy Turkey Recipes
If you try this Turkey Brine Recipe, please leave us a comment or star review. We love to hear from you.
Turkey Brine Recipe
Ingredients
- 16 cups cold water
- 1 cup kosher salt
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
- 2 bay leaves
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Instructions
- In a large pot, combine 4 cups cold water with 1 cup kosher salt, ½ cup granulated sugar, and ¼ cup honey. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring until the salt, sugar, and honey dissolve completely.
- Remove from heat and add 1 tablespoon black peppercorns, 2 teaspoons dried thyme, 2 teaspoons dried rosemary, and 2 bay leaves.
- Add the remaining 12 cups of cold water. Stir and let the brine cool completely.
- Place the turkey in a large brining bag or a container large enough to hold the turkey and brine.
- Pour the cooled brine over the turkey, making sure it’s completely submerged.
- Seal the bag or cover the container and refrigerate for 12-24 hours.
- Before cooking, remove the turkey from the brine, rinse it thoroughly under cold water, and pat it dry with paper towels.
- Discard the brine after use.
This Turkey Brine gave my turkey so much flavor!