Turkey Brine Recipe

Name: Turkey Brine Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 3 min
Total time: 13 min
Yield: 30 serving
Ingredients: 2 cups apple cider; 2 gallons cold water; 1 1/2 cups kosher salt; 1 cup brown sugar; 5 cloves garlic; 2 tablespoons peppercorns; 2 oranges; 2 lemons; 5 rosemary sprigs; 3 bay leaves

User Reviews

5.0

468 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
13 mins
Servings
30
Calories
43 kcal
Course
Main Course
Cuisine
American

Turkey Brine Recipe

Benson Pickett

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This turkey brine recipe is flavored with apple, citrus, brown sugar, rosemary and spices. It's the perfect way to guarantee a moist and flavorful turkey every time!

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Ingredients

Servings

2 cups apple cider DO NOT use apple cider vinegar
2 gallons cold water
1 1/2 cups kosher salt
1 cup brown sugar
5 cloves garlic smashed
2 tablespoons peppercorns
2 oranges thinly sliced
2 lemons thinly sliced
5 rosemary sprigs
3 bay leaves

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Instructions

Place all the ingredients in a large pot over medium heat. Bring to a simmer.
Cook for 2-3 minutes or until salt and sugar have dissolved.
Turn off the heat. Let the brine mixture cool.
Place a whole turkey in the brine solution to fully submerge it, then refrigerate for 18-24 hours. If your turkey does not fit into the pot, place the turkey and the brine into a brining bag.
When you're ready to cook your turkey, remove it from the brine and rinse with cool water; pat dry with paper towels.
Proceed with your normal turkey roasting method, or I've listed my favorite turkey recipes below in the notes section.

Notes

Here are my favorite turkey recipes to pair with this brine
Thanksgiving Roast Turkey
Roasted Turkey Breast
Smoked Turkey
Herb Roasted Turkey
Make sure you use kosher salt. Table salt is denser than kosher salt and doesn't measure the same way.
You want to make sure you put your turkey into a cool brine; never put a turkey in a hot or warm brine.
Be sure to use apple cider the drink, do NOT use apple cider vinegar! If you can't find apple cider, apple juice will work fine.

Nutrition Information

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Calories 43kcal (2%) Carbohydrates 11g (4%) Sodium 561mg (23%) Potassium 62mg (2%) Sugar 9g (18%) Vitamin A 25IU (1%) Vitamin C 8.7mg (10%) Calcium 20mg (2%) Iron 0.3mg (2%)