Best Turkey Brine Recipe is the recipe you’ve been looking for to make your turkey taste amazing.  You’ll never go back to your regular recipe after tasting this one. 

“You should brine your turkey. Don’t even think about not brining your turkey.  Ever.” – Kimbal Musk 

This recipe is about as foolproof as you can get.  After tasting this recipe, you might become a turkey snob and have a hard time enjoying one that hasn’t been brined.  

You can cut this recipe in half and use it to brine your chicken too.  

Why should you brine your turkey?  

Turkey doesn’t have a lot of fat to keep the meat moist.  It can easily become tough and dry.  

Brining helps make sure your turkey is flavorful and moist.  

Since you love to cook, I’m guessing you like all things cozy living. I created a Facebook group called Creating a Cozy Life with over 9,000 like-minded souls.

It’s a group where we share recipes, pictures of things that leave you in awe, and ideas on how to make your life just a little bit more snug.  Join here to be part of the virtual cozy cabin.

Here’s the recipe for the Best Turkey Brine Recipe:

Ingredients for Best Turkey Brine Recipe  

1/2 gallon low-sodium vegetable broth 

1/2 gallon apple juice 

3/4 cup sea salt 

1 tablespoon crushed dried rosemary 

1 tablespoon dried sage 

1 tablespoon dried thyme 

1 tablespoon dried savory 

10 black peppercorns

3 sliced garlic cloves 

2 bay leaves 

1 gallon ice water 

How to Make a Turkey Brine

1) In a large stockpot, combine the vegetable broth, apple juice, sea salt, rosemary, sage, thyme, savory, peppercorns, garlic cloves, and bay leaves. 

2) Bring mixture to a boil, stirring frequently.  Cook until salt is dissolved.  

3) Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.  

4) Have a clean 5-gallon bucket ready with a food safety bag inside – you can find them here.  Place broth in the plastic bag.  Stir in the ice water.  

5) Make sure you wash and dry your turkey.  Remove the innards from inside the chest cavity. 

6) Place the turkey with the breast side down into the brine.  You’ll want to make sure the cavity gets filled with the broth.  

7) Put the bucket with the turkey in the refrigerator (at minimum overnight). 

8) Remove the turkey and drain off the excess brine.  Pat the turkey dry.  

9) Discard brine.  

10) Cook the turkey according to instructions.  Reserve the drippings for the most fabulous gravy.  

IMPORTANT NOTE:  Brined turkeys cook 30 minutes faster than turkeys that haven’t been brined.  Keep an eye on the temperature gauge.  

Best Turkey Brine Recipe

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Best Turkey Brine Recipe is the recipe you've been looking for to make your turkey taste amazing. You'll never go back to your regular recipe after tasting this one.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Additional Time 8 hours

Total Time 8 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 gallon low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1/2 gallon apple juice
• 3/4 cup sea salt
• 1 tablespoon dried crushed rosemary
• 1 tablespoon dried crushed sage
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon dried savory
• 10 black peppercorns
• 3 sliced garlic cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 gallon ice water

Instructions

1. In a large stockpot, combine the vegetable broth, apple juice, sea salt, rosemary, sage, thyme, savory, peppercorns, garlic cloves, and bay leaves. 
2. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring frequently.  Cook until salt is dissolved.
3. Remove broth from heat, and let cool to room temperature.
4. Have a clean 5-gallon bucket ready with a 10 gallon food safety bag inside.  Place broth in the plastic bag.  Stir in the ice water.  
5. Make sure you wash and dry your turkey.  Remove the innards from inside the chest cavity. 
6. Place the turkey with the breast side down into the brine.  You'll want to make sure the cavity gets filled with the broth.  
7. Put the bucket with the turkey in the refrigerator (at minimum overnight). 
8. Remove the turkey and drain off the excess brine.  Pat the turkey dry.
9. Discard brine.
10. Cook the turkey according to instructions.  Reserve the drippings for the most fabulous gravy.  
    
    IMPORTANT NOTE:  Brined turkeys cook 30 minutes faster than turkeys that haven't been brined.  

Tips for Making Best Turkey Brine Recipe:  

1) Make sure you pick a turkey that hasn’t already been brined or injected with salt water.  

2) If you don’t have savory or can’t find it, you can omit this spice.  

3) When it’s time to cook the turkey, make sure you rub melted butter all over the turkey and season with salt and pepper.  

4) If you don’t have room in your refrigerator, you can use a cooler filled with ice.  Look online for the best safety precautions.  

5) The amount of brine made is good for a turkey that’s 10-18 pounds.  For a larger turkey, make more brine.

6) You can add a sliced up onion and celery pieces to the brine while cooking for more flavor.  

7) Chicken stock can be substituted for vegetable broth, just make you get low-sodium.  

8) Make sure you use a food-grade vessel for brining your turkey.  You don’t want to use a garbage bag or place the turkey directly in the bucket because of the PCB’s in plastic.  

9) When cooking your turkey, turn up the heat the last 15 minutes to give your turkey the perfect browned look.  

Best side dishes for the Turkey Brine Recipe: 

1) Mashed Potatoes.  

Turkey and mashed potatoes go perfectly together.  I can’t imagine my turkey dinner without a fluffy side of buttery mashed potatoes.  I bet you can’t either.  

2) Homemade Cranberry Sauce.  

Making your own cranberry sauce is super easy.  Here’s my favorite recipe for cranberry sauce.  

3) Rustic Candied Sweet Potatoes and Apples.  

This recipe not only looks delicious, it tastes that way too.  Sliced sweet potatoes and apples topped with brown sugar and butter makes this recipe divine.  

4) Green Bean Casserole.  

This is my favorite dish to bring to holiday gatherings.  It’s the one thing everyone gobbles up. You can’t go wrong with this recipe.  

5) Stuffing. 

Oh how I love stuffing, let me count the ways.  There’s so many different varieties of stuffing to pick from, it’s hard to choose a favorite.  

6) Potato rolls.  

There’s rolls, and then there’s potato rolls.  I can’t get enough of them.  If you’ve never tried them before, you don’t know what you’re missing out on.  My aunt always ordered potato rolls from her local bakery ahead of the holidays because everyone loves them so much.  

We’ve reached the end of Best Turkey Brine Recipe.  I hope you enjoyed it. 

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Let me know in the comments below how you liked the Best Turkey Brining Recipe.  

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Thanks for stopping by.  I’m so happy you found us!  

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