Whether you are planning a big holiday meal or just serving a special Sunday supper, we’ve got you covered with all the sides you love with a classic turkey dinner, including my favorite turkey gravy. Be sure to check out our collection of the Best Thanksgiving Recipes to see them all!
The BEST Turkey Brine
We have been brining our Thanksgiving turkeys for YEARS now and have learned the it is the key to turkey that is tender and juicy. It doesn’t matter how you plan to cook your turkey (and we’ve tried it every possible way from roasting to deep-frying to smoking a turkey), a good soak in a turkey brine makes your bird better every time. And this is the best turkey brine recipe you’ll ever find! We’re talking eyes-rolling-back-in-your-head type good. More succulent, tender bites of meat whether you prefer light or dark meat. And of course crispier skin with better flavoring. This brine works like a charm and we absolutely swear by it when it comes to making the best turkey ever for your Thanksgiving dinner! Best of all, it takes just minutes to prepare this Thanksgiving turkey brine recipe! Then your turkey sits in its briny bath for 12-24 hours until you are ready to pull it out and cook it. In the meantime, you can work on other make-ahead items on your Thanksgiving menu so there is less to do on the big day!
What is Turkey Brine?
The brining process involves submerging a larger piece of meat in a water and salt solution. You can do a brine with just the water and salt, but we like to add extra flavor with fresh herbs, brown sugar, some spices, and citrus peel. There is plenty of debate about how much of a difference this makes and you can get sucked down the rabbit hole of reading about brining techniques for hours, but I can say from much testing and experimenting that it’s well worth the minimal effort to brine your turkey. One caution: Do NOT brine a turkey labeled as kosher. A kosher turkey already has a higher salt content and has essentially already undergone a process similar to brining. So if you brine a kosher turkey, it’s going to end up being way too salty. A side benefit of brining a large turkey is that is solves the age-old dilemma that is every home cook’s Thanksgiving nightmare of whether the turkey will be completely thawed in time! Even if your partially frozen turkey isn’t quite as thawed as you were intending when you go to brine it, it will be fully thawed after a day in a cold, briny bath!
Turkey Brine ingredients
A non-corrosive large stock pot, bucket, large cooler, or other container: If you have a small to medium-size turkey like the 12-pounder we used in these photos, you can usually just use a really large pot, which is my preferred approach because of the easy cleanup and it almost always fits easily in my fridge. If your turkey is larger, you may want to consider a large plastic cooler or even a clean plastic bucket from a hardware store so that you have room for a bag of ice to sit on top to keep the turkey cold overnight while it is brining. Coarse Kosher salt: This turkey brine recipe is pretty much foolproof except you have to make sure you are using the correct type of salt. I have written the recipe using coarse kosher salt, which is what we always use. It’s affordable, easily accessible, and gives great flavor without making the meat too salty. Water: Some brining recipes call for apple juice or apple cider but after experimenting, I’ve decided that we get better results with just 2 gallons of water for the liquid part of this brine recipe. Brown sugar: I love adding a little sweetness to the brine. Black peppercorns: Don’t substitute with ground pepper. You want whole peppercorns (any variety will work) for a brine. Garlic: No need to spend time mincing garlic cloves for this brine recipe. Just smash them flat with the back of a knife and throw them in. Fresh herbs: A couple of sprigs of fresh rosemary or thyme help infuse the brine with classic holiday flavors. Orange peel: I have found that a little citrus is the key to a really flavorful turkey brine recipe! Just use a vegetable peeler or shape knife to peel off the outer skin of the orange. Lemon peel would work well too, if you don’t have oranges on hand. Bay leaves: I always have some dried bay leaves in the cupboard so I throw them in. Honestly, I’m not 100% sure these make a difference, but I always include them anyway figuring it certainly won’t hurt! A whole turkey: Obviously you will want a good-sized turkey for a brined turkey recipe. But you could use this wet brine on a whole chicken as well.
How to make Turkey Brine
Tips for the Best Turkey Brine
Use the correct amount of the correct type of salt listed in this turkey brine recipe. Don’t try brining a Kosher turkey. It already has higher salt content than normal. Be sure to completely cover the turkey with the brine solution. If it wants to float up to the top of your brining bucket, weigh it down with a bag of ice or a heavy plate with some cans set on top. Some people find it helpful to use a brining bag if their container is large to make sure the turkey stays fully submerged. Remember that there is no need to salt the turkey after brining it. It absorb a significant amount of salt from the brine solution, and any drippings for gravy will already have a good amount of salt to them, so you may not need any additional salt. Be sure to put the turkey into the brine solution with the breast side down for the best penetration. If your turkey brine doesn’t quite cover your bird, then rotate it partway through brining for even coverage.
Brine Ratio
Table salt: Mix ½ cup of table salt for every 1 gallon of water. Coarse Kosher salt: Mix ¾ cup of coarse kosher salt for every 1 gallon of water.
In case you are like me and wondering how many cups are in a gallon, it’s 16 cups. So you will be measuring out 32 cups of water for this recipe that calls for 2 gallons.
More Recipes for your Thanksgiving Table
Homemade Turkey Gravy Perfect Cornbread Sweet Potato Casserole Mashed Potatoes
Best Green Bean Casserole
Cranberry Jello Salad with Cream Cheese Topping
Slow Cooker Creamed Corn
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
