Yield:

1 brine - 20-pound turkey

Giving your Thanksgiving bird a bath in salt water before you roast it isn't complicated, but it does take time—a little over one day. It also requires plenty of room in the refrigerator or a large cooler to hold the turkey. Follow our turkey brine recipe for what you need, how to make the brine, and the best technique for brining the turkey.

Our classic brine combines kosher salt with lots of water and fresh herbs, spices, onion, garlic, and white wine. The brine will penetrate the turkey and help ensure it will roast evenly and also enhance its flavor. Once the turkey is brined, it's ready to roast, using our classic roasted turkey recipe.

What Is a Brine?

A brine is a salty solution, the simplest brine is salt and water. Other ingredients may be wine, spices, herbs, garlic, and sugar or other sweeteners. The brine is used to soak a protein in. As the brine is much salter than the protein, by the process of osmosis, the salt wants to travel into the protein until the salt concentration in the protein and in the brine are equal to one another. So basically a brine is a way to add flavor and moisture to a protein. Turkey is not the only protein suited to brining—beef, pork, chicken, and fish can also be brined.

The Benefit of Brining a Turkey

Turkey is a relatively lean bird, and the breast-to-leg ratio isn't ideal: By the time the dark meat is cooked through, the breast meat may have overcooked. For many home cooks, wet brining is one way to counteract the dryness. The process—soaking the turkey in a saline solution prior to cooking—helps the turkey take in extra moisture, resulting in moist and juicy white and dark meat.

Plan for brining the turkey; it needs to soak for about 24 hours and you also need to allow time for making and cooling the brine to room temperature before using it. (Using a hot or warm brine on a raw turkey can cause bacteria growth.)

Ingredients

7 quarts (28 cups) water
1 ½ cups kosher salt
6 bay leaves
2 tablespoons whole coriander seeds
1 tablespoon dried juniper berries
2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon black or brown mustard seeds
1 fresh whole turkey (18 to 20 pounds), patted dry, neck and giblets reserved for stock, liver reserved for stuffing
1 bottle dry Riesling
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
6 garlic cloves, crushed
1 bunch fresh thyme

Directions

Simmer water, salt, and spices:

Bring 1 quart water, salt, bay leaves, and spices to a simmer, stirring until salt has dissolved. Let cool 5 minutes.
Line container with bag and place turkey inside:

Line a 5-gallon container with a large brining or oven-roasting bag. Place turkey in bag.
Add salt mixture and other ingredients; refrigerate:

Add salt mixture, remaining 6 quarts (24 cups) water, and the other ingredients. Tie bag; if turkey is not submerged, weight it with a plate. Refrigerate 24 hours, flipping turkey once.

JOHN KERNICK

Frequently Asked Questions

How can you brine a turkey that is too large to fit in your refrigerator?

If there isn't room in your refrigerator, place the bagged turkey inside a cooler, and surround it with ice. Replenish the ice as necessary to keep the temperature at 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

How long should you soak a turkey in brine?

How long the turkey should soak in the brine depends on the size of the turkey. Our turkey brine recipe is for an 18-20 pound turkey and the turkey should be brined for 24 hours. Brining for too long can result in meat that tastes overly salty and has a spongy texture. If you're not ready to roast the turkey after it has brined, remove it from the brine, rinse it, pat it dry, and refrigerate for up to two days.

Do you wash a wet brine off a turkey before roasting?

No, washing the brine off is not recommended. The brined turkey should be patted dry inside and out to remove excess moisture before it is prepared for roasting.

Other Turkey Brine Recipes to Try:

Originally appeared: Martha Stewart Living, November 2007

Updated by

Victoria Spencer

Turkey Brine