10 Turkey Brine Recipes to Keep Your Meat Moist (2024)

FAQs

What is the best way to brine a turkey wet or dry? ›

Dry-brining involves rubbing a turkey with salt (and possibly some aromatics), then allowing the skin to dry out in the fridge overnight or for up to 3 days. This method is best for achieving crispy skin—but if you want an extra-juicy bird, consider the wet brine.

Mix together water, salt, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, and pepper in a food-grade bucket or container large enough to hold your turkey. Carefully submerge turkey in brine. Cover and store in the refrigerator. Soak for two days before smoking or roasting.

Dry-brining is our preferred method for seasoning both large and small pieces of meat, poultry, and sometimes even seafood. Along with producing juicy, flavorful results, dry-brining also helps us get better Maillard browning and crispy skin.

Both the bird soaked in brine and the bird soaked in water gained a significant amount of weight prior to roasting, but while the watered bird lost nearly all of that weight as it cooked, the brined bird retained a good deal more. This corresponded to a juicier texture on eating.

You should always rinse the turkey after wet or dry brining. Once rinsed, you can let the turkey air dry, uncovered, in the refrigerator for several hours, or pat it dry with a paper towel.

This dilutes the salt solution to the best ratio for brining and also helps further cool the solution. Make sure the turkey is completely submerged. If needed, prepare more brine solution at a ratio of 1/4 cup salt per quart of water to completely submerge the turkey. Cover and refrigerate.

Basic Brine

Place that volume of water in a container large enough to hold the brine and the meat. Add 1 tablespoon of salt for every cup of water you used and mix until the salt is completely dissolved. For example, if you are using 1 gallon (16 cups) of water, add 16 tablespoons (1 cup) of salt.

During brining, the seasoned saltwater penetrates the meat, drawing in moisture and other flavorings. The compound butter, made by combining room-temperature butter with our turkey herbs, is rubbed under the skin and on the outside of the bird.

It is the salt that you need to pay particular attention to, as if the concentration of salt in the brine is too high then the turkey could become too salty, particularly if you are soaking it for a long period.

For all-purpose brine, a good rule of thumb is: ¼ cup of kosher salt and ¼ cup of sugar for every quart of water. You can also add aromatics or other flavorings to intensify the seasoning, like whole peppercorns, garlic cloves, dried herbs, whole spices, citrus or other fruit, mirepoix or fruit juices.

What is the best sugar for brine? ›

In place of regular sugar I used light brown sugar (what can I say, I like molasses). The family loved this. I think this is going to be my new go-to. This is enough brine for 8 pounds of whole chicken or bone-in chicken pieces and up to 10 pounds of skinless, boneless chicken breasts.

Classes of brines include chloride brines (calcium and sodium), bromides, and formates. A general term that refers to various salts and salt mixtures dissolved in an aqueous solution. Brine can be used more strictly, however, to refer to solutions of sodium chloride.

Think of brining like marinating. It helps season and draw moisture into the meat to keep it flavorful and juicy. A good rule of thumb is to use 1 cup of table salt (2 cups kosher salt) and 1/2 cup sugar (white or brown) for every gallon of water. Brining recipes vary greatly on how long the turkey should brine.

The amount of time will depend on the type of brine you use; however, do not brine any longer than two days and always keep the turkey and brine refrigerated (at 40°F or less). Remove turkey from brine after the recommended time.

Best for thinner, leaner cuts such as pork loin, chicken breast, fish, etc with the exception of poultry with skin which is best dry brined. Messier than dry brining. More uniform salting than in dry brining.

How Long to Dry Brine Turkey. I typically dry-brine for 48 hours for a luscious bird. You can, however, brine your turkey for up to 72 hours (and some of our testers actually preferred this!). The skin will look dry and desiccated after all that time in the fridge, but don't worry, it will cook up beautifully.

The salt helps to draw out the turkey's juices (osmosis!) and then dissolves into those juices, creating what is essentially a naturally occurring brine. That brine is then reabsorbed into the meat to give it a tender inside and a crispy outside.

After Wet Brining

After rinsing or soaking, thoroughly pat turkey dry with paper towels. Then, cook according to your preferred cooking method.