Thanksgiving is a time for family, friends, and delicious food. And what could be more central to the Thanksgiving feast than the turkey? If you're looking for a turkey recipe that will wow your guests, look no further. This article has you covered with a collection of brine recipes that will produce a moist, flavorful turkey that is sure to be the star of the show.
From classic brine recipes to more unique and innovative flavors, these recipes have something for everyone. Whether you prefer a simple brine or one with a variety of herbs and spices, you'll find a recipe here that suits your taste. There are also recipes for brining turkey breasts and even a recipe for a dry brine. So no matter what kind of turkey you're cooking, you'll find a brine recipe here that will help you achieve the perfect bird.
THE BEST TURKEY BRINE
This is our go-to brine for turkey. It's simple, flavorful and most importantly leaves you with a succulent, juicy, perfectly-seasoned bird. It's also perfect for chicken, pork chops, Cornish game hens - you name it. While we like the combination of thyme and sage, you can also use other hearty herbs such as rosemary, oregano or marjoram.
Provided by Food Network Kitchen
Categories condiment
Time 10m
Yield 12 to 14 servings
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- Combine 1/2 cup salt, the sugar and 1 quart water in a medium pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir until the salt and sugar are fully dissolved, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and add the peppercorns, thyme, sage and lemon strips. Let steep and cool to room temperature.
- Pour the brine into a large stockpot or bucket and add 3 quarts cold water. Remove the neck and giblets (reserve for gravy) from the turkey and put it into the brine, pushing it down to cover. Refrigerate for 24 hours.
- Remove the turkey from the brine; rinse and pat dry. Cook according to your favorite method.
TURKEY BRINE
This is a tasty brine for any poultry. It will make your bird very juicy, and gravy to die for!! This is enough brine for a 10 to 18 pound turkey.
Provided by SHERI GAILEY
Categories Side Dish Sauces and Condiments Recipes
Time 8h20m
Yield 15
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- In a large stock pot, combine the vegetable broth, sea salt, rosemary, sage, thyme, and savory. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently to be sure salt is dissolved. Remove from heat, and let cool to room temperature.
- When the broth mixture is cool, pour it into a clean 5 gallon bucket. Stir in the ice water.
- Wash and dry your turkey. Make sure you have removed the innards. Place the turkey, breast down, into the brine. Make sure that the cavity gets filled. Place the bucket in the refrigerator overnight.
- Remove the turkey carefully draining off the excess brine and pat dry. Discard excess brine.
- Cook the turkey as desired reserving the drippings for gravy. Keep in mind that brined turkeys cook 20 to 30 minutes faster so watch the temperature gauge.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 2.8 calories, Carbohydrate 0.6 g, Cholesterol 0 mg, Fat 0.1 g, Fiber 0.4 g, Protein 0.1 g, SaturatedFat 0 g, Sodium 5640.3 mg, Sugar 0 g
ULTIMATE BRINE FOR TURKEY
Melinda Lee - Master Recipe Preparation time does not include time for turkey to soak in the brine mixture, or to rest after removing turkey.
Provided by Glassylady
Categories Whole Turkey
Time 1h5m
Yield 1 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- Combine all ingredients in a non-reactive pot, bring mixture to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes (partly covered). Allow brine to cool completely.
- Rinse turkey under cool running water, inside and out (remove giblets from body cavity). Pat turkey dry with paper towels, then immerse turkey in cooled brine.* Turkey should be completely submerged in liquid (place a plate on top of the bird if necessary to keep it covered with the liquid).
- Cover the pot and refrigerate* for 8-10 hours or up to 24 hours. Remove turkey, rinse, pat dry, and roast as usual.
- COOK'S NOTE: For a very crispy skin: after removing the turkey from the brine, rinsing it and patting it dry, allow the turkey to stand UNCOVERED in the refrigerator for 6-12 hours or overnight. This will dry the skin and result in its being crispy at serving time.
- This resting period has the added advantage of evening the degree of brininess throughout the meat (it will be less salty on the surface of the meat, more evenly brined throughout), and resting produces a slightly more tender result.
- *Be sure the container used for brining turkey is non-reactive: use enamel, glass or crockery or stainless steel - never cast iron or aluminum. The pot should be just large enough to contain the turkey (so the brine will be sufficient to cover the bird). Brining Bags are now available from many cookware stores, as well as giant-size Ziplock bags (food safe) that may be used alone, or use within a sturdy pot.
- *NOTE REGARDING THE CONTAINER (AND REFRIGERATION) FOR BRINING TURKEY:.
- We have learned that many folks do not have sufficient room in their refrigerators - or sometimes a pot big enough - for the turkey in its brine. Our solution is suggest that the turkey be placed, along with the brine, in a food-safe plastic bag, such as a turkey roasting bag (available in most markets). Then, the bag, with turkey and brine inside, can be placed in an insulated cooler, a large stock pot or plastic crate, (or even a deep sink) and surrounded by ice, "blue ice" or empty plastic bottles that have been filled with water and frozen. [The latter suggestions are to keep ice from melting into water which can be messy.] Then the cooler is closed, or the sink covered, and the turkey can be brined there for the number of hours required - checking to be sure that the temperature of the brine is maintained at below 40 degrees, for safety. It is imperative that the temperature never be allowed to rise above 40 degrees - add more ice/blue/ice as needed.
- ** NOTE REGARDING THE AMOUNT OF SALT IN BRINE: A milder brine may be made, which may have a less flavorful result - but if salt is a concern (the entire turkey will absorb only 10-15% of the brine) the amount of salt may be reduced. For the desired chemical effect to take place, however, the proportions cannot be less than 2/3 to 1 cup of salt per gallon (4 quarts) of water or other liquid.
- **TYPES OF SALT:.
- Kosher salt is the ONLY type of salt to be used in making brine (it is sweeter and more pure than ordinary table salt). Kosher salt is available in two varieties. The most common is flaked salt (example: Morton Kosher Salt) which has been pressed into flakes by rollers. The other type is a four-sided crystal (example: Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt). The crystal-shaped salt measures differently because of its shape. Use about 25% (one quarter) MORE crystal salt than flaked salt when measuring for brine or other recipes. The formula is: 1 tablespoon of regular table salt is equivalent to 1 ½ tablespoons flaked kosher salt, or 2 tablespoons, diamond crystal kosher salt.
- ***NOTE REGARDING BRINING TURKEYS TO BE "DEEP FRIED:".
- When a turkey will be deep fried (Cajun style or otherwise), too much sugar will cause the bird to blacken on the outside. It is best, therefore to use water, rather than apple juice or cider, and to greatly reduce the amount of sugar called for in the above listing of brine ingredients.
- Variations:.
- *A listener called last year to report that using beer instead of juice resulted in a wonderful flavor - she even used Guiness, a more bitter-tasting beer - and loved it!
- Along the same vein, another listener said that she made the brine as directed, then - after it had cooled - she added an equivalent (the same) amount of flat dark beer and another full one cup of brown sugar (packed measure). After stirring the mixture until the sugar dissolved, she proceded to brine her turkey in the mixture - and indicated that the result was just fabulous.
- **BRINING A GOOSE: This brine works exceptionally well for brining a goose before roasting. The meat of the goose benefits greatly from brining for 12 to 24 hours. Follow the same directions for goose as you would for brining a turkey.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 3804.8, Fat 12, SaturatedFat 2.5, Sodium 170122, Carbohydrate 944.1, Fiber 21, Sugar 825.8, Protein 8.3
BEST BRINED TURKEY BREAST
Interested in trying something different for your Thanksgiving turkey? We'll talk you through how to brine a turkey breast so you can set a flavorful, moist and delicious centerpiece on the table! Brined turkey breast needs some extra prep time, but it's so worth it for the juicy results.
Provided by By Betty Crocker Kitchens
Categories Entree
Time 14h40m
Yield 8
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- In 6-quart container or stockpot, mix water, salt and sugar; stir until sugar and salt are dissolved. Add turkey. Cover; refrigerate at least 12 hours but no longer than 24 hours.
- Heat oven to 325°F. Remove turkey from brine, rinse thoroughly under cool running water and pat dry.
- Place onion on center of rack in large shallow roasting pan; top with rosemary, thyme and bay leaves. Place turkey, skin side up, over onion and herbs.
- In small bowl, mix butter and wine. Soak 16-inch square of cheesecloth in butter mixture until completely saturated; cover turkey completely with cheesecloth. Roast 1 hour 30 minutes.
- Remove cheesecloth. Place onion and herbs in pan with drippings if using drippings to make gravy (or discard). Insert ovenproof meat thermometer so tip is in thickest part of turkey and does not touch bone. Turn turkey skin side down. Roast 30 to 60 minutes longer or until thermometer reads 165°F.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 360, Carbohydrate 1 g, Cholesterol 140 mg, Fat 1, Fiber 0 g, Protein 43 g, SaturatedFat 9 g, ServingSize 1 Serving, Sodium 600 mg
ULTIMATE TURKEY BRINE
Simple overnight brine that will make any turkey moist and tasty. You can use this recipe for turkeys in the 15 to 20-pound range. Brining works best for fresh turkeys; you should definitely not brine any turkey that is already injected with a 'solution.'
Provided by Eric
Categories Side Dish Sauces and Condiments Recipes
Time 2h25m
Yield 30
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Bring water to a boil in a large stockpot. Stir salt and sugar into the water until dissolved; bring water again to a boil. Add cloves, bay leaves, peppercorns, rosemary, and thyme to the water, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook mixture at a simmer for about 20 minutes.
- Refrigerate brine until completely cooled.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 44.1 calories, Carbohydrate 11.3 g, Fat 0.1 g, Fiber 0.3 g, Protein 0.1 g, Sodium 6080.8 mg, Sugar 10.7 g
Tips:
- Brine the turkey for at least 12 hours, but no longer than 24 hours, to ensure that the flavors have time to penetrate the meat.
- Use a large container to brine the turkey, such as a stockpot or a cooler. Make sure that the container is large enough to hold the turkey and the brine.
- Keep the turkey cold while it is brining. Place the container in the refrigerator or in a cool place outside.
- Use a variety of spices and herbs in the brine to add flavor to the turkey. Some popular choices include garlic, onion, thyme, rosemary, and sage.
- Add some salt and sugar to the brine. Salt helps to preserve the turkey and sugar helps to brown the skin.
- Rinse the turkey thoroughly after brining to remove any excess salt.
- Pat the turkey dry before cooking to help the skin crisp up.
Conclusion:
Brining a turkey is a great way to ensure that it is moist and flavorful. By following these tips, you can create a delicious turkey that your family and friends will love. Remember to experiment with different spices and herbs to find the perfect flavor combination for your taste.
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