2025 Oct 2nd

The Best Turkey Brine

X1 14 lb turkey (giblets and neck removed)
2 gallons of Liquid (Combo of Apple cider & Water)
1 cup coarse kosher salt or coarse sea salt
1 cup brown sugar
8 cloves of garlic (smashed not cut)
2 oranges (juiced and halved)
2 lemons (juiced and halved)
4 TBSP Whole peppercorns
4 bay leaves
Fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, sage, and parsley)

1. Transfer about 8 cups of cider or water to a saucepan. Add the salt and sugar. Bring it to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Let it go, stirring occasionally, until the salt and sugar have dissolved. When done, set it aside and let the liquid cool completely. (You can speed this up by adding ice.)

2. Pour the cooled brine to your brining container. Add the rest of the cider along with the garlic cloves, herbs, and peppercorns. Squeeze the juice from the oranges and lemons into the pot (don’t worry about the pits), and place the squeezed orange and lemon into the pot as well. Slowly and carefully submerge the turkey into the brine (careful, the liquid level will rise). Cover and refrigerate for an hour per pound.

3. When brining time is up, carefully transfer the turkey to the sink. (I line mine with plastic grocery bags to try and keep things more sanitary. You could also use plastic wrap.) Carefully but thoroughly rinse the turkey with low water pressure to avoid splashback. This will rinse of excess salt. If you skip rinsing, you will end up with too salty of a turkey.

4. After the rinse, pat the turkey dry with paper towels and transfer it to a cooking vessel. You can now prepare it and season it as you normally would.

Credit to Killing Thyme Blog