Brine That Turkey!

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If you're hosting Thanksgiving this year, consider brining your turkey! Yes, this takes some prep work, but you'll never taste a better turkey!

Brining a turkey helps to keep your turkey moist and the flavor can't be beat! I heard about brining turkeys quite a few years ago and have been doing it for years. You can use a fresh or defrosted frozen turkey. It takes a minimum of 24 hours to brine and I don't recommend brining for more than 48 hours. Please note that the turkey must be at a food safe temperature during brining! If it's cold enough in Michigan, I can set my brine bucket outside. Keep it at or below 40 degrees F.

I have been using this brine recipe since 2013, but it is credited to the great chef Emeril Lagasse (printed in 2007). I can't recall which cooking show I was watching when I got the idea, but this brine has been a winner-winner...turkey dinner. I put a kitchen size garbage bag (or two) in a 5 gallon bucket and prep the brine. The turkey should be put in the lined bucket before dumping the brine.

Brine Ingredients: (Enough for one 10-12 lb turkey)

  • 1 cup coarse or kosher salt
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2 oranges, quartered
  • 2 lemons, quartered
  • 6 sprigs thyme
  • 4 sprigs rosemary
  • 2 gallons of cold water
  • If you need more brine, add 1/2 cup salt + 1/2 cup sugar for every gallon of water


Here are my tips and tricks after years of brining turkeys
  1. Look in the turkey section of the grocery store or the produce section for clamshell packages of fresh herbs for poultry. Often you can save money just buying the set of herbs rather than separate packages of what you need. You can see in the picture above that there's some sage mixed in there too!
  2. Once your turkey and brine are in the bag, tie up the garbage bags and set a heavy bowl or plate on top of the turkey. This keeps the whole turkey submerged in the brine the whole time.
  3. Rinsing the turkey is optional. Most brine recipes say to rinse it, but we prefer the salty taste!
  4. Don't toss the citrus or herbs from the brine! I stuff my turkey with the lemons and some of the herbs. You can make a paste of herbs and butter for the skin of the turkey as it is baking!
  5. Bag or no bag? I've cooked my brine turkeys with and without an oven bag. The bags help it to cook faster. Don't worry about your brined turkey being dried out! You will be amazed at the moisture in the meat.
  6. Rest! Let your turkey rest at least 30 minutes (45 minutes is ideal) before you start carving it. 


I would love to hear from you if you try this recipe or if you've used a brine before. Thank you for reading the blog! Please share it and follow Home Ericanomics on social media.



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