First of all you need to start with a completely thawed turkey at room temperature. You’ll also need a container large enough to completely submerge the turkey in the brine and a couple of inches above.. A good way to determine how much brine you’ll need is to place the turkey (neck side down) in the container and cover with cold water. Take the turkey out measure how much water you used. The container should also fit in your refrigerator. If you don’t have room in the refrigerator or don’t have a container large enough, you can use a cooler. To keep the brine and the turkey as cold as possible, fill an empty half gallon milk container with water and freeze. Place it in the cooler with your turkey. For basic brine, you’ll need 1/2 to 1 cup of kosher or sea salt (use less if using table salt)per gallon of cold water. You can also add sugar to the brine to give it a little sweetness. I use equal amounts of salt and brown sugar, but you can use white sugar if you like, adjusting the amount to your taste. Make sure both the salt and the sugar are completely dissolved before adding any additional flavorings. Allow the turkey to remain in the brine for 10 to 12 hours. No longer than 24 hours. If you are using a small turkey (or brining a chicken), you can cut back on the brining time to 6 to 12 hours. When you’re ready to cook your turkey, remove it from the brine, rinse under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Make sure to dispose of the used brine safely. Here are a few ideas for different things you can use to flavor the brine: garlic onions peppercorns pickling spice fresh or dried herbs bay leaves spices (peppercorns, allspice berries, cloves, any whole spice) chile peppers soy or Worcestershire sauce lemon or orange slices or zest Consider replacing part of the water with fruit juice, like apple, pineapple or cranberry, or gingerale, or you can also use vegetable or chicken broth. Let your imagination run wild! Brining is also very good for chicken or pork as well. |
