The Best Turkey Brine Food

THE BEST TURKEY BRINE

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

Steps:

• Combine apple cider, salt, peppercorns, allspice, cloves, and bay leaves in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook 5 minutes until salt dissolves. Cool completely in refrigerator.
• Remove giblets and neck from turkey, refrigerate until ready to use, and reserve for gravy. Rinse turkey with cold water and pat dry. Trim excess fat. Stuff body cavity with orange quarters. Place a turkey-sized oven bag inside a large stockpot. Place turkey inside bag. Add cold cider mixture and ice. Squeeze as much air out of bag as possible. twist top and secure with twist tie or tuck end so that it stays put. Refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours, turning turkey occasionally.
• Once done, remove turkey from bag, and discard brine, orange quarters, and bag. Rinse turkey with cold water and pat dry.
• Cook turkey using your favorite method.

THE BEST TURKEY BRINE

Steps:

• To make the brining solution, dissolve the salt and sugar in 2 gallons of cold water in a non-reactive container (such as a clean bucket or large stockpot, or a clean, heavy-duty, plastic garbage bag.) Add the oranges, lemons, and poultry herbs. I like to squeeze out some of the juices from the oranges and lemons into the solution before I add them. (Note: If you have a big turkey and need more brine, use 1/2 cup salt and 1/2 cup brown sugar for every additional gallon of water.).
• Remove the neck, giblets, and liver from the cavity of the turkey and reserve. Rinse the turkey inside and out under cold running water.
• Soak the turkey in the brine, covered and refrigerated, for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.
• Remove turkey from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Pat dry and prepare turkey according to your recipe.

Steps:

• Use a pot big enough to hold you meat. Dissolve kosher salt in water in the pot on slow simmer for about 2 minutes. The basic ratio is one tablespoon of salt for every one cup water.
• Now throw in all the fancy flavor enhancing ingredients into water. Add crushed garlic, pepper corns, bay leaves, lemon slices, honey and fresh herbs - rosemary, thyme and parsley.
• Bring water to boil for about a minute, stir to dissolve salt.
• Remove pan from stove. Allow water to cool completely.
• IMPORTANT NOTE: DO NOT put chicken in the brine before it's completely cool. Warm temperature of the brine will make scary harmful bacteria's in the chicken. It can lead to serious health hazards!
• Cook's Tip: To help brine cool down faster, allow the pot to cool down a bit and then place the pot in fridge to cool brine faster and cool it completely.
• Place whole chicken in cooled brine.
• NOTE: chicken should be fully immersed in brine.
• Cover pot with lid and brine chicken inside refrigerator for 8 to 24 hours. Do not go past that. Chicken will begin to absorb salt and will turn overly salty.
• Note: if chicken isn't fully immersed in water, go ahead and add 1 to 2 cups of extra water (room temperature water).
• After brining, remove chicken from brine. Rinse under tap water.
• IMPORTANT: Don't skip rinsing brined chicken under tap water. This will wash off some of the salt over the chicken. I found when not rinsed, brine chicken after roasting turned a bit salty.
• DISCARD THE BRINE. Raw meat in the brine marinade can cause contamination if used. Discard brine after removing chicken from it.

TURKEY BRINE

Steps:

• Fill a large container or stock pot with 1.5 litres cold water and set aside. The pot should be large enough to hold your turkey plus 3 litres water. Pour another 1.5 litres cold water into a large pan over a low-medium heat. Tip in the salt, sugar, bay, thyme, peppercorns, orange zest and coriander seeds, and whisk until the salt and sugar have completely dissolved. Remove from the heat, then pour into the container or stock pot and leave to cool completely.
• Weigh the turkey and carefully add it to the container, ensuring it's completely submerged in the brine. Leave to brine for roughly 1 hr per 500g to ensure succulent meat and a flavourful bird, then drain well (discarding the aromatics), pat dry and roast.

10 TOP TURKEY BRINES (+ RECIPE COLLECTION)

Steps:

• Select your favorite recipe.
• Organize all the required ingredients.
• Prep a turkey brine in 30 minutes or less!

APPLE CIDER TURKEY BRINE

Steps:

• Remove the Instant Pot lid and turn on the sauté setting for 30 minutes. (30 minutes is the most you can sauté, so you'll add more time when this time is up.)
• Add the water, apples, and brown sugar to the stainless-steel inner pot with the lid off.
• Place the cloves, ginger, cinnamon sticks, pomegranate, and orange into the strainer bag, tighten the bag's strings, and place the strainer in the inner pot.
• Allow the cider to simmer.
• When the 30 minutes is up, turn on the sauté setting for an additional 10 minutes.
• When the cooking time is finished, remove the straining bag and scoop out the apples.
• Transfer the apple cider turkey brine to a deep-dish roasting pan with the turkey.
• Then oven-roast your turkey in the apple cider brine, basting the turkey with the brine pan juices every 20-30 minutes.
• You can garnish apple cider brined turkey with fresh thyme sprigs, fresh rosemary, or parsley.

LEMON PEPPER DRY BRINE FOR TURKEY

Steps:

• In a small bowl, whisk together the kosher salt, brown sugar, lemon zest, and black pepper.
• Use dry brine for whole turkey, chicken, roasts, and more!