(for Chicken and Meat too)
The Perfect Turkey brine is the foundation to a perfect turkey. There are as many pros as cons regarding whether brining is necessary. Brining take a lot of extra work which is the reason I think there are as many arguments against it. Another is that you need extra space in your refrigerator to let the turkey soak in brine overnight. Truth be told, if you have a flavorful turkey, chances are you don’t have to brine it. But then again, how do you know, until you’ve tried it?
To Brine or not to Brine
Brining is soaking your turkey in salted water for many hours or overnight. The turkey absorbs some of the water while soaking in your brining liquid, and the salt dissolves some muscle proteins, which results in the meat contracting less while it’s in the oven and losing less moisture as it cooks.
There are other benefits to the perfect turkey brine. One of those is the ability to infuse additional flavor into the turkey with herbs and spices. Another reason is that brining adds moisture to the turkey, especially the breast meat.
Photo by Williams Sonoma
Making the Perfect Turkey Brine
The perfect Turkey brine only takes 15 minutes to make. I use one quart of water, peppercorns, thyme, bay leaves, garlic, brown sugar and kosher salt. Once combined, bring to a boil until the sugar is dissolved and allow the brine to fully cool. (You don’t want to add hot liquids to raw turkey).
Using an oven roasting bag, I place the turkey in first, then fill it the bag with the brine so that the turkey is completely submerged. (If not fully submerged, make another batch, cool and add to the bag.) Try to press out as much air from the bag before twist tying it.
How Long Should I Brine the Turkey
I use a guide I learned a long time ago in the Midwest. No matter whether it is turkey, chicken or beef, brine time is 1 hour per pound. Simple enough, right?
Take the time and make the brine. I think you will be very pleased with the outcome.
Enjoy!
The Perfect Brine
This is the perfect brine for meats, chicken or turkey.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 3 bay leaves
- 6 cloves garlic (sliced)
- 4 cups water
- 1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
- 1/2 cup kosher salt
DIRECTIONS
- Makes 1 quart- make up additional amounts of brine if needed until meat is submerged.
- Stir ingredients together in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Continue stirring until sugar is dissolved.
- Allow to cool.
- Place meat or poultry in a food safe plastic bag inside another container for support and leakage control (oven roasting bags are a fine choice- NOT garbage bags).
- Pour cooled brine into bag, and squeeze out as much air as possible and seal with a twistie tie.
Refrigerate for 3-4 hours for 3 pounds meat, 5-6 hours for a nice roasting hen, or 12-24 hours for a turkey, 12 hours being for a small one and the longer time for those turkeys around 20+ pounds.
- Discard brine before using and pat meat dry.
- If using poultry, you may want to add citrus fruit such as oranges or lemons, additional fresh herbs, or cloves of garlic into the cavity.
Prepare turkey as desired- roast, bbq, etc.
Try out other Koshercowboy.com meat recipe at: https://koshercowboy.com/category/meats/
or poultry recipes at:
https://koshercowboy.com/tag/chicken/
