So you decided to grill or smoke a turkey this Thanksgiving, your buddy says to brine it first, and you’re asking yourself, “Huh?”  Here’s why your buddy is right about brining a turkey.

Turkey breast is a lean meat and tends to be drier than dark meat, and moisture loss happens when cooking any type of muscle fiber.  Soaking the turkey in a brine—a solution of salt and water—will help ensure a moister and juicier bird and can reduce this moisture loss during cooking.

Brining can also dissolve some of the proteins in muscle fibers, turning them from solid to liquid, thus increasing the moisture in the turkey.  Since white meat cooks faster than dark meat, brining pulls out the turkey's natural juices and the added water essentially steams the turkey breast while the dark meat finishes its cooking time.

The salt in the brine is the key ingredient that allows the bird to retain moisture, but many brine recipes contain other ingredients.  These are flavor enhancers that don’t increase the juicy texture of the meat.  So you can add dried herbs, such as thyme, oregano, or sage, to the brine or replace the water with another liquid, such as apple cider.

The turkey needs to be completely submerged in the brine, so coolers with ice packs are an easy solution.  You can also place the turkey in a clean trash bag, add the brine, and seal the bag so that the meat is covered, then place the bag in a bowl and refrigerate.

Rinse the brined turkey afterward to remove any surface salt. Properly brined meat shouldn't taste salty, just very juicy with a yummy flavor.

For a whole turkey, the brine concentration is 2 cups salt to 1 gallon water using Diamond Crystal kosher salt;  Morton's kosher salt is denser, so use 1-1/2 cups per gallon of liquid;  table salt is denser still, so use 1 cup per gallon.

Fill a pan with cold water, add the other ingredients you want in your brine, boil the mixture and allow to cool before adding the turkey.

You can actually buy turkey brining kits that gives you everything you need for brining a turkey:

 

If you prefer to make your own brine, here are some turkey brining recipes you may want to try if you want some additional flavor.

Herb Turkey Brine

• 1 gallon vegetable broth
• 1 cup sea salt
• 1 tablespoon crushed dried rosemary
• 1 tablespoon dried sage
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon dried savory
• 1 gallon ice water

Citrus Turkey Brine

• 1 cup salt
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges
• 1 orange, cut into wedges
• 1 medium onion, cut into wedges
• 3 cloves garlic
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 gallons cold water

Orange Turkey Brine

• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
• 1 orange, sliced
• 1 lemon, sliced
• 1 lime, sliced
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cup kosher salt
• 1 1/2 gallons water

Cranberry Turkey Brine

• 2 cups kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons poultry seasoning
• 3 tablespoons onion powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 4 quarts vegetable broth
• 2 quarts water
• 3 cups cranberry juice

Savory Turkey Brine

• 2 gallons cold water
• 10 ounces Kikkoman Naturally Brewed Soy Sauce
• 1/2 cup kosher salt
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons dried sage
• 2 tablespoons dried celery seed
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Apple Turkey Brine

• 2 quarts apple juice
• 1 gallon cold water
• 1 cup kosher salt
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
• 5 pounds ice cubes

Cranberry-Citrus Turkey Brine

• 1 cup kosher salt
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can frozen orange juice concentrate
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can frozen cranberry juice concentrate
• 1 gallon water
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges
• 1 orange, cut into wedges
• 1 red onion, cut into wedges
• 3 cloves garlic
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme leaves
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper