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Easy Turkey Brine Recipe - A Family Feast

Easy Turkey Brine Recipe

An easy turkey brine is something everyone should have in their holiday recipe collection. Spend the extra time brining your bird before roasting – you won’t regret it!

Yield: Enough to brine a 14 pound turkey
Prep: 10 minsCook: 5 minsTotal: 15 minutes
Units:
Scale:

Ingredients

For the Brine

  • 2 quarts vegetable broth
  • 1 quart water
  • 1 ounce in weight of fresh herbs consisting of fresh parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
  • 1/2 cup kosher salt (yes, that says one half cup)
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 whole navel orange cut into pieces, skin left on
  • 1/2 pound yellow onion, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 6 black peppercorns, left whole
  • 2 teaspoons juniper berries, left whole (found in the spice aisle)

Other ingredients

  • 34 quarts ice water
  • 1 14pound turkey

Instructions

  1. Place stock and the one quart of water in a medium pot.
  2. Tie fresh herbs with butchers twine and place in pot.
  3. Add salt, sugar, orange pieces, onion chunks, peppercorns and juniper berries.
  4. Bring to a boil then remove from heat and cool to room temperature or cooler.
  5. To cool hot liquids quickly, place pot in sink full of ice water and stir liquid in pot and ice water outside of pot. The heat from the liquid transfers to the ice water. Drain water and repeat with more ice water until the brine has cooled.
  6. Place turkey in a large stock pot and add ice water. Then add cooled brine.
  7. Cover and refrigerate overnight. If the weather is very cold outside, you can even place covered pot outside or in a garage.
  8. The next morning, drain and discard brine, pat turkey dry then cook your turkey according to instructions. (See our Juicy Roast Turkey recipe here.)

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© Author: A Family Feast
Cuisine: America Method: soak