Turkey Brining Made Easy

As the holidays approach, you may hear that you should brine your bird to make it more tender and juicy. It’s true, you should. Your holiday feast guests will thank you for it. While brining—soaking a turkey in a solution of liquid, salt, sugar, and seasoning—may sound like a daunting task, it’s actually easier than you might expect. Especially when you use our Turkey Brining Kit to make the juiciest holiday turkey.

Why Brine?

Savory Spice founder, Mike Johnston, wrote a helpful Brining 101 article earlier this summer where he talks about the benefits of brining. Check out the article for the science behind brining; in a nutshell, here are Mike’s takeaways about why you should brine:

• Brining makes your protein juicy and tender: When your bird spends time in a liquid solution with salt, sugar, and seasoning, the turkey is then infused with both moisture and flavor while it cooks.
• Brining takes less time than you think: You only need to brine for one hour per pound of protein. For a turkey, that’s an easy overnight process.
• Brining makes you look good: Seriously. When your turkey comes out nice and juicy, your dinner guests will notice and they will compliment you for it.

How to Brine

To create a brining solution for turkey, you typically measure out the amount of liquid it takes to completely submerge your bird. Then you measure out just the right ratio of salt, sugar, and seasoning to dissolve in the liquid. If you want to go that route, we commend your DIY attitude and recommend trying brining instructions here. In fact, we even have several DIY Brining Spice Ready Mix recipes for creating your own flavor-unique profiles for brining.

However, if you’re new to brining or don’t want to bother with recipe calculations, Savory’s Turkey Brining Kit has you covered. The kit contains 16 oz. of Brining Mix (just the right amount of salt, sugar, and seasoning to brine a 12-15 lb. turkey covered in about 2 gallons of water) plus a brining bag, and a roasting bag.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Here’s how easy it is to use our Turkey Brining Kit to brine a 12-15 lb. turkey.

1) Find a container. Find a large, food-safe container with enough room to hold a 12-15 lb. turkey. The turkey should be able to be completely submerged in liquid. Usually a very large stockpot will work. Line the container with the brining bag. Pro-Tip: A brining bag will keep the brining liquid contained and make for an easy clean-up.

2) Dissolve brining mix. Find a large, food-safe container with enough room to hold a 12-15 lb. turkey. The turkey should be able to be completely submerged in liquid. Usually a very large stockpot will work. Line the container with the brining bag. Pro-Tip: A brining bag will keep the brining liquid contained and make for an easy clean-up.

3) Submerge turkey in brine. Place your fresh or thawed 12-15 lb. turkey in the brining bag in the container. Pour the cooled brine liquid over the turkey then top it with enough water to completely submerge the turkey. This will be about 1½ to 2 gallons depending on the size of the turkey and the container. Pro-Tip: You can substitute part of the water for other liquids that will help flavor the turkey, like beer, wine, citrus juice, or broth. Add the flavoring liquid first, then finish with enough water to cover the turkey.

4) Refrigerate turkey. Secure the brining bag closed using the black tie included with the bag. Make space in the refrigerator for your large container, and refrigerate the turkey in the brine for about 1 hour per lb. of turkey.

5) Remove turkey from brine. After the brining time is up, remove the turkey from the brining liquid and discard the liquid and the brining bag. Rinse the turkey and pat dry. Pro-Tip: For extra crispy skin, place the turkey on a roasting pan and set it back in the refrigerator, uncovered, for at least an hour before cooking to let the skin dry out a bit more.

6) Rub the turkey. This is my favorite part! Generously rub the turkey with your favorite seasoning just before you’re ready to roast, fry, grill, or smoke the bird. We usually recommend using about 1 tsp. of seasoning per 1 lb. of turkey. Pro-Tip: Try roasting your seasoned turkey in the included roasting bag so the turkey bastes itself, and cooks faster.

Top Picks for Turkey

Some of our favorite rubs to go along with turkey are:

• Tiny Town Turkey Rub
• Nantucket Herb & Citrus Poultry Rub
• Gold Coast Tropical Poultry Rub
• Bohemian Forest European Style Seasoning
• TSM BBQ Chicken Rub
• Peruvian Chile Lime Seasoning Blend

For any rub, we suggest using about 1 tsp. seasoning per pound of poultry, or more to taste. Generously rub the seasoning on the outside of the poultry skin, and/or underneath the skin before cooking. Use rub with olive oil or melted butter, if desired, to help the seasoning stick.

Brining FAQs

Here are some of the questions our testers asked when trying the new Turkey Brining Kit. We hope you find these answers helpful.

What if I have a turkey that’s smaller or larger than 12 lb., can I still use the kit?

Yes, you can!

• For a turkey that’s smaller than 12 lb. (or if you spatchcock the turkey or cut it into pieces before brining) you’ll need less liquid to submerge the turkey, meaning you’ll need less brining mix as well. Use 8 oz. of the mix for each 1 gallon of brining liquid you need.
• For a turkey larger than 15 lb., you may need more liquid to submerge the turkey, and more brining mix. You can purchase an additional 8 oz. package of Brining Mix, and combine that with the 16 oz. included in the kit to make up to 3 gallons of brining liquid for a larger bird.

Can I use the mix to brine other protein?

Even though we call it a Turkey Brining Kit, you can absolutely use it to brine other types of protein you may be cooking up this holiday season—roast chicken, pork roast, pork chops, tofu perhaps? Simply determine how much liquid will be needed to submerge the protein and measure out how much mix you’ll need from there. Here are some simple guidelines:

• Use 16 oz. mix (about 3 heaping cups) for 2 gallons liquid. This is best for a whole turkey or other large whole bird.
• Use 8 oz. mix (about 1½ heaping cups) for 1 gallon liquid. This is best for smaller poultry like a whole chicken.
• Use 4 oz. mix (about 3/4 heaping cup) for ½ gallon (2 quarts) liquid. This is best for smaller poultry pieces, pork roast, pork chops.

For more information about brining any type of protein, read through Mike’s Brining 101 article. He offers tips, tricks, and basic ratios of liquid, salt, sugar, and seasonings to create your own brine.

What types of things do you brine? Let us know in the comments below or share your thoughts with us on Twitter, Facebook, or by tagging us with @savoryspiceshop on Instagram