Turkey Brine

Our easy Turkey Brine recipe locks in moisture and enhances flavor, giving you the most tender, flavorful turkey every time.

When and Why to Brine a turkey.

There’s a lot of confusion out there about brining turkey– when you need to do it, and when you can skip it. Here’s the simple truth: you don’t always need to brine.

If you’re cooking a fresh, organic, or wild turkey, or you plan to smoke it low and slow, then brining is absolutely worth the extra time. This wet brine recipe helps the turkey stay moist through long cook times and infuses subtle flavors of citrus, herbs, and spice that make a noticeable difference.

But, if you’re using a frozen store-bought turkey (like Butterball or anything labeled “enhanced” or “pre-basted”), it’s already been injected with a salty solution. Basically, it’s pre-brined! In that case, you can skip a brine and still end up with a juicy, flavorful bird. Here's our no-brine Thanksgiving Turkey.

Whether you’re roasting, smoking, or even spatchcocking your bird, a good brine can take your fresh turkey from “just fine” to “wow, this is the best I’ve ever made.”

And be sure to pair your turkey with our classic turkey gravy and all your favorite Thanksgiving sides. Don't miss my tips on how to carve a turkey!

How to Wet Brine a Turkey:

Brine base: Add 1 quart (4 cups) of water to a large pot. Add salt, brown sugar, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, orange peel and juice, lemon peel and juice, rosemary, and thyme. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the salt and sugar have dissolved (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Dilute Brine: Pour the brine mixture into a brining bag or a large, food-safe container (stockpot, brining bucket). Add 12 cups of cold water and some ice. Stir well and make sure the brine is completely cool before adding the turkey.

Brine Turkey: Place the turkey breast-side down in the brine, making sure it’s fully submerged. (If needed, weigh it down with a plate or sealed bag of ice to keep it underwater).

Refrigerate (or keep cold): Cover and refrigerate overnight, or 1 hour per pound of turkey (i.e 12 hours for a 12-lb turkey), up to 18–24 hours maximum. (If fridge space is tight, place the sealed brining bag or bucket inside a cooler packed with ice, keeping the temperature below 40°F)

Remove and dry: Remove the turkey from the brine and discard the brine. Rinse briefly under cool water to remove excess salt and aromatics (sanitize your sink afterwards). Pat completely dry with paper towels and place on a rimmed baking sheet. (For crispier skin I recommend refrigerating the turkey, uncovered, for 1–2 hours before smoking or roasting.)

Roast: Now you’re ready to smoke your turkey, or roast it in the oven.

This easy Turkey Brine recipe only takes a few minutes to throw together and will make your smoked turkey moist and flavorful!

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Turkey Brine Recipe

Our Turkey Brine recipe guarantees a juicy, flavorful turkey with minimal effort and works great for a smoked, roasted, or grilled turkey.

Course main

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 10

Total Time 12 15

Servings turkey

Calories 464kcal

Author Lauren Allen

Cost 5

Equipment

Ingredients

1 gallon water , divded
½ cup Kosher salt
½ cup brown sugar
5-6 large garlic cloves , peeled
3-4 bay leaves
1 1/2 Tablespoons black peppercorns
2 large oranges peel and juice
1 large lemon peel and juice
4 sprigs fresh thyme
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
10-15 lb whole turkey*

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Brine base: Add 1 quart (4 cups) of water to a large pot. Add salt, brown sugar, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, orange peel and juice, lemon peel and juice, rosemary, and thyme. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until thesalt and sugar have dissolved (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Dilute Brine: Pour the brine mixture into a brining bag or a large, food-safe container(stockpot, brining bucket). Add 12 cups of cold water and some ice. Stir well and make sure the brine is completely cool before adding the turkey.
Submerge Turkey: Place the turkey breast-side down in the brine, making sure it’s fully submerged. (add more water if needed and 1 Tablespoon additional salt per 2 cups additional water.) Add If needed, weigh turkey down with a plate or sealed bag of ice to keep it submerged.
Refrigerate (or keep cold): Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour per pound of turkey (i.e 12 hrs for a 12lb turkey), or up to 18–24 hours maximum. (If fridge space is tight, place the sealed brining bag or bucket inside a cooler packed with ice, keeping the temperature below 40°F)
Remove and dry: Discard the brine and remove the turkey. Rinse briefly under cool waterto remove excess salt and aromatics. Pat completely dry with paper towels andplace on a rimmed baking sheet. (For crispier skin I recommend refrigeratingthe turkey, uncovered, for 1–2 hours before smoking or roasting.)
Cook Turkey: Now you’re ready to smoke the turkey or cook it in the oven.

Video

Notes

Turkey: Choose a smaller turkey (less than 15lbs) that's un-brined (many store-bought turkeys are already injected with a brine to keep the meat moist, like butterball turkeys, for example.) Check the ingredient label. If turkey is frozen I recommend thawing (or at least almost completely thawed) before brining.

Brining Containers: I think a brining bag is easiest, but any large, non-reactive container (plastic, glass, or stainless steel, like a large stockpot) will work, as long as the turkey is completely submerged in the brine. And if you don’t have fridge space use a cooler filled with ice, or a brining bag in a bucket with ice. Always keep temp below 40°F.

Don’t over-brine: Don’t exceed 24 hours in the brine or the meat could be too salty or soft.

Dry vs. Wet brine: This recipe is for a wet brine which adds moisture and flavor and is great for a smoked turkey to prevent the meat from drying out. A dry brine helps yield a crispier skin, which is great for oven roasting, like our spatchcock turkey. To Dry Brine a Turkey: Use about 1 Tablespoon of kosher salt per 5 pounds of turkey. Pat the turkey dry and rub the salt mixture evenly all over the skin (and even under the skin if you can.) Place it on a rack over a pan (uncovered) in the fridge for 24–48 hours. Pat the skin dry again before adding the spice rub. If adding a salt brine, reduce the salt in the dry rub by half.

Nutrition

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I originally shared this recipe October 2020. Updated November 2025.

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Turkey Brine

When and Why to Brine a turkey.

How to Wet Brine a Turkey: