This straightforward, traditional smoked turkey brine provides you the juiciest, most scrumptious vacation turkey you’ve ever tasted.
You need to use this smoked turkey brine for our scrumptious smoked turkey recipe or for our baked turkey tenderloin, roasted turkey breast, sous vide turkey, or some other poultry recipe.
Smoked Turkey Brine for a Juicy Hen
Don’t let the phrases turkey brine scare you. It’s tremendous simple to make easy turkey brine for a brilliant juicy smoked turkey recipe. Simply ensure you will have the suitable instruments and the suitable hen and also you’ll be all set to go.
To brine or to not brine?
That’s the age-old query. The reply is to strive making ready your turkey many various methods and select your favourite. We extremely counsel moist brining your turkey earlier than you smoke your hen. Nevertheless, we don’t assume you could brine your hen if you’re roasting it within the oven. To every their very own.
In case you are questioning when to make use of a dry brine, that publish is coming quickly!
We used this smoked turkey brine for our smoked turkey recipe and since the turkey sits within the smoker for an entire day, a brined hen holds a bit extra moisture than an un-brined turkey.
Tips on how to Select a Turkey
This brine requires a 12-15 pound turkey that has not been handled. What does that imply?
Many turkeys are already injected with a brine. In case you attempt to brine a hen that’s already brined or handled you might be losing your valuable time. The hen won’t soak up as a lot of your do-it-yourself brine!
Simply examine on the turkey’s packaging to ensure that the hen is bare and freed from any therapy.
Right here’s What You Want
Right here’s all you could completely moisten and taste your Thanksgiving turkey. You want a number of brine components and some instruments after which you can be prepared to arrange your brine.
Earlier than you begin, ensure you clear an area within the fridge in your brining container!
A Large Pot
That is first on the checklist, as a result of for those who don’t have a vessel in your smoked turkey brine, you’re going to have an issue. There are a number of various things you should use to brine your turkey. We used a pot, however be happy to make use of any of the vessels under.
When you have a container with a lid, nice! If not you’ll be able to cowl the brining container with plastic wrap or a dish towel.
Turkey
Determine how many individuals you might be serving and discover a turkey that can serve these individuals.
Bear in mind to seek out your self an untreated hen and for goodness sakes ensure you take away the innards from the physique cavity of the hen earlier than you flop it into the brine.
Now, this brining recipe is designed for a 12-15 pound turkey. If that’s too huge of a turkey for you haven’t any concern, leftovers are all the time factor. Do you know now you can order a turkey on Amazon? Sure, it’s true.
Make our leftover turkey soup or turkey salad. Belief me, you gained’t remorse it.
Salt
For moist brining, you should use kosher salt and desk salt interchangeably. We like to make use of kosher salt for brining normally, however you should use both.
Contemporary Herbs
We use recent rosemary and recent thyme for this smoked turkey brine. In case you solely have dry herbs, need to concern, you should use these as a substitute! This isn’t the kind of recipe the place dry or recent herbs make an enormous distinction.
One other enjoyable herb ingredient is a bay leaf! Throw a number of bay leaves within the brine for one thing additional!
Garlic + Onion
Garlic and onion give this turkey brine slightly little bit of taste. We used recent garlic and white onion however you should use pre-minced garlic or a distinct shade onion.
Peppercorns
Peppercorns add a little bit of peppery taste to your hen! Don’t have peppercorns? A enjoyable means so as to add a little bit of a chunk to your brine is so as to add complete cloves!
FAQ
We didn’t add something candy to our turkey brine recipe, however be happy so as to add 1/4 cup of brown sugar to your brine by dissolving it into the water with the salt. You can even add 1/2 cup of apple juice to your brine earlier than you add the hen.
We advise that your turkey is usually thawed earlier than you add it to the brine. You may have a number of frozen components of the turkey, however you wish to turkey to be thawed sufficient to soak up the brine and take away the innards, and many others
In case you’re going to take the time to moist brine a turkey, brinning the turkey in a single day will make all of it value it!
strive it!
Turkey Seasoning
Ditch the store-bought turkey seasoning and use probably the most Flavorful Turkey Seasoning made with 9 components you’ll be able to really pronounce. This seasoning is made up of garlic powder, brown sugar, kosher salt, and different easy seasonings.
Tips on how to Brine a Turkey
- Put together your container. Wipe out no matter container you might be utilizing for the turkey brine and ensure it suits within the fridge and could have sufficient area for each the brine and the turkey.
- Get the turkey prepared. Take away the innards from the turkey and lower off any undesirable components of the hen.
- Dissolve the salt. It will be important that the salt is dissolved within the water for the brine. To do that you warmth up water and add salt. As a substitute of heating up gallons of water, we advise that you simply warmth up 2 cups of water and 1 cup of salt till the salt is dissolved. Don’t convey the water to a boil.
- Add all the pieces to the pot. Add the salt water to the brining container and add the remainder of the bringing components to the pot. Add the turkey to the brine and ensure it’s fully submerged within the brine.
- Refrigerate. You don’t wish to mess with temperature in terms of brining a hen. Place your turkey within the fridge to maintain it cool.
- Refrigerate. You don’t wish to mess with temperature in terms of brining a hen. Place your turkey within the fridge to maintain it cool. Some individuals wish to brine their turkey in a cooler, however it’s much less dependable.
- Discard brine and prep the turkey for smoking. When the turkey has brined in a single day rigorously take away the turkey from the brine and place it in a roasting container. Discard the brine. Fastidiously rinse the hen with water and pat the hen dry. Then, comply with the recipe for this smoked turkey.
