This easy, basic smoked turkey brine offers you the juiciest, most scrumptious vacation turkey you’ve ever tasted.
You should 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 Chook
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 make certain you have got the fitting instruments and the fitting 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 getting ready your turkey many alternative methods and select your favourite. We extremely counsel moist brining your turkey earlier than you smoke your hen. Nevertheless, we don’t assume that you must brine your hen in case you are roasting it within the oven. To every their very own.
In case you are questioning when to make use of a dry brine, that put up 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.
Find out 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. For those who attempt to brine a hen that’s already brined or handled you’re losing your treasured time. The hen won’t take in 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 remedy.
Right here’s What You Want
Right here’s all that you must completely moisten and taste your Thanksgiving turkey. You want just a few brine components and some instruments after which you may be prepared to organize your brine.
Earlier than you begin, make certain you clear an area within the fridge to your brining container!
A Large Pot
That is first on the checklist, as a result of in case you don’t have a vessel to your smoked turkey brine, you’re going to have an issue. There are just a few various things you need to use to brine your turkey. We used a pot, however be happy to make use of any of the vessels under.
You probably 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’re serving and discover a turkey that can serve these folks.
Keep in mind to search out your self an untreated hen and for goodness sakes make certain 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 worry, leftovers are at all times 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.
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Thermoworks Thermapen
We swear through the use of a meat thermometer when cooking any minimize of meat. The Thermapen is our go-to meat thermometer that works each time.
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Salt
For moist brining, you need to use kosher salt and desk salt interchangeably. We like to make use of kosher salt for brining basically, however you need to use both.
Recent Herbs
We use contemporary rosemary and contemporary thyme for this smoked turkey brine. For those who solely have dry herbs, should worry, you need to use these as a substitute! This isn’t the kind of recipe the place dry or contemporary herbs make an enormous distinction.
One other enjoyable herb ingredient is a bay leaf! Throw just a few bay leaves within the brine for one thing further!
Garlic + Onion
Garlic and onion give this turkey brine somewhat little bit of taste. We used contemporary garlic and white onion however you need to use pre-minced garlic or a special coloration onion.
Peppercorns
Peppercorns add a little bit of peppery taste to your hen! Don’t have peppercorns? A enjoyable method so as to add a little bit of a chunk to your brine is so as to add entire 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 may as well add 1/2 cup of apple juice to your brine earlier than you add the hen.
We recommend that your turkey is generally thawed earlier than you add it to the brine. You may have just a few frozen elements 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
For those who’re going to take the time to moist brine a turkey, brinning the turkey in a single day will make all of it price it!
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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 truly pronounce. This seasoning is made up of garlic powder, brown sugar, kosher salt, and different easy seasonings.
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Find out how to Brine a Turkey
- Put together your container. Wipe out no matter container you’re utilizing for the turkey brine and make certain it suits within the fridge and could have sufficient house for each the brine and the turkey.
- Get the turkey prepared. Take away the innards from the turkey and minimize off any undesirable elements of the hen.
- Dissolve the salt. It is necessary that the salt is dissolved within the water for the brine. To do that you warmth up water and add salt. As an alternative of heating up gallons of water, we advise that you just warmth up 2 cups of water and 1 cup of salt till the salt is dissolved. Don’t carry the water to a boil.
- Add all the things 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 make certain it’s utterly submerged within the brine.
- Refrigerate. You don’t wish to mess with temperature relating to brining a hen. Place your turkey within the fridge to maintain it cool.
- Refrigerate. You don’t wish to mess with temperature relating to brining a hen. Place your turkey within the fridge to maintain it cool. Some folks 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 fastidiously 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, observe the recipe for this smoked turkey.
