Turkey Brine
March 16, 2026 • 0 comments
Your Blue Wildrye heritage breed turkey will turn out perfectly if you follow this method for brining and then resting your turkey before cooking it! Plan ahead and leave yourself enough time to prepare your brine, chill it, brine your bird, and then let the bird rest and dry in the fridge before you cook it.
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Servings: 12
Ingredients
- (3 gallons) Water
- (1.5 C) Kosher Salt
- (1.5 C) Sugar
- (1 bunch) Fresh Tarragon
- (1 bunch) Fresh Parsley
- (4) Bay Leaves
- (1 head, halved) Garlic
- (2, quartered) Onions
- (1 TBSP) Black Pepper
- (4, halved) Lemons
- (1) Turkey
Directions
For Thanksgiving, plan on making your brine by Monday at the latest. Combine all of the ingredients in a 5 gallon stock pot. Squeeze the lemons into the pot before putting the lemon halves in. Place the pot on high heat until it comes to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt.
Remove from heat, cool to room temperature, then chill before brining your turkey.
Put your turkey in the brine, making sure the turkey is completely submerged (you may need to weigh it down). Brine for at least 24 hours.
Remove the turkey from the brine. Rinse well and pat dry (it will be too salty if you forget to do this!). Allow the turkey to rest in the fridge uncovered for 24 hours before you cook it.
