This easy, traditional smoked turkey brine offers 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 could have the best instruments and the best chicken 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 attempt getting ready your turkey many various methods and select your favourite. We extremely recommend moist brining your turkey earlier than you smoke your chicken. Nevertheless, we don’t assume it is advisable to brine your chicken 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 chicken holds a bit extra moisture than an un-brined turkey.
How you can 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 chicken that’s already brined or handled you’re losing your treasured time. The chicken won’t take in as a lot of your selfmade brine!
Simply test on the turkey’s packaging to guarantee that the chicken is bare and freed from any therapy.
Right here’s What You Want
Right here’s all it is advisable to completely moisten and taste your Thanksgiving turkey. You want a couple of brine substances and some instruments after which you may be prepared to organize your brine.
Earlier than you begin, ensure you clear an area within the fridge in your brining container!
A Enormous Pot
That is first on the checklist, as a result of in case you don’t have a vessel in your smoked turkey brine, you’re going to have an issue. There are a couple of various things you should utilize to brine your turkey. We used a pot, however be at liberty 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
Work out how many individuals you’re serving and discover a turkey that can serve these individuals.
Keep in mind to search out your self an untreated chicken and for goodness sakes ensure you take away the innards from the physique cavity of the chicken earlier than you flop it into the brine.
Now, this brining recipe is designed for a 12-15 pound turkey. If that’s too large of a turkey for you haven’t any concern, leftovers are all the time a superb 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 received’t remorse it.
Attempt it!
Thermoworks Thermapen
We swear by utilizing a meat thermometer when cooking any lower of meat. The Thermapen is our go-to meat thermometer that works each time.
Salt
For moist brining, you should utilize kosher salt and desk salt interchangeably. We like to make use of kosher salt for brining normally, however you should utilize both.
Contemporary Herbs
We use contemporary rosemary and contemporary thyme for this smoked turkey brine. For those who solely have dry herbs, should concern, you should utilize these as an alternative! 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 a couple of bay leaves within the brine for one thing additional!
Garlic + Onion
Garlic and onion give this turkey brine somewhat little bit of taste. We used contemporary garlic and white onion however you should utilize pre-minced garlic or a unique colour onion.
Peppercorns
Peppercorns add a little bit of peppery taste to your chicken! Don’t have peppercorns? A enjoyable manner so as to add a little bit of a chew to your brine is so as to add entire cloves!
FAQ
We didn’t add something candy to our turkey brine recipe, however be at liberty so as to add 1/4 cup of brown sugar to your brine by dissolving it into the water with the salt. You too can add 1/2 cup of apple juice to your brine earlier than you add the chicken.
We recommend that your turkey is generally thawed earlier than you add it to the brine. You’ll be able to have a couple 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 so forth
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 value it!
attempt it!
Turkey Seasoning
Ditch the store-bought turkey seasoning and use essentially the most Flavorful Turkey Seasoning made with 9 substances you’ll be able to truly pronounce. This seasoning is made up of garlic powder, brown sugar, kosher salt, and different easy seasonings.
How you can Brine a Turkey
- Put together your container. Wipe out no matter container you’re utilizing for the turkey brine and ensure it matches within the fridge and can 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 chicken.
- Dissolve the salt. It will be significant 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 recommend 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 every part to the pot. Add the salt water to the brining container and add the remainder of the bringing substances to the pot. Add the turkey to the brine and ensure it’s utterly submerged within the brine.
- Refrigerate. You don’t wish to mess with temperature in relation to brining a chicken. Place your turkey within the fridge to maintain it cool.
- Refrigerate. You don’t wish to mess with temperature in relation to brining a chicken. Place your turkey within the fridge to maintain it cool. Some individuals prefer 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. Rigorously rinse the chicken with water and pat the chicken dry. Then, comply with the recipe for this smoked turkey.
