Many argue the importance of brining your Thanksgiving Turkey, and we say YES you should!
Can you still have a delicious turkey without brining? Yes.
BUT can you have an even more delicious and especially moist turkey WITH brining? Definitely YES!
Two basic things happen to your turkey when you brine it. One, the turkey absorbs extra moisture, which does help it keep juicier during the roasting process. Two, it also absorbs salt which helps ‘season’ it as well as the salt breaking down some of the turkey’s proteins and making it more tender.
Most brines are made up of salt (Kosher salt is the best salt for brining) herbs, spices, and sometimes citrus peel, onions or garlic. But to make it easy we suggest just using our handy Bird Brine Mix. All the traditional brining spices and salt you’ll need!
How To Brine:
Just place your bird in a cooking pot deep enough to cover it with water, add in the container of Bird Brine and add cold water.
You can weigh your bird down in the water by covering it with a heavy plate to keep it from floating upwards.
Typically you brine for 1 hour for every 1 pound of bird.
After brining, rinse the bird well in cold water, and then pat dry with paper towels.
Then rub down your bird with seasonings such as our Honey Turkey Rub, Poultry Seasoning, or our Lemon Herb No-Salt Seasoning.
A few tips for brining your bird:
- Brine in cold water, and keep the brining pot with the bird refrigerated at all times.
- The important factor to watch is to not over-brine your turkey. Too long in the brine can make your bird too salty and turn the meat a bit spongy.
- If rubbing your turkey with a sesoning after brining and before roasting, avoid using a heavy salt seasoning
Our Classic Bird Brine