The BEST Turkey Brine Recipe for Juicy and Flavorful turkey

Season your turkey all the way through with a hint of the brine flavorings of citrus, herbs, and garlic

Recipe by Jordan Hanger on November 18, 2023

Prep time: PT10M

Cook time: PT10M

Total time: PT20M

Rating

4.99 stars (54 reviews)

Ingredients

2 gallons water
1½ cups Kosher salt
2 cups brown sugar
3 tbsp black pepper
3 oranges (cut into wedges)
3 lemons (cut into wedges)
5 cloves garlic
4 tbsp fresh rosemary
4 tbsp fresh thyme

Cuisine

American

Steps

Heat one gallon of water.
Place all ingredients into water and stir until the sugar and salt have dissolved.
Pour in the other gallon of cold water to help cool down the brine to room temperature. If it's still hot you can add ice to cool down faster.
Add turkey to brine and refrigerate for 24 hours.
Remove turkey from brine and pat dry. There is no need to rinse the turkey.

Reviews

Hellman Hershey on 2025-08-15 (5 stars):
Great point. I tried adding my rub but got a bit too excited and ending up having a tug into the pot too!
Sandy on 2025-05-16 (5 stars):
This was the perfect brine for my spring turkey smoke 😆. The only thing I did was split the turkey in half. I seasoned one half with thyme and rosemary and the other half i seasoned with Chipotle seasoning. I did add 3 tsps of insta cure #1 for the flavor and texture. I also cut half a cup of salt out. 14lbs split in half and smoked 4.5 hours with butter in shallow foil pan . Loved it and so glad I ran across you recipes 😋 thanks
Debra on 2024-08-26 (5 stars):
First time smoking turkey. Unbelievable! Flavour, tender, moist.
Paul Fugiero on 2023-11-22 (5 stars):
Could you recommend a good rub for the skin that goes along with this brine? Was gonna skip a rub but I wanna do something.
Stormie on 2023-11-22 (5 stars):
Had an early dinner with my in-laws and used this brine recipe. It’s fantastic! Currently making a second batch for our Thanksgiving Day Turkey. Thanks for sharing, and Happy Holidays!
RCA on 2023-11-17 (4 stars):
Sounds Great but, I’ve never done a brine before. I saw your suggestion of a cooler and wondering if the brine should cover the turkey and should it be breast down or up?
John on 2022-12-26 (5 stars):
So I made my brine the night before and it cooled overnight. I also injected my turkey and used Fire and Smoke Poultry season on my turkey after rubbing it down with melted butter. Used cherry pellets to smoke it, Best turkey I’ve ever cooked!