Confused by all the conflicting information about brining a Thanksgiving turkey? Well, no wonder. There are as many brining techniques out there as there are cooks—and some of the methods are pretty weird. But a well-made brine can make a turkey more flavorful and eminently juicy. This video, from our buddies over at Fine Cooking, takes you step-by-step through the process of brining.
Check out some of our favorite brined turkey recipes
Brined Herb-Butter Roasted Turkey with Pinot Noir Gravy
Brined Roast Turkey with Sage Butter Rub
Brined Roast Turkey with Juniper-Ginger Butter
© 2009 David Leite. All rights reserved. All materials used with permission.
If I have a Butterball turkey which contains “an 8% solution of water, salt and spices” – can I still do this, would there be any adjustments or would you advise not to prepare it this way as it would become too salty? Thanks
KK, you may run into an issue with it being too salty. Butterball turkeys are already injected with brine to help keep them moist. Some people will still brine a Butterball, but if you choose to do this, we’d recommend cutting back on the salt.
I’m going to do exactly that then – makes sense – thanks Angie!
You’re welcome, KK. Here’s wishing you a very happy Thanksgiving!
thank you! Never thought drying the skin overnight would add so much .. trying it this week. Happy Thanksgiving
Manuel, you will be shocked.
Nice job of explaining how to. Didn’t know you needed to do anything other than clean your turkey in order to prepare it for cooking. Thank you.