Perhaps more so than any other holiday, the meal on Thanksgiving is crucial to a family's celebration. This can put a lot of pressure on the cook, especially considering that turkey—the day's star attraction—can be a notoriously dry dish.
Fortunately, a little prep work can go a long way to ensuring the bird comes out of the oven juicy and full of flavor. The most important pre-cooking work involves brining the turkey, which most chefs agree is essential for getting the perfect Thanksgiving turkey.
What Is Brining Turkey?
Though the process of brining is pretty simple, it's still a foreign concept to many novice cooks. For those wondering, brining is the soaking of a turkey in salted water solution for several hours or longer.
The brining process allows turkeys to absorb the water mixture, and the salt inside it dissolves into the bird's muscle proteins. As a result, the turkey comes out of the oven with more moisture.
The classically trained Chef Billy Parisi told Newsweek that brining "has a unique capability to generously and perfectly season your turkey while providing wonderful aromatics to it with spices. It will be one of the juiciest, most flavorful turkeys you've ever eaten if you do it."
"Once you have brined a turkey, you will never go back any other way. It is the best way to take Thanksgiving to the next level!" Chef Jeff Philbin, former MasterChef top five finalist and current restaurant brand strategist and food blogger, told Newsweek.
A family gathers around the Thanksgiving table with an inset of a turkey. Chef Jeff Philbin shared a brining recipe with Newsweek that will ensure turkeys come out juicy. A family gathers around the Thanksgiving table with an inset of a turkey. Chef Jeff Philbin shared a brining recipe with Newsweek that will ensure turkeys come out juicy. Getty; Nattakorn Maneerat/Getty
What Are the Best Ingredients for Brine?
Salt and garlic are musts.
In addition to those two essentials, Philbin recommended apple cider and spices like cinnamon, peppercorns, cloves and allspice for brine. He said a little citrus—such as lemons and oranges—and herbs (rosemary, sage, thyme, bay leaves) will also add delectable flavor notes.
Parisi also listed garlic, thyme, rosemary, parsley, sage, cloves, oranges, lemons and peppercorns as some of his favored brine ingredients. But he added that anise, vinegar, onions, coriander seeds and zest from lemon and oranges can help make a good brine.
How Long Should You Brine Turkey?
"The minimal amount of time would be 12 hours," Parisi said. "With that being said, it is preferred to let the turkey brine for 24 hours. If you want to make the flavors more intense, you can go up to 48 hours. However, I would not go past that amount of time as it can become over-salted."
Philbin said "any effort is better than no effort," and a Thanksgiving cook could possibly get by with brining the turkey for a minimum of eight hours. For a full brining, though, he said "the optimal time period will be 12-24 hours."
What Are Common Brining Mistakes?
"The most common mistake is that the brine is not seasoned enough. Figure one cup of salt to every gallon of water," Parisi said. "The other mistake is that people forget to wash off the brine before cooking it. If you don't, it can get overly salty. Also, it's important to completely pat dry the turkey before roasting it in the oven, as that will ensure you get a really beautiful brown turkey."
Philbin stressed keeping the work area in the kitchen clean so as not to "cross contaminate." A clean sink and a space set aside for working with the food should be maintained throughout the day of cooking.
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The Best Turkey Brine Recipe by Chef Jeff Philbin
14-16 pound turkey, giblets, neck and innards removed
2 cups + 1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 gallons water
1 cup apple cider
Spices
4 sticks cinnamon
1 tablespoon peppercorns
1 tablespoon cloves
1 tablespoon allspice
Herbs
3 bay leaves
4 sprigs of rosemary
4 sprigs of sage
4 sprigs of thyme
Fruits & Vegetables
3 oranges
3 lemons
3 apples
10 garlic cloves
How to Use This Recipe
TIP: Begin this process the night before Thanksgiving at 8:00 p.m.
Remove the innards from the turkey and drain any defrosted liquid from the turkey, inside and out. Pat the turkey dry. Place the turkey in a large stock pot.
Toast all of your spices in a pan and remove from heat once fragrant and place to the side.
Boil 8 cups of water on the stove with the salt and other aromatics for a minute or two until the salt is dissolved, whisking vigorously. Add into the saltwater mixture the apple cider, toasted spices, bay leaf, and fruits and vegetables. Let cool to room temperature. (TIP: Make sure you quarter the fruits and squeeze the juices of the lemons and oranges.)
Pour the cold brine into the stock pot and over the turkey.
TIP: Let it brine till 8:00 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning.
Keep the turkey refrigerated or cold while brining for 12-24 hours.
Remove turkey from the brine, rinse and pat dry
TIP: Let the turkey rest for 6 total hours (5 hours in the refrigerator and 1 hour at room temperature).
Set a rack at the lowest position in the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
Remove the turkey from the refrigerator to bring to room temperature. Tie the legs together and tuck the wing tips under the string. Place the turkey in a roasting pan. Drizzle the outside of the turkey with a few tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Roast the turkey about 3 hours, or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees F for white meat and 185 degrees F for dark meat temperature.
Transfer the turkey to a platter, cover loosely with foil and let rest 30 minutes before carving.
