Cider & Citrus Turkey Brine with Herbs and Spices
Wet brining adds nearly 1 pound of moisture to a 12 pound turkey. The only downfall to wet brining a is not getting crispy turkey skin. But don't worry, I have a solution so you can have a juicy turkey and browned, crispy turkey skin.
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Yield: Makes enough brine to soak a 16 to 20-pound fresh turkey
Ingredients:
- 1 (16 to 20-pound) fresh turkey, rinsed & patted dry, with neck & giblets reserved for stock
Apple Cider, Herb & Spice Infusion
- ¾ to 1 gallon (12 to 16 cups) apple cider
- 1¼ cups kosher salt (1 heaping tablespoon of kosher salt for every cup of water)
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 whole bay leaves
- 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 4 sprigs fresh sage
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 8 whole star anise pods
- 3 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon allspice berries
- 1 tablespoon juniper berries
- 1 or 2 4-inch cinnamon sticks
- ¾ to 1 gallon (12 to 16 cups) chilled water, preferably distilled
Citrus & Onion Infusion
- 3 medium to large oranges, cut into wedges with rind intact
- 2 large lemons, cut into wedges with rind intact
- 2 medium yellow onions, cut into wedges with skin intact
Special Equipment & Supplies
- 1 12-quart stockpot, with lid
- 1 large pitcher
- 1 large oval enamel roasting pan, without lid
- 1 large brining bag, such as Williams-Sonoma® brand
- 1 heavy duty clip (we use Firm Grip® clip from Home Depot) or strong cotton butcher's twine
Directions:
- Clean turkey and remove plastic wrap, gizzard and neck. Rinse well with cold water. Place into brining bag placed, large baking dish or large stock pot. Make sure you have enough space to place whatever you use into the refrigerator.
- Prepare Apple Cider, Herb & Spice Infusion:
- In a large 12-quart stock pot, bring apple cider, salt, garlic, herbs and spices to a boil. For a simple brine recipe using just salt and water, there is no need to boil because the salt will dissolve regardless, but for more flavor, boiling is ideal to infuse water.
- Stir occasionally to dissolve salt.
- Remove from heat.
- Add water to cool liquid slightly.
- Meanwhile, reserve ¼ gallon (4 cups) apple cider and ¼ gallon (4 cups) chilled water in refrigerator should it be necessary to cover turkey completely with additional brine inside brining bag later.
- Prepare the Brine with Citrus & Onion Infusion:
- After the Apple Cider, Herb & Spice Infusion has cooled somewhat (no longer very hot, but still very warm), squeeze citrus wedges into the liquid adding each rind after expelling juices.
- Add onion wedges and stir.
- Cover stockpot and allow the brine to steep.
- Cool a few hours to room temperature. If preparing brine the day before brining turkey, chill brine in refrigerator until ready to use.
- Assemble the Turkey & Brine in Brining Bag:
- Open zip-top brining bag wide and insert into enamel roasting pan with high sides.
- Using 2-cup glass liquid measure, scoop some of the brine and place it into bottom of large brining bag.
- Insert the turkey over the brine breast side up.
- Using a slotted spoon, place some citrus and onion wedges into the cavity of the bird and continue to add the remaining brining liquid over the turkey in the brining bag.
- Carefully close zip-top and expel as much air as possible. (It helps to have two sets of hands at this point.) Gather top of brining bag and twist.
- Secure brining bag at the top so that brine covers entire turkey. (We used a Firm Grip clip, but you can use butcher's twine to tie the bag closed.)
- If the brine needs more liquid to cover entire turkey, add enough of the remaining ¼ gallon (4 cups) each of the chilled cider and water in equal parts to brining bag before securing closed. (We start by adding 2 cups of each the cider and water and then go from there.)
- Transfer roasting pan, with turkey and brine in brining bag, to refrigerator. Soak turkey for at least 18 hours or up to 2 days. General rule is to brine 1 hour per pound under 40 degrees F.
- turkey can safely be stored in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
- Prepare the Turkey for Roasting the Night Before:
- The night before you plan to roast your turkey, remove it from brining solution.
- Discard brine and brining bag.
- Rinse turkey inside and out with cold water and pat the bird thoroughly with paper towels to dry completely inside and out.
- Refrigerate it overnight uncovered in the roasting pan.
- How Make the Crispiest Turkey Skin- Because brining adds to much moisture and flavor, it also makes the skin super wet and prevents browned, crispy skin. To get the best of both worlds, brine your turkey for 24 hours, then remove from brine and allow to dry out, uncovered, in the refrigerator for an additional 24 hours. Then rub with compound butter. Do not baste during the cooking process.
- After refrigerating overnight, and resting for 1 hour at room temperature the next morning, the turkey will be ready to go directly into preheated oven to roast.