Turkey that has been brined is my favorite. This delicious turkey is sweet and savory and perfect for Thanksgiving. Depending on the size of your turkey, the cooking time and serving size will change. Regardless of the size of your turkey, the brine is prepared in the same manner. Only the cook time and filling volume will change. You will require plenty of ice water in addition to a cooler or clean, food-safe bucket big enough to house your bird. My instructions will be provided for a cooler because I use one. Use your best judgment to follow the instructions if you use a bucket of any kind. By adding your own fresh herbs, spices, fruits, and vegetables to the brine, you can make it your own.
| Prep Time: | 30 mins |
| Cook Time: | 6 hrs 30 mins |
| Additional Time: | 1 day |
| Total Time: | 1 day 7 hrs |
| Servings: | 12 |
| Yield: | 1 20-pound turkey |
Ingredients
- 4 (32 ounce) containers chicken broth
- 1 cup apple juice (Optional)
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons dried sage
- 4 peppercorns
- 4 red apples, halved
- 5 cloves garlic, crushed
- 10 pounds ice cubes, or as needed
- 1 (20 pound) turkey whole turkey – thawed, neck and giblets removed
- 3 apples, cored and quartered
- 1 onion, cut into 8 wedges
- 3 cloves garlic
- 6 fresh sage leaves
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, or as needed
Instructions
- Stir chicken broth, apple juice, brown sugar, salt, dried sage, and peppercorns together in a large stock pot; add apple halves and crushed garlic cloves. Bring the mixture just to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar and salt. Remove from heat immediately.
- Pour enough ice into a large food-safe container to be about half full. Pour chicken broth mixture over the ice; stir to cool liquid completely and evenly.
- Gently lower turkey into the liquid with the breast facing down.
- Brine turkey 24 to 36 hours, adding ice as needed to keep the brine and turkey cold.
- Preheat oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C).
- Remove turkey from the brine and rinse well with cold water. Pat turkey dry with paper towels.
- Mix apple quarters, onion wedges, whole garlic cloves, and fresh sage leaves in a bowl; loosely stuff into cavity of turkey. Move the turkey to a shallow roasting pan. Lightly coat the turkey’s skin with olive oil.
- Bake the turkey in the preheated oven until the skin on the breast of the turkey is golden brown, about 30 minutes.
- Reduce heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), cover turkey with aluminum foil, and continue roasting the turkey until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 6 hours. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh should read 180 degrees F (85 degrees C). Remove the turkey from the oven, cover with a doubled sheet of aluminum foil, and allow to rest in a warm area 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.
- The nutrition data for this recipe includes the full amount of the brine ingredients. The actual amount of the brine consumed will vary.
- Always brine foods in a food-grade, non-reactive container such as a stainless steel or enameled stockpot, a brining bag, or a food-grade plastic bucket. Never use ordinary trash bags, plastic trash cans, or metal buckets or containers not meant for food use.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 1320 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 36 g |
| Cholesterol | 455 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Protein | 155 g |
| Saturated Fat | 16 g |
| Sodium | 9411 mg |
| Sugars | 31 g |
| Fat | 57 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
The turkey was delicious. Be aware if you decide to make gravy with the liquid, that it my be on the salty side.
Most amazing, beautiful turkey ever! The skin just wasn’t crispy, so I’ll try uncovering it for the last 20-30 min next time.
I used this recipe this Thanksgiving. EASY!!! It didn’t smell all that great when I boiled it; but boy did this turkey come out GREAT!!! EVERYONE loved it. Moist,tender & VERY flavorful. I would probably also use an orange when baking.
This is the second year in a row we’re using this brine. Excellent flavor! We make some minor adjustments since we only need a very small turkey, but stay as close as we can to the original recipe.
Will try this!
This is the second year in a row I have used this brine. I will not cook a turkey any other way after having brined one for the first time last year. I substituted a little this year depending on what I had in the pantry and fridge. The turkey does cook faster after being brined so keep an eye on your bird! Thanks for the great recipe!