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Nothing ruins a Thanksgiving meal faster than a dried-out turkey—especially when it’s overcooked. You might as well be gnawing on a jean jacket. Turkey is one of the hardest proteins to get right, so it takes a little extra preparation to really nail it.
One of the best and most effective ways to ensure your turkey comes out tender and well-seasoned is brining—a process that uses salted water to lock in moisture while preserving and enhancing the flavor of a protein.
“Brining gives the turkey the moisture and the juiciness that makes it a lot better,” says Monique Polanco, the chef and food creator behind the culinary blog Peaches 2 Peaches. Polanco is here to break down her foolproof savory turkey brine recipe and share some helpful tips to make your turkey the star of Thanksgiving dinner.
How to Make a Savory Turkey Brine
Brining can be done in two different ways, dry or wet, but we are going to focus on the latter. The wet method requires submerging the turkey in salted water to bring out more flavor and retain more moisture.
Polanco’s recipe for a savory turkey brine starts with filling a pot with enough water to fully submerge the turkey. “Usually, you can do all water, but I like to do half and half of water and apple cider or water and orange juice just to give it more flavor,” she explains.
Next, you can season the water with coarse kosher salt and black peppercorns for added flavor—a good rule of thumb is 1 tablespoon of salt for every cup of water. “Sometimes I crush like a few garlic cloves and fresh herbs,” Polanco adds. “You don’t need that, but I think it brings out more flavor in the turkey itself.”
When all the ingredients are added, bring the brine to a boil to lock in the flavor. Once boiled, allow the brine to cool to at least room temperature in the refrigerator or by adding ice. “I’ll even squeeze some fresh oranges or lemons into it also.”
Storing and Preparation
For storing the turkey in the brine, Polanco suggests using brining bags to save space in the fridge. “They’re like really huge zip-lock bags. Basically, you put the turkey in there, pour the cool brine over it, and try to squeeze out as much air as you can. So, when you seal it, the whole turkey is just like completely submerged in the brine.”
The turkey should sit in the brine for 6 to 12 hours, so making the brine the night before and letting it soak overnight is best. When it’s time to cook, remove the turkey from the brine, rinse it off completely, and pat it dry before seasoning to your liking.
“I wouldn’t recommend adding any more salt because there’s so much salt in the brine, it really does soak into the turkey,” she adds.
RELATED: How to Keep Ham From Drying Out
Cooking and Basting
For cooking the turkey, Polanco shares her favorite basting method and mixture to top the turkey with. “I melt butter with either apple cider or orange juice in a saucepan with a little bourbon and a few sprigs of sage. I let that come to just a little bit of a boil and then what I do is I use a cheesecloth because it keeps it even more juicy,” she starts.
“I dip the cheesecloth into the mixture, and I place it over the turkey, and I make sure I cover every part—the legs, the thigh, the breast, the wings, everything. Make sure it’s all covered in the cheesecloth and then I pour all the additional on top.”
This method adds even more depth of flavor and prevents the turkey from drying out or browning too fast during the cooking process. It also allows you to baste less frequently, leaving more time to focus on other parts of your Thanksgiving dinner.
With the turkey seasoned, dressed, and tucked under the cheesecloth, it’s time to go into the oven. Polanco recommends starting at a higher temperature and then lowering it. “I start with a high oven of about 425℉ for about, I would say, half an hour. And then I bring it down to about 325℉.”
Using a thermometer, check the thighs and breasts for 170℉, then remove the turkey from the oven. Let it rest for at least an hour before carving to prevent it from losing moisture, and voila—you’re ready to wow your dinner guests.
For more cooking tips and hacks, follow Monique Polanco on Instagram and view her blog, Peaches 2 Peaches for more tasty recipes and to purchase her book, “The Sweet Soulful Baking.”
