Ree Drummonds Turkey Brine

By shygirl

This was a great brine for the turkey. I did not put as much salt in mine, because it was previously frozen and has some salt solution already in it. I brined the turkey for about 15 hours and it was so tasty and moist. The wing meat was a bit sweet, but that didn’t matter. Great recipe!

This brine was easy to make and made my turkey taste fantastic. My turkey was still moist and tasty three days after Thanksgiving. I will be using this brine from now on for all my turkey/chicken meals!

Ingredients

• Ingredients
• 3 cups Apple Juice Or Apple Cider
• 2 gallons Cold Water
• 4 Tablespoons Fresh Rosemary Leaves
• 5 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1-1/2 cup Kosher Salt
• 2 cups Brown Sugar
• 3 Tablespoons Peppercorns
• 5 whole Bay Leaves
• Peel Of Three Large Oranges

Preparation

Step 1

Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Stir until salt and sugar dissolve. Bring to a boil, then turn off heat and cover.

Allow to cool completely, then pour into a large brining bag or pot. Place uncooked turkey in brine solution, then refrigerate for 16 to 24 hours.

When ready to roast turkey, remove turkey from brine. Submerge turkey in a pot or sink of fresh, cold water. Allow to sit in clean water for 15 minutes to remove excess salt from the outside.

Discard brine. Remove turkey from clean water, pat dry, and cook according to your normal roasting method.





I’ve now tried four different brine recipes and this one is the best! It’s not just my opinion, but the opinion of 20+ people who devoured the turkey. It’s adds incredible flavor and makes the meat so tender and moist. It was actually demanded by my family this Thanksgiving. They said I could make the turkey again only if I did it the exact same as last year which was this recipe.

Be sure to use a fresh bird and marinade 1 hr/lb. Yes this requires planning ahead as you have to cool the brine before adding the bird.
This is worth it and really not that hard, especially after you’ve done it once. you won’t go back to your old ways.