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    Frizzled Leek » Recipes » Sauces

    Published: Nov 29, 2022 •Modified: Dec 8, 2022 by Mike Cleavenger • This post may contain affiliate links, which can earn us a commission • 3 Comments

    Ultimate Citrus Turkey Brine

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    Our Citrus Turkey Brine transforms your holiday bird into a juicy and flavorful main dish! Lots of herbs and fresh citrus give this turkey an amazing flavor. 

    Citrus turkey brine with herbs. this recipe

    How many of you enjoy all the holiday food except for the roasted turkey? I felt the same way until I started brining my turkey. There are a lot of recipes out there, but I feel like this one is the best.

    If you want to elevate your turkey game even more, use this brine with my sous-vide turkey recipe. You can brine any piece of poultry, even my air fryer whole chicken.

    A brine is a ratio of salt and water heated up and cooled down. You can add any flavor to your brine. Since it's the holiday season, we infused our brine with herbs, lemon, cinnamon, and ginger. Can you say YUM!

    24 hours is the perfect amount of time to leave the bird in your brine. If you leave it in too long, the salt will start to cook the meat, and it will taste very salty.

    If you are looking for some tasty side dishes, check out my sweet potato souffle and quick homemade cranberry sauce.

    Jump to:
    • Why you should brine a turkey
    • Common Ways to Brine a Turkey
    • Ingredients
    • How to make the ultimate citrus turkey brine
    • Turkey Brine Ingredient Variations
    • Equipment
    • Storing extra turkey brine
    • Chef Tips
    • FAQ
    • Great holiday recipes to try...
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    Why you should brine a turkey

    • The turkey will absorb the brine making the bird more juicy and tender.
    •  A brine has salt and tasty aromatics which season your turkey.
    •  Think of it as a good insurance policy. Brining your turkey for 12-24 hours will stay moist even if you overcook the bird a little.

    Common Ways to Brine a Turkey

    1. Wet Brine: A wet brine is a technique we use in this recipe and the one that's most popular. A wet brine is a saltwater solution that creates a flavorful and juicy chicken or turkey. The ratio is 1 cup of salt for every 1 gallon of water. For a whole turkey, you will want to brine it for 24 hours since it's a large bird. Brine 1 pound of meat for 1 hour is a good rule of thumb. 
    2.  Dry Brine: If you don't want to take up real estate in your refrigerator, try dry brining. You utilize the same ingredients salt, sugar, herbs, and spices. Rub the exterior of the turkey with the dry rub and marinate for 8-24 hours in the refrigerator. Dry brining helps develop a crispy skin that is delicious. Before cooking, rinse off the brine and pat dry.
    3.  Buttermilk Brine: Buttermilk is acidic, which helps tenderize the meat and make it juicy. Combine buttermilk, salt, sugar, spices, and brine for 12-24 hours. Make sure to drain the brine and pat the turkey dry before cooking.

    Ingredients

    Here are the ingredients you will need to make this brine recipe. Remember this process will take 24 hours so plan ahead.

    Turkey brine ingredients.
    • lemons and oranges - you can use all lemons or a mixture of citrus fruits
    • salt - diamond crystal kosher salt is the best
    • honey - I prefer to use clover honey for this recipe
    • garlic - only fresh garlic will do
    • ginger - fresh or candied ginger
    • peppercorns -
    • sage - any combination of herbs will work
    • bay leaves - because you need to add some aromatics
    • cinnamon - for flavor!

    See recipe card for quantities.

    How to make the ultimate citrus turkey brine

    The process of brining is so easy, here's how to do it!

    Citrus brine with lemon and oranges.

    Step 1: Combine all of the ingredients into a large stock pot.

    Citrus turkey brine in a pot.

    Step 2: Bring brine to a boil and cook for 1 minute to dissolve the salt. Cool down completely.

    Raw turkey pieces.

    Step 3: Place turkey pieces or whole turkey into a large container.

    Turkey breast inside brine.

    Step 4: Pour chilled brine over the turkey and refrigerate for 12-24 hours.

    Tip* Rinse turkey under cold water to remove the extra salt and pat dry with paper towels.

    Turkey Brine Ingredient Variations

    This recipe is perfect as is, but you can customize a brine to your taste. Here are some optional ingredients to add to your brine.

    • Herbs - Sage, thyme, parsley, rosemary, bay leaves, and tarragon.
    • Spices - Juniper berries, cinnamon, star anise, coriander, and fennel seeds
    • Citrus - Lemons, grapefruits, kumquats, tangerines, oranges, and limes
    • Sugar - maple syrup, honey, or sugar

    Equipment

    • Large Stock Pot
    • Cutting Board
    • Large Plastic Container
    Thanksgiving turkey with gravy on top.

    Storing extra turkey brine

    We don't recommend reusing turkey brine since it's been in contact with a raw turkey. You can make a double batch of brine and freeze it in large mason jars.

    Chef Tips

    • Cut up your turkey into pieces. Not only will this free up space in your refrigerator, your turkey will brine a lot faster.
    •  Only use kosher salt. Iodized table salt weighs differently and can make your turkey extra salty.
    •  Season your turkey very lightly. After taking a bath in saltwater, your turkey is already seasoned all the way through.
    •  Purchase an unbrined turkey.  It will say kosher, enhanced, or self-basting on the packaging if the turkey is pre-brined. I find that organic or natural turkeys are a safe bet.
    •  Organize your refrigerator ahead of time. Turkey takes up a lot of real estate in the refrigerator, and the last thing you want is to find space to put this bird.
    •  Turkey brine ratio. For every 1 gallon of water, use 1 cup of kosher salt.
    •  For every 1 pound of meat, brine for 1 hour. So a 20-pound turkey will take 20 hours in a brine.
    Citrus brine with lemon and oranges.

    FAQ

    What is Brining?

    The process of submerging a piece of meat in a saltwater solution before roasting, or grilling. The technique of brining adds flavorful moisture to the bird so it won't dry out. Muscle fibers and protein separate allowing them to hold more water.

    How long to brine a turkey?

    I will brine a whole turkey anywhere from 12-24 hours. The rule of thumb is 1 hour per pound of meat. You can cut a turkey up into pieces and the brining process will go faster.

    Do you rinse off a turkey after brining?

    Yes! You should rinse a turkey under cold running water to remove extra salt. Not rinsing can result in a salty bird.

    Great holiday recipes to try...

    • quick homemade cranberry sauce with orange zest in a small bowl
      Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce with Maple Syrup
    • sweet potato souffle with pecans
      Sweet Potato Souffle with Pecans
    • Pouring gravy over the top of the turkey.
      Sous Vide Thanksgiving Turkey
    • whole chicken in air fryer
      Crispy Air Fryer Whole Chicken

    Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ review below and tag @thefrizzledleek on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest!

    📖 Recipe

    Citrus brine featured image.

    Ultimate Citrus Turkey Brine

    Mike Cleavenger
    Never have dry turkey again with the help of this citrus turkey brine. Whether you roast, sous-vide, or smoke your turkey, this brine will give you the best-tasting turkey every time!
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Cook Time 1 minute min
    Total Time 6 minutes mins
    Course Main Course, Main Dish
    Cuisine American
    Servings 1 Turkey
    Calories 754 kcal

    Equipment

    • Large Stock Pot
    • cutting board
    • Large Plastic Container

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 lemons sliced
    • 2 oranges sliced
    • 12 leaves fresh sage cut
    • ½ cup honey
    • 4 cloves garlic peeled and smashed
    • 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
    • 1 tablespoon crystalized ginger
    • 1 cinnamon stick
    • 2 bay leaves
    • 1 cup kosher salt diamond crystal
    • 1 gallons water

    Instructions
     

    • Combine all ingredients in a large pot, and bring to a boil.
    • Boil for 1 minute, stirring to dissolve the salt. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
    • Place the turkey into a large plastic container or bag and pour cold brine over the top. Let brine for 24 hours.
    • Remove turkey from the brine and rinse under cold running water and pat dry.

    Notes

    • By cutting turkey into pieces the brining process will take much less time.
    • Rinse turkey before cooking so it doesn't taste salty.
    • For every 1 pound of meat brine for 1 hours.  A 12 pound turkey will take 12 hours to brine.
    • To make any brine follow this ratio.  For every 1 cup of salt add 1 gallon of water.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 754kcal | Carbohydrates: 204g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Sodium: 113378mg | Potassium: 1083mg | Fiber: 17g | Sugar: 169g | Vitamin A: 715IU | Vitamin C: 259mg | Calcium: 461mg | Iron: 5mg
    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?Leave a comment below and share a photo on instagram. Tag @thefrizzledleek and hashtag it #thefrizzledleek.

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    Comments

    1. Christina says

      November 22, 2024 at 6:20 pm

      Hi there, I have a very citrus forward brine as well and I'm looking for a gravy recipe that would merry well with this turkey. Any thoughts??

      Reply
      • Mike Cleavenger says

        December 05, 2024 at 11:12 pm

        Hi Christina,
        Here is my check out my turkey gravy recipe on my site.

        Reply
    2. mikecleavenger says

      December 07, 2022 at 5:09 am

      5 stars
      This is the only way to make a turkey. No more dry and boring turkey breast, this recipe is delicious. I like to cut my turkey into pieces so the brining process is a lot faster.

      Reply
    5 from 2 votes (1 rating without comment)

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    Wearing a chef jacket standing with my arms crossed in front of floating shelves.

    Hi, I'm Mike!

    I'm a chef, husband, and father of two beautiful girls. The Frizzled Leek is a blog about getting families back in the kitchen. Here you won't just follow recipes, you will be developing your cooking skills too!

    More about me →

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    Turkey in citrus brine.
    Turkey breast inside brine.
    Roasted turkey on a platter.
    Citrus brine in a large pot.
    Citrus brine for whole turkey.

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