Easy Citrus Turkey Brine Recipes

CITRUS TURKEY BRINE

Steps:

• Rub salt onto your turkey, and place remaining salt, lemons, oranges, onion, garlic, bay leaves, thyme and pepper into a large pot. Place the turkey in the pot, and fill with water. Refrigerate overnight. Discard brine after removing turkey.

EASIEST TURKEY BRINE

Steps:

• Remove the turkey from the brine and rinse: When you're ready to begin roasting your turkey, remove it from the brine and rinse it with cool water. It's ok if the water is tinged pink. Pat dry.
• Roast the turkey as usual: There's no need to salt the turkey before roasting, but otherwise, roast the turkey as usual following your favorite recipe. If desired, stuff the cavity of the turkey with leftover sage and the peeled lemons and oranges from preparing the brine. Roasting time may be shortened; begin checking the temperature of the turkey halfway through roasting.

CITRUS TURKEY BRINE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Bring 4 cups of water to a low boil in a large saucepan. Add the salt and sugar and stir until they are completely dissolved.
• Cut the lemon, lime, and orange into 8 pieces each.
• Add the lemon, lime, orange, onion, garlic, bay leaves, and thyme to the saucepan. Reduce the heat to low and cover. Let simmer for 30 minutes.
• Pour this mixture into a large pot. Add the remaining water (cold) and refrigerate the brine until it is completely cooled.
• If using a frozen turkey, it must be completely defrosted before brining. Place the poultry and brine in a large plastic container. The poultry should be fully surrounded by the brine. Keep the turkey refrigerated throughout the brining time. Brine for 1 hour per pound. Do not brine for more than 24 hours. Thoroughly rinse all the brine from the turkey before cooking. Otherwise, there will be a salty flavor to the turkey.

EASY CITRUS TURKEY BRINE

Steps:

• Combine water, broth, oranges, onion, limeade concentrate, orange juice concentrate, brown sugar, rum, salt, garlic, black pepper, thyme, parsley, juniper berries, cinnamon sticks, and bay leaves in a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cover pot. Allow to cool completely, at least 1 hour.

CITRUS-SCENTED BRINED TURKEY

Steps:

• Mince five garlic cloves; halve the remaining garlic cloves and set aside. In a large saucepan, combine the apple juice, salt, brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger, bay leaves and minced garlic. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until salt and sugar are dissolved. Remove from the heat. Add cold water to cool the brine to room temperature., Remove giblets from turkey and discard. Place a turkey-size oven roasting bag inside a second roasting bag; add turkey. Carefully pour cooled brine into bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible; seal bags and turn to coat. Place in a roasting pan. Refrigerate for 18-24 hours, turning several times., Drain and discard brine. Rinse turkey under cold water; pat dry. Place the lemon, orange, onion, thyme and reserved garlic in both cavities. Rub oil over skin. Skewer turkey openings; tie drumsticks together. , Place turkey breast side up on a rack in a roasting pan. Bake, uncovered, at 325° for 4 to 4-1/2 hours or until a thermometer reads 160° (cover loosely with foil if turkey browns too quickly). Let stand for 15 minutes before removing contents from cavities and carving the turkey.

EASY TURKEY BRINING RECIPE

Steps:

• Heat one gallon of water with the salt, onion, and garlic then stir thoroughly until the salt is completely dissolved.
• Remove from heat and add in the remaining ingredients.
• Refrigerate or leave outside for 20 minutes if you live in a cold climate or Alaska like me, until the brine is cold.
• In the largest stock pot that you have or a clean ice chest, add your turkey directly in or you can put your turkey in a large plastic bag and then place it into the pot or cooler.
• Then add in the brine mixture. Ensure that the entire turkey is submerged for the full brining period.
• Refrigerate the bird for a minimum of 8-12 hours and no longer than 72. The sweet spot is around 24 hours. Last year, I left it in there for 48 hours and it was superb.
• I also typically thaw out the turkey in the brine - brilliant idea as I have a small kitchen and this saves on space!
• Once the turkey has brined overnight, remove it from the brine solution, rinse it off, and pat it dry.
• You are now ready to prep your turkey for the oven. Luckily, I have My Famous Drunken Turkey Recipe for you. It is simply the best turkey recipe out there. I might be biased, but the amount of people that ask me to make this every year is quite high!

SMOKED TURKEY BRINE

Steps:

• Cool the brine: Add 1/2 gallon (9 1/2 cups) of cold water to the hot brine to help it cool down faster. You can also replace the water with ice to help it cool even faster. Cool the brine to room temperature. Then refrigerate it until chilled.
• Prepare for drying: Set a wire rack over a baking sheet.
• Remove turkey from brine: Remove the turkey from the brine and place it on the prepared baking sheet. With a paper towel, remove any residual salt and brine ingredients from the turkey. Pat the turkey dry.
• Dry the turkey: Transfer it to the refrigerator, uncovered, and let it air dry for 24 hours. This will help crisp up the skin when you cook the turkey.
• Cook the turkey: Once a turkey has been brined and air dried you can follow whichever cooking method you prefer to either roast, smoke, or fry the turkey.