Herbed Citrus Turkey Brine

Why This Herbed Citrus Turkey Brine Works

As the salt and sugar dissolve into the water and heat up, the liquid becomes strong enough to move in and out of the turkey meat. During the long soak, that salty-sweet water slowly works its way deep into the turkey. Some of the natural water inside the meat is pulled out at first, but then the meat pulls the brine back in and holds onto more liquid than it started with. That extra moisture stays in the turkey while it cooks, so the meat stays juicy instead of drying out.

While the brine simmers, the sliced citrus, herbs, garlic, onion, and spices soften and spread their taste into the water. By the time the brine cools, the liquid is full of those flavors. As the turkey sits in it for hours, that flavored liquid moves into the meat along with the salt and sugar. After rinsing and drying, the outside is ready to brown in the oven, but the inside stays moist, seasoned all the way through, and lightly citrusy and herby.

Mistakes To Avoid

Putting the turkey into warm or even slightly hot brine can start to cook the outer meat in the liquid. The outside turns firm and tight while the inside is still raw, so later in the oven the breast can dry out before the legs are done.

Letting the turkey sit in the brine for much longer than 24 hours can make the meat overly salty and spongy. The salt keeps pulling moisture and minerals around inside the meat, so the texture turns a bit rubbery and the skin can bake up oddly chewy.

Skipping the rinse and not patting the turkey dry after brining leaves a wet, salty layer on the surface. In the oven this wet skin steams instead of browning, so the skin stays soft and the outside can taste sharply salty in spots.

Using table salt instead of kosher salt without reducing the amount packs in far more salt than the recipe expects. The brine becomes too strong, so the turkey pulls in too much salt and ends up harsh and overly firm.