Half of this brine starts with vegetable stock to give it a quick and easy way of adding flavor to your turkey. Add to this a good dose of herbs and sweet and you have a great turkey brine.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: Makes about 1 gallon of brine
Ingredients:
- 2 quarts vegetable stock
- 1/2 cup salt (3/4 cup Kosher or coarse salt)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
- 1 tablespoon dried sage
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 2 quarts cold water
Preparation:
In a large pot combine vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, honey, and herbs over a medium heat. Simmer for about 15 minutes until the salt, sugar, and honey are completely dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Add cold water.
Place turkey in a large plastic container. Pour brine over top, cover and refrigerate. Brine for 1 hour per pound.
Thoroughly rinse all the brine from the turkey before cooking. Otherwise there will be a salty flavor to the turkey. For a more detailed explanation, see my article on brining turkey.
