Cider, Spice & Citrus Turkey Brine

I feel like when a recipe is titled “THE BEST ______” they’re really trying to force it. However, I will say that I have been using this brine for about 4 years now and I can’t find anything that beats it. The infusion of the cider, orange and cinnamon are the essence of Fall and you can truly taste every little ingredient that goes into it without overpowering the turkey (Juniper berries being the big surprise there). I use this brine with a traditional savory dry rub and cook it in my oil-less deep fryer. Those who have enjoyed it say it’s the best turkey they’ve had. Shockingly….I’ve written down the recipe and I am sharing it with you all now! It was based off of the Cider & Citrus recipe by WickedGoodFoods and tweaked a little for personal preferences over the years.

Keep in mind - this brine shines brightest when you begin 5 days prior to Thanksgiving - or whichever day you are planning to cook! I would say the Star Anise and Juniper Berries are going to be some of the few ingredients you probably don’t already have and you cannot find the berries in your average grocery store. I’ve bought mine at Whole Foods - Organic Juniper Berries and most recently through Amazon Juniper Berries. You want to brine this turkey for 12-40 hours. I always aim for 40 but if you are pressed for time you want 12 hours minimum. You will then need to allow 24-48 hours for your turkey to dry out post-brine. I typically dry rub mine 5-12 hours before cooking. If you brine or dry rub your turkey for too long it can end up salty!

*Most brine recipes say don’t exceed 24 hours with a brine and don’t exceed 12 hours for dry rub. Because of the amount of citrus and additional flavor of this brine, I haven’t ever had an issue with this being salty.

My process usually looks like this:

Sunday before Thanksgiving - make brine at 7:00pm and get the turkey soakin’ by 8:00pm

Tuesday before Thanksgiving - pull turkey from the brine at 12:00pm, rinse and pat dry, place back in fridge.

Thursday - Thanksgiving Day - dry rub the turkey first thing in the morning. If frying the turkey begins at 2:00pm, I want the turkey seasoned no later than 9:00am. If cooking your turkey begins around 10:00am, you can get away with dry rubbing it the night before at 10:00pm.

So…5 days before cooking is the best time to begin this recipe but no less than 2 days. Enjoy!

Cider, Spice & Citrus Turkey Brine

Ingredients:

• 1 19-22 lb turkey (mostly thawed/thawed, rinsed & patted dry with innards removed

• 14 cups apple cider

• 1 1/4 cups kosher salt

• 8 smashed/roughly minced garlic cloves

• 6 whole bay leaves

• 4-6 sprigs fresh rosemary

• 4-6 sprigs fresh sage

• 4-6 sprigs fresh thyme

• 8 whole star anise pods

• 3 tbsp whole black peppercorns

• 1 tbsp allspice berries

• 1 tbsp juniper berries

• 5 whole cloves

• 2 cinnamon sticks

• 14 cups chilled distilled water 

• 3 oranges cut into wedges with rind

• 2 lemons cut into wedges with rind

• 1 large yellow onion cut into wedges - ok if some skin still on (you’re rinsing the turkey after anyway)
  

Equipment:

• Large stockpot (to hold 2 gallons)

• Large pot for turkey/brining that will fit into your refrigerator 

• Large brining bag

• Strong butcher twine and/or heavy duty clip

• Knife & cutting board (to cut citrus, garlic and onion ahead of time)

Method:

• Bring stockpot filled with cider to a boil and add salt. Stir until dissolved.

• Add in garlic, herbs, peppercorns, allspice, juniper, cloves and cinnamon sticks, stir and turn off the stove. Move pot off burner and let steep for 30 minutes.

• Pour chilled water into the mixture and feel for room temp or below. (don’t add it to your turkey if it’s still warm)

• Place your turkey into the brining bag and into a large pot that will fit in your fridge - check by placing the pot into the fridge ahead of time. This will brine for one day so be sure you have the space.

• Pour the cider mixture into the brining bag with the turkey. The pot it is resting in should make this easier.

• Add the oranges and lemons by squeezing the juice into the brine mixture and dropping the wedges in, placing some inside the turkey as well.

• Add the onions, placing some inside the turkey.

• Tie or clip the top of the bag, ensuring the entire turkey is covered in the brine.

• Refrigerate for 48 hours and then pull, rinse and pat the turkey dry.

*If you end up with too much brine after adding in the citrus rind and onion, it’s ok to remove some as long as your turkey is covered. If you don’t have enough to cover the turkey after adding everything, top it off with your remaining gallon of cider or with more water as needed.