Backyard Blogging.

One of the most important steps to ensuring a moist and flavorful turkey is brining it. It makes the difference between a ho-hum turkey and one that delights.

In this article, we look at how to prep and brine a turkey.

Brining Time

In a perfect world, you want to brine your turkey for 24 hours.

But, if you don’t have that much time, it’s worth noting that even just an hour of brining is better than not doing it all. If you’re especially  short on time, you can inject your bird.

Brining Ingredients

We like Traeger’s brining kit, but if you’d rather make your own, you want to concentrate on three ingredients.

1. Water: You want to keep your turkey’s moisture content high before smoking, roasting, or cooking. Water is an option, but you can also use other liquid in place of water. Consider apple juice, apple cider, orange juice, wine, chicken stock, and wine.
2. Salt: You’ll want to dissolve the salt in your liquid before brining. The salt helps with flavor, and it tenderizes the meat. Watch your amounts, though, as you don’t want a salty bird.
3. Spices: Whether you’re using herbs, spices, or a combination, you want to add some or all of the following: Rosemary, Peppercorns, Bay Leaves, Garlic, Thyme, Apples, Brown Sugar, Celery, Parsley and Onions.

Ready to get started? Stop by and check out our selection of grills, rubs, and shakes.

Photo by Webvilla on Unsplash and from Traeger