Whether or not you propose on making a giant turkey for thanksgiving this yr or a smaller turkey breast, taking the additional step to brine your turkey is fairly important. This straightforward Turkey Breast Brine recipe provides you with tremendous flavorful and tender turkey breast meat each time! I’ll be trustworthy, generally I’m tempted to skip this step particularly after I’m operating quick on time. However the distinction it makes is big! The brine infuses the turkey with a lot moisture and taste. It’s critically a game-changer for Thanksgiving, particular vacation events, or in case you merely get pleasure from cooking turkey breast meat to meal-prep all through the week.
What Is A Brine?
A brine usually is solely an answer of salt, sugar, and water. Meat is then submerged within the salt water answer for a number of hours to assist add moisture, taste, and tenderize the meat. This course of is named brining. Oftentimes brines are seasoned with further herbs and spices so as to add even extra taste to the meat. Since turkey breast meat can generally be dry, I extremely advocate taking the additional step to brine it first.
Right here’s every part it’s worthwhile to make a simple, flavorful, turkey breast brine:
- Water, Kosher Salt & Sugar: These are the three foremost components for the brine. It infuses the turkey with taste and tenderizes the meat. You should use both white or brown sugar. I don’t advocate substituting desk salt for kosher salt since desk salt is significantly extra salty.
- Herbs, Spices & Citrus: We used a mix of rosemary, bay leaves, garlic, peppercorns, and lemon so as to add much more taste to the brine.
- Turkey Breast: I’m utilizing a bone-in turkey breast for this brine, however you should use both bone-in or boneless turkey breast. I examined this brine with each and it delivered nice taste every time.
How Lengthy Ought to I Brine A Turkey Breast?
The time it takes to brine a turkey breast will fluctuate barely relying on the dimensions of the turkey. A superb rule of thumb is to brine the turkey for roughly one hour per pound. I bought a 5 ½ lb. bone-in turkey breast and brined it for six hours. That turned out to be the proper period of time for that measurement of turkey breast. A smaller, boneless turkey breast would want a good shorter period of time in a brine answer.
Ought to You Rinse The Turkey After Brining?
Sure, it’s best to positively rinse and dry the turkey breast after it’s finished brining. This removes any extra salt from the turkey and prevents it from being too salty.
I’m comfortable to report that this turkey brine works for each bone-in and boneless turkey breasts. I examined it with each and was pleased with the outcomes. Nevertheless, there are a pair variations to notice:
- Shorter brine time: Boneless turkey breasts are sometimes smaller in measurement in comparison with bone-in turkey breast, which leads to a shorter brine time. If you happen to have been to brine a small 3lb. boneless turkey breast for six hours, the turkey meat might be too salty and begin to break down in texture. A small 3lb. boneless turkey breast will solely have to brine for 3 hours.
- Presentation: After buying 2 totally different manufacturers of boneless turkey breasts, I seen the pores and skin on boneless turkey breasts was very unfastened, barely hanging on, and generally half lacking. As soon as cooked the ultimate presentation was not as interesting because the bone-in turkey breasts. If this isn’t an enormous concern for you then no worries. It should nonetheless have tons of taste from the brine! 😉
Suggestions For Brining A Turkey Breast
- You will have a really massive pot, a big container, or a turkey brining bag to brine your turkey breast. I favor to make use of a big stainless-steel pot that’s large enough to carry the turkey breast and the brining answer. The turkey may also must be absolutely submerged within the brine.
- Be sure that your brine has fully cooled down earlier than you add the turkey breast. You’ll be able to velocity up the cooling course of with ice cubes, extra chilly water, or by merely patiently ready.
- Don’t let the turkey breast sit within the brine too lengthy. Belief me I’ve made this error earlier than and the turkey simply finally ends up being too salty. The feel of the turkey meat additionally breaks down too a lot and finally ends up being mushy. So at all times control the time when brining your turkey.
Turkey Breast Brine
This straightforward Turkey Breast Brine recipe provides you with tremendous flavorful and tender turkey breast meat each single time!
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- 1 gallon chilly water (16 cups), divided ($0.00)
- 1/2 cup kosher salt ($0.28)
- 1/2 cup white sugar ($0.36)
- 3 bay leaves ($0.45)
- 2 recent rosemary sprigs ($1.00)
- 6 cloves of garlic, smashed ($0.48)
- 1 Tbsp complete peppercorns ($0.30)
- 1 lemon ($0.79)
- 5-6 lb. bone-in turkey breast
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Begin by putting 8 cups of chilly water in a container and place it within the freezer. You’ll use it later. Then in a big inventory pot add the kosher salt, white sugar, and remaining 8 cups of water. Warmth the pot over medium warmth and stir to dissolve.
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As soon as the salt and sugar have fully dissolved add the bay leaves, rosemary, smashed garlic cloves, and peppercorns. Deliver the combination to a delicate boil. Boil for 3 minutes then take away the pot from the warmth.
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Add the juice from the lemon and the complete squeezed lemon to the pot. Now permit the brine to chill all the way down to room temperature (about half-hour).
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As soon as the brine has cooled all the way down to room temperature add the remaining 8 cups of water from the freezer. Stir and permit the brine to fully calm down. About one other 5-10 minutes.
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Now rigorously add the turkey breast contained in the pot with the brine. In case your pot is just not large enough to carry the turkey breast and the brine, then add it to a turkey measurement oven bag and pour the cooled brine over the turkey breast. Be sure that the turkey breast is totally submerged within the brine, then cowl the pot or seal up the bag.
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Place the pot within the fridge for six hours.*
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After the turkey has brined, take away the turkey breast from the brine and rinse it properly beneath chilly water. Then pat the turkey dry with paper towels.
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Now you’re able to prepare dinner probably the most flavorful turkey breast that you just’ve ever tasted. Let’s go!
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*Complete brine time will rely on the dimensions of your turkey breast. A superb rule of thumb is to brine the turkey for roughly one hour per pound.
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The way to Make A Turkey Breast Brine – Step by Step Photographs
Begin by gathering your components. For this turkey breast brine I’m utilizing 1/2 cup kosher salt, 1/2 cup white sugar, 3 bay leaves, 2 recent rosemary sprigs, 6 smashed garlic cloves (if a few of them break in half like mine did that’s tremendous), 1 Tbsp complete peppercorns, and 1 lemon.
Place 8 cups of chilly water in a container and place it within the freezer. You’ll use it later. Then in a big inventory pot add the kosher salt, white sugar, and remaining 8 cups of water. Warmth the pot over medium warmth and stir to dissolve.
As soon as the salt and sugar have fully dissolved add the bay leaves, rosemary, smashed garlic cloves, and peppercorns. Deliver the combination to a delicate boil. Boil for 3 minutes then take away the pot from the warmth.
Add the juice from the lemon and the complete squeezed lemon to the pot. Now permit the brine to chill all the way down to room temperature (about half-hour). As soon as the brine has cooled all the way down to room temperature add the remaining 8 cups of water from the freezer. Stir and permit the brine to fully calm down. About one other 5-10 minutes.
Now rigorously add the turkey breast contained in the pot with the brine. In case your pot is just not large enough to carry the turkey breast and the brine, then add it to a turkey measurement brining bag and pour the cooled brine over the turkey breast. Be sure that the turkey breast is totally submerged within the brine, then cowl the pot or seal up the bag. Place the pot within the fridge for six hours. *(whole brine time will rely on the dimensions of your turkey breast)
After the turkey has brined, take away the turkey breast from the brine and rinse it properly beneath chilly water. Then pat the turkey dry with paper towels.
Now you’re able to prepare dinner probably the most flavorful turkey breast that you just’ve ever tasted.
