To brine a turkey, dissolve salt in cold water, submerge a fully thawed bird, and keep it at 40°F or below. A university extension service says 6 to 8 hours, and another recipe says about an hour per pound. The three sources we read also disagree on salt and rinsing, so here they are side by side.
Most brine pages hand you one recipe and call it the rule. It isn’t! So we lined up the University of Illinois Extension method with two popular recipes. You can pick the one that fits your fridge.
How to brine a turkey: what are the steps?
Start with a fresh or fully thawed turkey, mix the brine, submerge the bird breast down, and chill it. Then pat it dry, let the skin dry out in the fridge if you can, and roast. Here is the Illinois Extension method, in order.
- Start the day before you cook. Take out the giblet bag and neck.
- In a large stockpot, plastic tub or cooler, dissolve 4 cups of kosher salt (or 2 cups of table salt) in 2 gallons of cold water, then add 1 cup of sugar. The water should look clear, not cloudy.
- Add herbs if you like, such as crushed bay leaves or dried thyme.
- Put the turkey in breast down, cover, and chill for 6 to 8 hours.
- Rinse it inside and out under cold water, then pat it dry.
- For crisp skin, set it on a shallow pan in the refrigerator overnight, uncovered. Extension says you can skip this step.
That’s from the University of Illinois Extension brine method, which suggests a 12 to 14 pound bird because a smaller turkey is easier to handle. For a longer overnight soak, it says to halve the salt and sugar so the turkey doesn’t hold too much salt.
How much salt do you put in a turkey brine?
It varies by about threefold. Per quart of water, the three sources we read range from roughly 2½ tablespoons to ½ cup of kosher salt. A stronger brine needs a shorter soak. So which one should you follow? Match the salt to the time you have.
| Source | Salt and water | Salt per quart | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois Extension, full strength | 4 cups kosher salt, 2 gallons | ½ cup | 6 to 8 hours |
| Illinois Extension, overnight | Half the salt and sugar | ¼ cup | Overnight |
| From a Chef’s Kitchen | ¼ cup salt per quart | ¼ cup | About 1 hour per pound |
| Allrecipes “Incredible Turkey Brine” | 1¼ cups kosher salt, 2 gallons | About 2½ tablespoons | Overnight |
The salt-per-quart column is our arithmetic from each recipe’s own numbers: 4 cups over 8 quarts, 1¼ cups over 8 quarts, and so on. The Allrecipes brine, which says it makes enough for a 17 pound turkey, also adds brown sugar, garlic, Worcestershire sauce and herbs. Those are flavor choices, not what makes it a brine.
How long should you brine a turkey?
It depends on the salt. Illinois’s full-strength brine runs 6 to 8 hours, and its half-strength version goes overnight. From a Chef’s Kitchen, at ¼ cup of salt per quart, goes by about 1 hour per pound, so a 12 pound bird gets about 12 hours.
Whichever you pick, the bird has to be fully thawed first. Our turkey calculator works out the thaw time from your turkey’s weight, so you know when brining can start.
Turkey Thawing and Roasting Time Calculator
Brining starts with a fully thawed bird. Enter your guests, turkey weight and thawing method to get a thaw time, a roasting time and a start window for your dinner time.
Do you rinse a turkey after brining?
The sources split. Illinois Extension says to rinse it inside and out, then pat it dry. Allrecipes says to pat it dry and not rinse. Both agree on drying the skin well. Pick one method and follow its salt amount, since a rinse takes some surface salt away.
Washing comes up on Reddit too, though in the dry-brine version. One commenter on a first-timer’s thread weighed in.
“I think washing it off was a bigger mistake than dry brining it tbh”
– r/AskCulinary (44 upvotes)
That’s one opinion about a dry brine, not a rule for wet brines.
Is it safe to brine a turkey in a cooler?
A cooler is safe for brining only if you can keep the turkey and brine at 40°F or below the whole time. Illinois Extension says to use the refrigerator, or a cooler with 5 to 6 ice packs. From a Chef’s Kitchen warns against a cooler unless you’re sure it stays under 41°F.
That’s the real problem with a wet brine. The tub is big and the fridge is small. One commenter on r/thanksgiving said they gave up for that reason.
“I have done both and gotten rave reviews for both. My issue now is that I don’t have space for wet brining in the fridge, nor a garage to place my bucket or cooler. So I have been doing the dry brine in the fridge for the past few years.”
– r/thanksgiving (20 upvotes)
None of the three sources we read covers dry brining in detail, so we’re not giving a method for it here.
Should you brine a turkey that’s already injected?
Check the label before you brine an injected turkey. From a Chef’s Kitchen says to make sure the turkey hasn’t been injected with brine or another flavoring solution. A pre-brined bird plus a salty soak can taste too salty, though some cooks report no problem.
“I usually brine my turkey regardless of whether it’s been pre-injected and have never had an issue with saltiness.”
– r/AskCulinary (34 upvotes)
That’s one cook’s experience. If you aren’t sure, skip the extra salt or use the lowest-salt recipe above.
What temperature do you roast a brined turkey?
Roast until the thickest part of the thigh reads 165°F, and check the wing and breast too. Illinois Extension roasts its brined bird at 350°F and says a 12 pound turkey takes about 3 hours 15 minutes, plus 15 minutes for each extra pound.
Our calculator uses USDA’s 325°F tables instead, so its times differ from this one recipe. Either way, trust the thermometer! When the bird is done, see our ranked Thanksgiving side dishes for what goes on the table.
Turkey brining questions people ask
Does brining a turkey really make a difference?
One recipe blog says a salt solution lets the meat take in moisture, so the bird starts roasting with more liquid and the salt seasons it deeply. That’s one blog’s explanation, so judge it by taste.
Do you need to refrigerate a turkey while brining?
Yes. Illinois Extension says to brine in the refrigerator, or in a cooler with 5 to 6 ice packs, keeping the turkey and brine at 40°F or below the whole time.
Can you use table salt for a turkey brine?
Illinois Extension says you can, but it recommends crystal kosher salt because table salt has additives. Table salt is also finely ground, so its recipe uses 2 cups of table salt where it uses 4 cups of kosher.