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    Home | Recipes | Christmas Recipes

    Turkey Brine (Dry Mix)

    Published: Oct 12, 2018 · Modified: Sep 19, 2023 by Sarah Mock As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This post contains affiliate links.

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    If you are looking for the most flavorful, succulent, delicious Thanksgiving turkey you need this easy Thanksgiving turkey brine recipe. Follow my simple instructions for how to brine a turkey for Thanksgiving. This a recipe for a dry turkey brine mix and it is great for a hostess gift or a gift exchange.

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    Easy Thanksgiving Turkey Brine Dry Mix Recipe

    Don't forget to read up on how to thaw a frozen turkey and then how to roast a juicy turkey followed by how to carve a turkey breast. If you want to make a juicy turkey in less time, a spatchcock turkey is for you!

    Jump to:
    • The Best Turkey Brine
    • What is brine mean?
    • What do you need to make a turkey brine?
    • How to make a brine:
    • Can I substitute fresh orange peel for dried orange peel in this brine recipe?
    • How to use this brine.
    • How do you brine a turkey?
    • More homemade spice blends
    • More Thanksgiving Recipes:
    • More turkey recipes:
    • Thanksgiving Turkey Brine Dry Mix
    • 👩🏻‍🍳 Sarah Mock
    • Comments

    The Best Turkey Brine

    This is the best turkey brine because it has a lovely balance of aromatics, citrus, spice, sweetness and salt. The ingredients can be found in most spice cabinets.

    What is brine mean?

    Brining meat, in this case your Thanksgiving turkey, is the process of soaking the meat in a salt water solution that is full of other flavors. The salt water will help the meat to retain moisture. We all love a flavorful, moist Thanksgiving turkey and this is how I prepare my Thanksgiving turkey each year.

    What do you need to make a turkey brine?

    turkey brine recipe ingredients
    • salt
    • sugar
    • orange peels, dried. (learn how easy it is to make your own dried orange peel.)
    • bay leaves
    • sprigs of sage
    • Rosemary
    • thyme
    • peppercorns

    How to make a brine:

    turkey brine recipe mix ingredients on a board
    1. Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl and stir to combine.
    2. Store in an air tight container until ready to use.

    Use dried orange peel in a turkey brine

    This recipe calls for dried orange peels. I dried mine in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes. It is important for all the moisture to be out of the orange peels if you are going to be storing this dry bring recipe.

    ** you can substitute lemon peel if you don't have an orange**

    Combine all the ingredients and store in a tight container. I have a LOT of mason jars in the house that us in all my caning projects so I store this recipe in a mason jar with a lid and a ring.

    Can I substitute fresh orange peel for dried orange peel in this brine recipe?

    peeling the peel off of an orange with a vegetable peeler

    Yes. If you are not making this brine mix ahead of time (more than a few days) go ahead and use a fresh orange peel. The purpose of drying the orange peel is if you were go give this brine mix and a gift and it needed to sit for long term storage. When I make my Thanksgiving turkey, I just a fresh orange peel in my brine mix.

    How to use this brine.

    1. Use 1 recipe of brine mix, stated above.
    2. Combine 2 gallons of water with the brine mix in a large pot.
    3. Stir to dissolve, or heat to dissolve.
    4. Cool completely.
    5. Brine the turkey.

    How do you brine a turkey?

    1. Place your thawed Thanksgiving turkey (see how to Safely Thaw A Frozen Turkey in this post) in a large pot.
    2. Fill the pot with cold water until the turkey is submerged.
    3. Remove the turkey.
    4. Pour the brine mixture in the water and stir until the salt and sugar are completely dissolved.
    5. Replace the turkey in the brine.
    6. Cover and store in the refrigerator for 12-18 hours.
    7. Remove the turkey and roast.

    More homemade spice blends

    Poultry seasoning - Are you tired of the bland taste of your chicken dishes? Do you feel like your roasted turkey lacks flavor? Let's get started and spice up our poultry dishes with this recipe for homemade poultry seasoning!

    Homemade Seasoned Salt - This homemade seasoning salt recipe combines common pantry seasonings to make a seasoned salt that is just like Lawry's seasoned salt!

    Garlic Powder - Homemade garlic powder is easy to make with just a few simple steps. Follow my easy step-by-step photo instructions to make the best garlic powder.

    All Purpose Seasoning Blend - Five minutes and a couple of pantry staples are all you need to make your favorite house seasoning blend.

    Turkey Brine - Follow my simple instructions for how to brine a turkey for Thanksgiving. This a recipe for a dry turkey brine mix and it is great for a hostess gift or a gift exchange.

    More Thanksgiving Recipes:

    • How to roast the perfect Thanksgiving turkey
    • How to thaw a frozen turkey
    • 24 Recipes for a Crock Pot Thanksgiving
    • Easy Pumpkin Ravioli With Brown Butter Sauce And Sage
    • How To Carve A Turkey Breast

    More turkey recipes:

    • Spatchcock Turkey
    • Thanksgiving Poutine
    • Thanksgiving Turkey Egg Rolls 
    • Juicy Turkey Recipe
    • How to thaw a frozen turkey
    • How to carve a turkey breast
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    Thanksgiving Turkey Brine. A Dry Mix Recipe

    Thanksgiving Turkey Brine Dry Mix

    Sarah Mock
    If you are looking for the most flavorful, succulent, delicious Thanksgiving turkey you need this easy Thanksgiving turkey brine recipe. Follow my simple instructions for how to brine a turkey for Thanksgiving. This a recipe for a dry turkey brine mix and it is great for a hostess gift or a gift exchange.
    4.94 from 59 votes
    Pin Recipe Print Recipe
    Note From Sarah

    There is more to a recipe than just the recipe card. Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!

    Prep time for the recipePrep Time 3 minutes mins
    Cook time for the recipeCook Time 0 minutes mins
    total time to prep and cook the recipe.Total Time 3 minutes mins
    Prevent your screen from going dark, toggle to button to the right to turn GREEN
    Course Thanksgiving
    Cuisine American
    Makes 1 ½ cups
    Per Serving 661 kcal

    Ingredients
     

    • 1 cup salt
    • ½ cup sugar
    • 2 mandarin orange peels (dried.)
    • 3 bay leaves
    • 3 sprigs of sage
    • 2 tablespoons rosemary
    • 2 tablespoons thyme
    • 2 tablespoons peppercorns

    Instructions
     

    • Combine all the ingredients.
      1 cup salt, ½ cup sugar, 2 mandarin orange peels, 3 bay leaves, 3 sprigs of sage, 2 tablespoons rosemary, 2 tablespoons thyme, 2 tablespoons peppercorns
    • Use the entire batch to make a brine.

    Notes

    1. Use 1 recipe of brine mix, stated above.
    2. Combine 2 gallons of water with the brine mix in a large pot.
    3. Stir to dissolve, or heat to dissolve.
    4. Cool completely.
    5. Brine the turkey.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1Calories: 661kcalCarbohydrates: 167gProtein: 5gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 113189mgFiber: 15gSugar: 141g

    Nutrition Disclosure

    Nutritional facts are estimates and are provided as a courtesy to the reader. Please utilize your own brand nutritional values to double check against our estimates. Nutritional values are calculated via a third party. Changing ingredients, amounts or cooking technique will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.

    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    First published October 12, 2018

    Sarah Mock of savoringthegood.com headshot 2018

    👩🏻‍🍳 Sarah Mock

    CEO/Owner/Founder/Culinary Blogger

    Sarah Mock is a classically trained Chef and graduate of Johnson & Wales University. A culinary blogger for 14 years Sarah helps the home cook prepare her recipes with professional results.

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    About Sarah Mock

    Sarah Mock is a classically trained Chef and graduate of Johnson & Wales University. A culinary blogger for 14 years Sarah helps the home cook prepare her recipes with professional results.

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Sarah Mock

      November 25, 2022 at 9:51 am

      I will break the cinnamon sticks with my hands or you can crush them with a rolling pin in a zip top bag. OR if you are not making this to store, you can just leave them whole.

    2. Martha Dietrich

      November 21, 2022 at 2:45 pm

      Hello,
      From seeing what it looks like in the jar, I assume you use a food processor to break everything down??
      Thank you

    3. Sarah Mock

      November 19, 2022 at 10:26 am

      Yes! I would do a tablespoon of chopped/crushed sage per sprig.

    4. Gladys

      November 19, 2022 at 9:45 am

      If you don't have a sprig of sage, could you use crushed/chopped sage? For 3 sprigs, how many teaspoons or tablespoon would that equal? TIA

    5. Sarah

      November 02, 2018 at 2:58 pm

      I am glad you like it! Happy Thanksgiving.

    6. Sarah

      November 02, 2018 at 2:58 pm

      It is a favorite, for sure!

    7. Wilhelmina Wessel

      November 02, 2018 at 2:48 pm

      5 stars
      This is a fantastic looking brine idea! I can't wait to try this out! Thank you!

    8. Beth Lee

      November 02, 2018 at 2:44 pm

      5 stars
      Wonderful combination of flavors for your brine. You can use it for wet brining or dry! Great recipe and make ahead idea.

    9. Reesa Lewandowski

      November 24, 2016 at 10:06 pm

      Used this on our Thanksgiving turkey and it was delicious!

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    Sarah Mock

    Sarah Mock of savoringthegood.com headshot 2022

    Sarah Mock is a classically trained Chef and graduate of Johnson & Wales University. A culinary blogger for 14 years Sarah helps the home cook prepare her recipes with professional results.
    Learn More about me!

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