Simple Apple Spice Turkey Brine
Using my apple spice turkey brine recipe will add moisture, tenderness, and those amazing fall flavors of apples, fresh herbs, and spices to your turkey!
Servings: 6 people
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- 4 cups apple juice
- 1 ½ cups kosher salt or 1 cup table salt
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 Tablespoon black peppercorns
- 1 Tablespoon candied ginger
- 10 cloves
- 2 sprigs each rosemary, sage, and thyme
After the Brine is Cooked
- 6 cups ice cubes
- 4 cups apple juice
- 1 large apple quartered
- 1 yellow onion quartered
Instructions
- Make the brine. In a large stockpot, combine the water, apple juice, salt, spices, and herbs. Bring to a boil.
- Cool. Remove the brine from the heat and stir in the remaining cold apple juice and the ice cubes. Allow the brine to fully cool before adding the turkey.
- Brine the turkey. Once the brine is fully chilled, add the turkey to the container you plan to brine it. Pour the apple spice turkey brine over the turkey and nestle the sliced apple and onion in the brine around the turkey. Brine in a container that can keep the turkey fully submerged in the brine. Also, keep your turkey and brine below 40 degrees F during the entire brining process. Brine your turkey for a minimum of 8 hours, and no longer than 18 hours, or approximately 1 hour per pound of turkey.
- Pat dry. Once your turkey has been in the brine for long enough, remove from the brine pat completely dry with a paper towel. Drizzle with a little cooking oil or melted butter for a crispier skin. You don't need to add any additional salt or seasoning to the exterior of the turkey before grilling or smoking. If you like, you can stuff the turkey cavity with the apple and onion slices from the brine.
Video
Nutrition
Calories: 116kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0.4g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.04g | Trans Fat: 0.002g | Sodium: 29mg | Potassium: 265mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 36IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 1mg