| | | | | | | |

How to Brine a Turkey – And a Step by Step for Turkey Dinner

Learning how to brine a turkey and cook a full turkey dinner can be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be.  We have a step by step plan to show you how to make a juicy brined turkey with turkey stuffing without getting frazzled.

Im not going to tell you that its effortless to make a turkey dinner, it does require a fair bit of effort, but the reward is all your favorite people sitting around a table together and sharing a meal that you made and everyone telling you that they can’t believe how good the turkey is!  Doesn’t matter how many times you have done it, its still worth it every time!

Cooking a brined turkey is totally doable without feeling frazzled and overwhelmed!  It just takes a little organization and planning.  What you need is a plan of action.  When you plan out a task like making turkey dinner, it makes a daunting and possibly intimidating task a lot easier.   We have a 3 day plan for you and we will walk you through it.  Day by day, step by step.

Serving a brined turkey requires a few extra steps, but you are going to be blown away by how tender and flavorful your turkey is!

a brined turkey on a table with stuffing, gravy and cranberry sauce

If you have ever made a roasted turkey where the white meat of your turkey came out dry, the secret is to brine the turkey.

What does Brining a Turkey Mean?

Brining is basically submerging your turkey in a salty liquid, flavored with herbs and spices.   Brining makes your turkey (and any lean meat for that matter) juicier when cooked because it works to denature the proteins.  In other words, it makes the proteins deform and relax a little.

Why Brine a Turkey?

A brined turkey will loose about 15 percent of its weight when cooked for 6 – 8 hours where an unbrined turkey will loose almost 30 percent!  SO…  a brined turkey will be roughly 15 percent juicier and trust me, you will notice the difference!  Debbie and I always brine our turkeys now and they always turn out  delicious and moist.  If you have never tried it, be prepared for rave reviews around your table!

A Word About our Turkey Stuffing

I have to say that I haven’t tasted a ton of different turkey stuffings, however, I have tasted a few and Debbie’s turkey stuffing, is over the top good!  The best I have ever tasted.  And I think this year it was the best of the best! She never puts apples or any kind of fruit in it, although you could if you like it like that.

Instead it is full of sausage, celery, and herbs.  She always makes more than will fit in the bird and cooks the extra in a crockpot till the rest comes out of the bird and  I always sneak little bowls of it when shes not looking lol.  (This crockpot is a beauty) I can’t stand waiting to have some!  Not when I can smell it throughout the whole kitchen!

Learning how to cook a juicy brined turkey takes some organization and preparation.  It’s basically a 3 day process, but only day 2 and 3 require a little work.  Day 3 is when you will cook the turkey and have your dinner.  Lets get to it shall we.

How to Brine a Turkey and Make Your Turkey Dinner ~ Step by Step

Day 1: Thaw  Your Turkey

This day is easy.  If your turkey is frozen, take it out of the freezer and allow it to thaw out completely before moving on to the next step.  If you bought a fresh turkey, your a step ahead!  Move on to Day 2.

A few more things to do today:

  • Make your grocery list and go grocery shopping.
  • Tackle any big house cleaning chores today.
  • Make sure that you have enough plates, cutlery, glasses, serving dishes, chairs and spots around the table for all your guests.

In the past Debbie and I have commissioned our husbands to build extensions to tables, or re-arrange furniture to add another table in order to fit everyone!  But you need to figure this out ahead of time or it can get stressful.

Day 2: Brine the Turkey and Make the Turkey Stuffing

On day 2 you need to brine your turkey.  Follow the instructions below to mix together this super flavorful turkey brine recipe.  Brine your turkey for at least 12 hours overnight, or up to 48 hours.

How to Brine a Turkey:

Here is how to make the turkey brine recipe.  The ingredients are listed below in the recipe card.

  1. In a big bot, add the water, herbs, spices, salt and sugar.  There is no need to take the skin off the garlic, just separate the bulbs.  Throw in your herbs stems and all, just give them a good wash before hand.
  2. Bring the works to a boil for 15 mins and turn it off. Set it aside to cool before you put the turkey in it.
  3. Add the turkey to the cooled liquid and leave it there for at least 12 hours.

IMPORTANT: You will need a container big enough to hold your turkey and still be able to keep it in the fridge.  You can either use a brining bag, one of these huge ziplock bags, a smaller cooler or a really large pot.  You can even use a 5 gallon pail if that works.  If its cold enough outside, you can keep your turkey out there overnight.  Otherwise it has to be in the fridge while it brines.

How Long to Brine a Turkey

Brine your turkey overnight at least, but you can keep it in the brine for up to two days.  I wouldn’t leave it longer though.

turkey brine liquid in a big pot

Start the Turkey Stuffing

At some point on day 2 you should make your turkey stuffing.  You don’t HAVE to make it ahead of time, but having this step done a day ahead will make day 3 just a bit easier.

Have I mentioned yet, that this turkey stuffing is the best I have ever tasted?!  I can just smell it right now… Mmmmmm  For the full turkey stuffing recipe post, check it out here!  But we will also explain how to make it here too.

How to Make Turkey Stuffing

  1. Cut up your bread, lay it on a baking tray and bake it at 200 degrees for about 45 mins or until it just starts to dry out.
  2. Heat a  large frying pan to medium heat. Add the oil, chopped celery, and onions and saute until tender. Once they are tender put them into a large bowl.
  3. Next cook the sausage in the same pan. If it has lots of fat, make sure to drain it or remove most of it with a turkey baster.  When fully cooked, add the sausage to the large bowl as well.
  4. Chop the fresh herbs then add to the bowl.
  5. Add the slightly dried bread cubes and mix it all together.  Cover it and put it in the fridge until you are ready to cook your turkey.

IMPORTANT TIPS: 

  • You can buy your sausage pre-ground and not in casings but make sure you don’t get a spicy sausage.
  • There is a ton of veggies in this recipe.  Don’t be scared….  Make the whole thing.  Trust me, people will love it and eat it!  It also tastes amazing in turkey sandwiches and for leftover turkey dinner.
  • Make sure not to add any salt to the stuffing if you are brining your turkey.  The turkey will release some of the salty brine water and flavor the stuffing with it.

turkey stuffing mixed together in a large bowl

PRO TIP: It’s not a bad idea to get your table all set today and your serving dishes out.  That way you can make sure you have enough and its one less thing you have to do tomorrow when you will be busy with the turkey and all the other things!

Day 3: Cook Your Turkey and Get Turkey Dinner on the Table

Today is the day you’re going to cook your brined turkey!  In the morning of day 3, figure out how long you need to roast the turkey for.

Turkey Roasting Times for a Stuffed and Brined Turkey

It takes about 15 mins per pound for your stuffed and brined turkey to roast so use that time to figure out when you are going to need to put it in the oven and plan your time accordingly.  You want your turkey cooked about 1 hour before you serve dinner so it has time to rest.  This is important.

For example: if you want to eat dinner at 6pm and you have a 15 lb turkey, your turkey will take about 3 hours and 45 mins to cook so you will need to put your turkey in the hot oven no later than 1:15 pm so that it has time to cook and 1 hour to rest before dinner is served.

Use 15 mins per lbs as a guideline, however, its best to have a meat thermometer so you know exactly when your bird is ready.  This is the thermometer that both Debbie and I have.  Its so awesome because you set it to the temperature that you want and it will alert you when it reaches that temperature.  Plus you can monitor the progress easily on the digital display.

How to Cook a Turkey

Next get your roaster ready.  Add carrots, celery, and onions to the bottom of your roasting pan so that your gravy gets all that flavor.  You can just set the turkey right on top of the veggies if you like, however using a rack on top of the veggies or a silicone turkey lifter works great and makes it sooooooo much easier to lift the turkey out of the pan once its cooked.

These are our favorite roasting pans:

  • stainless steel rectangle roaster – this one is amazing.  Great quality and it comes with a rack that makes lifting the finished turkey out easily.  The only thing it doesn’t have is a lid so you would need to cover the turkey with foil instead.
  • stainless steel oval roaster – this one comes with a lid, but it might not be big enough for a turkey over 12 – 15 lbs.
  • black enameled rectangle roaster – a less expensive option, still good.  Comes with a lid, but doesn’t come with a rack so you would need a turkey lifter.

You can see the turkey lifter in the second picture below…   They are inexpensive and so fabulous.

a roasting pan full of veggies

Pull your turkey out of the turkey brine and get it ready to cook. You need to rinse your turkey really really well.  If you don’t rinse it well, the meat will be too salty.  Pat your turkey dry with a clean tea towel and let it sit out for at least 30 mins to air dry a little.  A dry turkey will brown much nicer.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

How to Stuff a Turkey

Time to stuff the bird…  If you can find a cheesecloth bag for your stuffing it works best.  (these bags work perfect)  Fill the bag about half way full and push it into the turkey.  Then continue filling the rest of the bag till its full and tie the bag nice and tight.

If you don’t have a bag, get a large piece of cheesecloth and push it inside the bird a bit and make a makeshift bag.  Then start filling it and pushing it in as you go.  Tie a string tight around the opening or close it up good somehow.

Put the rest of your stuffing into a crock pot or casserole dish, pour some chicken broth on top and cook it separately

  • in a crock pot, turn it on low right away and let it go till the turkey is done.
  • in a casserole dish, put it in the oven with the turkey about 45 mins before the turkey is done.

When the turkey is done and you take the stuffing out of the turkey, mix it with the rest of the stuffing before serving.

Trussing a Turkey

Trussing or tying up your bird will ensure that it cooks evenly and the wings and legs don’t get cooked too quickly and get dry.  Take some butcher string and tie the wings so that they fit snug to the bird.  Tie the drumsticks together as well.  For a short video on how to truss up a turkey, click here.

Check out the really large pot in this picture…  See how awesome it is?!   Man does it ever make getting the turkey out of there so much easier!

a brined and stuffed turkey in a roaster pan with butter and rosemary rubbed on the skin

Carry on Getting the Turkey Ready to Roast

Place the turkey in a roasting pan breast up.  Rub butter with chopped rosemary mixed in, all over the turkey and season with pepper and poultry spice.  NO SALT.

If you have a meat thermometer, insert it just above the thigh bone pointing into the breast and set it to 165 degrees F.

If you don’t have a meat thermometer, you should seriously consider investing in one.  They make roasting a turkey, or roasting anything to the correct temperature much easier than just timing it.  If you have to just time the turkey, remember that 15 mins per pound is a good guideline to follow.

Your turkey is ready for the oven!

Make sure you put the turkey in the oven with enough time to cook the bird and also have a 1 hour resting time.  Resting the turkey is so important!  This will result in a much juicier bird than cutting into the meat right away.  While the bird cooks all the juices get pulled to the center and when you allow your meat to rest, the juices are re-distributed again.

Cover your turkey (with a roasting lid or tin foil) and throw your bird in the oven!

You will want to check the turkey after an hour and a half to two hours.  Make sure the skin is not burning anywhere and baste the breast with the juices.   Check it every hour or so after that and baste it when you check it.

Get the Rest of Your Turkey Dinner Ready

While you are waiting your brined turkey to cook, you have lots of time to get the rest of your dinner prepped.   Wash and peel your potatoes for the mashed potatoes and put them in a covered pot of water with a good pinch of salt and a few garlic cloves if you like garlic in your mash.

Clean your veggies for your veggie side.  We usually do roast broccoli and carrots (sprinkled with olive oil, salt and pepper, and a little herbes de provence) roasted in the oven at 350 for 15 – 20 mins.  The carrots usually need to go in first and then the broccoli after.

We also usually make these side dishes for our turkey dinner:

HERE’S A TIP: if you are comfortable, ask your guests to bring a side dish.  Get one to make a salad, one to bring the mashed potatoes, one to bring cleaned veggies to roast.  It can make things a ton easier for you.

Then, sit back for a bit and have a glass of wine or better yet, have one of our cocktails!

Here are a few other things you can get accomplished while your turkey is cooking:

  • Set the table if you haven’t done it already.
  • Get your wine chilling. – this is very important!!!
  • Tidy up the kitchen.

When the turkey reaches an internal temperature of 161 degrees in the breast it is done.  Take it out of the oven, take the stuffing out of the turkey, lift it out of the roaster and put it on a big tray,  tent it well with foil and let it rest.  Tuck the foil around the turkey nice and tight to prevent the heat from escaping.  Set the turkey aside out of your way to do its thing.

A turkey needs to be 165 degrees, but the turkey will continue cooking as it rests for a little bit.

Mix the stuffing from the bird with the stuffing that you cooked separately.

a brined turkey covered in foil to rest

Start the heat on your potatoes so that they come to a boil.  Boil till they are soft and mash them up good with some butter, salt and a little milk or cream.  I’ve also used coconut cream before and its great.

How to Make Turkey Gravy

Turkey gravy is the best and its so easy!

  1. Remove the vegetables from the turkey roaster and discard.
  2. Pour the drippings from the roaster into a fat separator if you have one.  These are such nice little tools for making gravy without all the fat!  If you don’t, place the gravy in a see through container and wait till the fat separates.  Then scoop off as much fat as you can.  You can also put it in the fridge or somewhere cold till the fat starts to harden.  This will make it way easier to scoop off.
  3. Return the drippings to the gravy roaster and heat the roaster on the stove at medium high.
  4. Add 2 boxes of low sodium chicken broth and stir.
  5. Using about 1/2 cup of flour for the gravy or 1/4 cup of cornstarch, make a slurry with water and add it to thicken the gravy.  (A slurry is flour or cornstarch mixed with a little water until its smooth.  This will make sure you don’t get lumps in your gravy).  When you pour the slurry into the roaster, make sure you are pouring slowly and whisking at the same time.
  6. Season with pepper and salt if you need it, but taste it before adding salt.  Pour it into a gravy boat.

PRO TIP: If your turkey gravy gets lumps in it, the easiest way to fix it is using an immersion blender.  It works like a charm.

Carve up your roasted turkey masterpiece and serve it with the mashed potatoes, roasted veggies, stuffing, and of course, cranberry sauce.  Don’t ever forget the cranberry sauce! I actually did this one Christmas and I couldn’t believe it.  No one loves cranberry sauce with their turkey more than I do!  And I still forgot.  Never again…

A side view of a turkey with stuffing, gravy, and cranberry sauce in the back ground

It may seem like a lot of work!  And it is work for sure… but its worth it!  Just look at that bird… Its a thing of beauty.

If you’ve tried this brined turkey recipe then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let us know how it turned out in the comments below.  We love hearing from you!
To save this recipe for later on Pinterest:
We love to see your creations!  Tag @Cookswithcocktails if you post a picture of this recipe on INSTAGRAM

How to Brine a Turkey and Make Turkey Dinner with Stuffing

Learning how to brine a turkey and cook a full turkey dinner can be intimidating, but it doesn't have to be.  We have a step by step plan to show you how to make a juicy brined turkey with turkey stuffing without getting frazzled.
4.60 from 10 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main, Poultry
Cuisine: Canadian
Keyword: brined turkey, turkey brine, turkey dinner, turkey stuffing
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Resting Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 15 people
Calories: 438kcal
Author: Julie & Debbie

Ingredients

FOR THE BRINE

  • 40 cups water
  • 2 cups salt
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 4 heads garlic
  • 1/4 cup peppercorns
  • 20 bay leaves
  • 1 bunch parsley
  • 1 bunch thyme
  • 1 bunch rosemary

FOR THE SAUSAGE

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 lbs ground sausage
  • 2 bunches celery diced
  • 4 large onions diced
  • 4 cups bread cubes (about 3/4 loaf) day old works best
  • 1/4 cup parsley chopped
  • 1/4 cup thyme chopped
  • 1/4 cup rosemary chopped
  • 2 tsp pepper
  • NO SALT IF YOU ARE BRINING YOUR TURKEY
  • 1.5 cups chicken broth

FOR THE TURKEY

  • 15 lb turkey
  • 4 large carrots washed and chopped in big pieces
  • 4 stalks celery , washed and chopped in big pieces
  • 1 large onion
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 4 sprigs rosemary chopped
  • sprinkle of paprika
  • butchers twine

FOR THE GRAVY

  • drippings from the turkey , strained of fat
  • 2 900 mls boxes of chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup flour or 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1 cup water
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

BRINE THE TURKEY

  • In a big bot, add the water, herbs, spices, salt and sugar.  There is no need to take the skin off the garlic, just separate the bulbs.  Throw in your herbs stems and all, just give them a good wash before hand.
  • Bring the works to a boil for 15 mins and turn it off. Set it aside to cool before you put the turkey in it. Add the turkey to the cooled liquid and leave it there for at least 12 hours.
  • IMPORTANT: You will need a container big enough to hold your turkey and still be able to keep it in the fridge. You can either use a brining bag, a  huge ziplock bags, a smaller cooler or a really large pot. You can even use a 5 gallon pail if that works. If its cold enough outside, you can keep your turkey out there overnight. Otherwise it has to be in the fridge while it brines. 

MAKE THE STUFFING

  • Cut up your bread, lay it on a baking tray and bake it at 200 degrees for about 45 mins or until it just starts to dry out. 
  • Heat a large frying pan to medium heat. Add the oil, chopped celery, and onions and saute until tender. Once they are tender put them into a large bowl. Next cook the sausage in the same pan. If it has lots of fat, make sure to drain it or remove most of it with a turkey baster. When fully cooked, add the sausage to the large bowl as well.
  • Chop the fresh herbs then add to the bowl. Add the slightly dried bread cubes and mix it all together. Cover it and put it in the fridge until you are ready to cook your turkey.

STUFF THE TURKEY

  • Pull your turkey out of the turkey brine and get it ready to cook. You need to rinse your turkey really really well.  If you don't rinse it well, the meat will be too salty.  Pat your turkey dry with a clean tea towel and let it sit out for at least 30 mins to air dry a little.  A dry turkey will brown much nicer.
  • Time to stuff the bird...  If you can find a cheesecloth bag for your stuffing it works best.  (these bags work perfect)  Fill the bag about half way full and push it into the turkey.  Then continue filling the rest of the bag till its full and tie the bag nice and tight. 
  • If you don't have a bag, get a large piece of cheesecloth and push it inside the bird a bit and make a makeshift bag. Then start filling it and pushing it in as you go. Tie a string tight around the opening or close it up good somehow.

ROAST THE TURKEY

  • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
  • Next get your roaster ready.  Add carrots, celery, and onions to the bottom of your roasting pan so that your gravy gets all that flavor.  You can just set the turkey right on top of the veggies if you like, or use a rack or turkey lifter. 
  • Place the turkey in a roasting pan breast up.  Rub butter with chopped rosemary mixed in, all over the turkey and season with pepper and poultry spice.  NO SALT.  If you have a meat thermometer, insert it just above the thigh bone pointing into the breast and set it to 165 degrees F. 
  • Cover your turkey (with a roasting lid or tin foil) and throw your bird in the oven!  Bake at 350 degrees for 15 mins per pound or until your meat thermometer reaches 165 degrees in the breast.   You will want to check the turkey after an hour and a half to two hours. Make sure the skin is not burning anywhere and baste the breast with the juices. Check it every hour or so after that and baste it when you check it.
  • Remove from the oven, remove the stuffing and set aside to keep warm.  Tent the turkey with foil to let it rest and keep warm for about an hour.  While its resting, make your gravy.

FOR THE GRAVY

  • Remove the vegetables from the turkey roaster and discard. Pour the drippings from the roaster into a fat separator if you have one. These are such nice little tools for making gravy without all the fat! If you don't, place the gravy in a see through container and wait till the fat separates. Then scoop off as much fat as you can. You can also put it in the fridge or somewhere cold till the fat starts to harden. This will make it way easier to scoop off.
  • Return the drippings to the gravy roaster and heat the roaster on the stove at medium high.  Add 2 boxes of low sodium chicken broth and stir.
  • Using about 1/2 cup of flour for the gravy or 1/4 cup of cornstarch, make a slurry with water and add it to thicken the gravy. (A slurry is flour or cornstarch mixed with a little water until its smooth. This will make sure you don't get lumps in your gravy). When you pour the slurry into the roaster, make sure you are pouring slowly and whisking at the same time.
  • Season with pepper and salt if you need it, but taste it before adding salt.  Pour it into a gravy boat.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving with gravy | Calories: 438kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 65g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 247mg | Sodium: 237mg | Potassium: 554mg | Vitamin A: 90IU | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 2.6mg

Similar Posts

18 Comments

    1. Hi Caroline! You dont need a whole bunch of people, just cook a small turkey. Plus, if your cooking for yourself or only a few, you will have lots of leftovers for turkey sandwiches! Our favorite! Oh, and turkey freezes well too…

  1. I can’t believe it! I have finally found my traditional turkey recipe! All my family members loved my turkey. As for my self too! The brined turkey was delicious and juicy. Hallelujah! And thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe.

    1. Sarai, we are so happy to hear that this recipe turned out great for you! Its the one we always use and it ALWAYS works great for us.

    1. Sorry Jon, I guess that`s not very clear. A box of chicken stock is the 900ml cartons of chicken stock that you buy in the grocery store. Ive updated the recipe as well. Thanks for pointing that out!

  2. What is the purpose of using the cheesecloth for the stuffing? It really looks like you are able to get a lot of stuffing in it. What temp do you put the crock pot on with the extra stuffing?

    1. Hi Chris, the cheesecloth is so you can pull the stuffing out of the bird really easily. Put the crockpot on low to start and see how it goes.

  3. Hi ladies. Been looking for a great stuffing recipe AND turkey and Im def going to try this.But about the stuffing,,thats not even a one pound loaf of bread and with alll those vegies and 5 lbs of sausage? Im scared lol,,will the bread stand out at all amongst all the other ingredients?? Need some reassurance I guess. Thanks!

    1. Hi Robin! So the 300 grams of bread is about 1 loaf of bread. Ive updated the recipe to show that. Yes, its a lot of veggies and sausage to bread ratio, but thats how we like it and you can taste the bread. Its so delicious, and Ive never thought that it needed more, but if you like a more bready stuffing, just go ahead and add an extra half a loaf or so. Please let us know how your dinner turns out!

      1. Hi ladies. Im doing some prep work now,,my turkeys in your brine right now,,Im doing your sweet pot and pecan/br sugar recipe also. The vegt question up there was silly,,not that much really,,its a good amount. But I normally put my stuffing inside the turkey,,there isn’t any harm in this correct? And Ill bake or may put in slow cooker anything that doesn’t fit. If there’s any salt in it I know I will just emit or be careful because of the brined turkey,,otherwise it should be good to go either way? Thanks!!

        1. Hi Robin, yes, we put our stuffing inside the turkey and then the rest that doesn’t fit goes into a crock pot. Hope you enjoy!

  4. Hi, I’m going to try this recipe for thanksgiving turkey today. Do I have cover my turkey while it bakes in the oven? Thanks!

    1. Hi, I’m not sure what you mean exactly, but you should use as much as will fit in the bird with some sticking out like in our of our pictures. If you need more help, can you be a little more specific?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating