Thanksgiving Cooking School: How to Brine a Turkey

When the Thanksgiving feast revolves around roast turkey, there can be a lot of pressure to pull off a bird that’s flavorful and moist enough; one that doesn’t have to be drowned in gravy or cranberry sauce. But pulling off a turkey doesn’t have to be intimidating or hard if you do one extra step ahead of time: Brine it first.

During Kitchn’s Thanksgiving Food Fest, Kitchn’s Studio Food Editor Jesse Szewczyk teamed up with Holland House to walk you through how to use their White Cooking Wine to make a delicious brine that produces a stunner of a Thanksgiving roast turkey.

Wet brining is a technique where meats are submerged in a salt and water solution, usually with other flavorings like herbs, spices, sugar, or wine. Over time, the meat absorbs some of both the moisture and the flavors and cooks up more delicious and moist than meat that hasn’t been brined. For a big bird like a turkey, a wet brine is really worth making, and it’s not difficult to do if you have the right tools and know-how.

To make a wet brine, start by heating up some water, kosher salt, easy-to-find spices like black peppercorns and bay leaves, and garlic and onion. After the heat dissolves and the salt starts to bring out some of the flavors of the other ingredients, let it cool to room temperature.

Line a very large pot or bucket (just make sure that whatever you choose fits the turkey with room to spare and will fit in the fridge!) or a vegetable crisper drawer with a turkey brining bag, which is a very large food-safe plastic bag that usually has a zip top. A brining bag keeps all the brine and turkey together and makes cleanup a cinch. Remove any giblets and the neck from the cavity of the thawed turkey before throwing it into the bag. Pour in the brine, which is very concentrated at this point, then add more cold water to dilute it and mostly cover the turkey.

The final ingredient that goes into the brine is its secret flavor powerhouse: a bottle of Holland House White Cooking Wine. The cooking wine adds deep flavors and brightness, rounding out the other flavors from the spices and salt, and all you have to do is pour it in. Made for chefs and home cooks, cooking wine is an easy way to add flavor to and enhance both everyday and holiday cooking. Refrigerate the turkey in the brine for up to a day to give it time to absorb the delicious flavors.

When it’s time to roast the turkey, take it out of the bag (and pat yourself on the back that cleanup will be so easy) and wipe off any spices clinging onto it. Pat the turkey dry, place it in a roasting pan and rub it with some oil, then roast until golden brown on the outside and 165ºF in the thickest part of the breast and in the thigh. Let the turkey rest for a bit before carving into beautiful slices.

This brined turkey is perfectly seasoned, moist, and tender — a worthy companion to the other side dishes on the holiday table. Brining is an extra step, but one that can be done ahead of Thanksgiving and something that’s really not that hard to pull off. Try it this year and you’ll probably never make turkey any other way again.