bay & lemon brined turkey

Name: Bay & Lemon Brined Turkey
Prep time: 6 h
Ingredients: 2 gallon(s) water; 1 cup(s) sugar; 1 cup(s) kosher salt; 2 - lemons, sliced in half; 4 - bay leaves; 3 - cinnamon sticks; 1 - small handful of cloves; 12-15 pound(s) whole turkey, defrosted

(1 RATING)

28 Pinches

Maggie Heden

Antioch, IL

Updated on May 3, 2012

A fool-proof way to make your turkey moist and delicious! This brine also works well with other poultry; my husband loves when I brine cornish game hens this way. To use on smaller poultry, just halve the ingredients, but allow the bird to brine just as long.

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prep time 6 Hr

cook time

method ---

yield

Ingredients

2 gallons water
1 cup sugar
1 cup kosher salt
2 - lemons, sliced in half
4 - bay leaves
3 - cinnamon sticks
1 - small handful of cloves
12-15 pounds whole turkey, defrosted

How To Make bay & lemon brined turkey

Step 1

Combine all ingredients except for turkey in a very large container or pot (big enough for ingredients + turkey). Make all sugar and salt are completely dissolved in water.

Step 2

Add turkey, cover and refrigerate 6 hours to overnight.
Step 3

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove turkey from brine and rinse in cool running water. Transfer to a roasting pan. Stuff the turkey cavity with lemon halves, bay leaves, and cinnamon sticks from the brine (discard the rest). Roast turkey, basting every 40 minutes, until juices run clear (cooking time will vary depending on size of bird). Let rest 10 minutes before carving.
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