bay & lemon brined turkey

(1 rating)
Recipe by
Maggie Heden
Antioch, IL

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.

(1 rating)
prep time 6 Hr

Ingredients For bay & lemon brined turkey

  • 2 gal
    water
  • 1 c
    sugar
  • 1 c
    kosher salt
  • 2
    lemons, sliced in half
  • 4
    bay leaves
  • 3
    cinnamon sticks
  • 1
    small handful of cloves
  • 12-15 lb
    whole turkey, defrosted

How To Make bay & lemon brined turkey

  • 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.
  • 2
    Add turkey, cover and refrigerate 6 hours to overnight.
  • 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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