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Home » Thanksgiving Recipes

Smokey Turkey Brine

Published: Nov 5, 2022 · Modified: Jan 3, 2023 by Mindee · This post contains affiliate links and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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Get that delicious smoky flavor for your Thanksgiving or Christmas turkey with this liquid smoke brine! Simple ingredients, simple steps, simple turkey brine, perfectly flavored turkey!

A quart of smoked turkey brine in a glass measuring cup by assorted vegetables.
Easy smoked turkey brine ready to use!
Jump to:
  • Why You'll Love This Recipe
  • Ingredient Notes
  • How to Make Step by Step Recipe Instructions:
  • Recipe FAQs and Expert Tips
  • Recipes for Leftover Turkey
  • Smokey Turkey Brine Recipe

Why You'll Love This Recipe

  • No fruity, sweet flavors! No cinnamon or cloves either! (I'm just not a fruit with my meat person)
  • Simple way to get that smoked flavor in your Thanksgiving turkey without a smoker!
  • Enough wet brine for a 12-14 pound turkey!

Ingredient Notes

  • Liquid Smoke - This is where we get the delicious smoke flavor. I usually find the bottles of liquid smoke next to barbecue sauces and such. You can order from Walmart HERE, though OR you can order it from Amazon HERE.
  • Chicken Base - Why not use a chicken bouillon? Chicken base is SOOOOO much better. Deeper flavor. Fresher. Bouillon granules tend to have a stale flavor to them in my opinion. If you've never used a base don't worry. 1 teaspoon makes 1 cup of chicken broth. I really like the Better Than Bouillon brand.
  • White Pepper - You could substitute black pepper however, white pepper has such a nice flavor with a subtle heat. If you haven't tried it before purchase some HERE. Trust me! It's amazing!
  • Turkey - You'll need a thawed 12-14 pound turkey or a fresh turkey for this recipe. If you've purchase a frozen turkey please thaw it using safe methods.
The simple ingredients needed to make this turkey brine.
Brine ingredients to whip up the best turkey brine!

How to Make Step by Step Recipe Instructions:

  • Bring 4 cups of the gallon of water to a boil.
  • In a four cup measuring cup or something like it, mix the 4 cups of boiling water with the 6 tablespoons of chicken base. Whisk until the chicken base is completely dissolved.
  • Measure out and whisk in the garlic powder, onion powder, salt, smoked paprika, white pepper and liquid smoke.
  • Place your thawed turkey in a large stock pot. The one I use is a 20 quart capacity.
  • Pour the 4 cups of concentrated brine over the turkey.
  • Pour the remaining cold water from the gallon (12 cups) over the turkey.
  • Swish the turkey around a little to mix. The turkey should be completely submerged.
  • Place in the fridge and allow to brine for at least 2 days, 3 days if possible.
  • Please do not brine your turkey at room temperature or just a cool place. It absolutely needs to be in the fridge so make sure you've made enough space in the fridge to do this ahead of time.
  • Remove the turkey from the brine, let the excessive brine run off, discard the brine and cook your brined turkey as desired.
  • See here for.... Step by Step How to Cook a Turkey - walks you through the cooking process so you're ready for turkey day!
  • How to Roast Turkey - get out your roasting pan!
  • How to Grill a Whole Turkey - don't forget you instant-read thermometer!
  • How to Deep Fry a Turkey - gotta love that crispy skin!
Mix up the brine and pour over a thawed turkey.
Mix up the brine and pour over a thawed turkey.

Recipe FAQs and Expert Tips

What is a brine?

Brine is a flavored water salt mixture that you soak meat in to add flavor to it. This particular recipe is for a wet brine. For a dry brine click here.

How much brine will I need?

Roughly 1 gallon per 12 pounds of turkey. You want enough to completely cover the submerged turkey.

How long should you brine a turkey?

I usually brine mine for at least 2 but preferably three days in the refrigerator.

Do you rinse a turkey after brining?

Nope, just remove the turkey from the brine, let the excessive run off and cook your turkey.

How long is leftover turkey good for?

Please freeze or consume leftover turkey within 4 days. Click here for information from FoodSafety.Gov.

Food poisoning is not fun at all!!! Here's the safety fact sheet from FoodSafety.gov. Click here for more safety info from the CDC. There can be some really bad information out there about thawing, storing, roasting turkeys and their leftovers. So if you're unsure about something check out these resources.

Food safety sheet for turkey from food safety.gov.
The turkey fact sheet from Food Safety.Gov!

Recipes for Leftover Turkey

  • Turkey Reubens - perfect for the lunch the next day!
  • After Thanksgiving Casserole - my favorite way to re-invent thanksgiving dinner leftovers!
  • Leftover Turkey Soup with Stuffing Dumplings - best way to use leftover turkey and leftover stuffing!
  • Turkey Pot Pie - freezes really well! Make it now! Bake it later!

Have you tried this recipe? If so, leave me a rating and a comment below! And don't forget to subscribe to my newsletter to get my latest recipes sent right to your email! You can also follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram!

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Smokey Turkey Brine Recipe

★★★★★ 5 from 6 reviews
  • Author: Mindee
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: 1 Gallon Brine 1x
  • Category: Thanksgiving
  • Method: Brining
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

Get that delicious smoky flavor for your Thanksgiving or Christmas turkey with this liquid smoke brine!  Simple ingredients, simple steps, perfectly flavored turkey!


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 gallon of Water
  • 6 Tbs. Chicken Base
  • 2 Tbs. Salt
  • ½ Tbs. White Pepper
  • 3 Tbs. Liquid Smoke
  • 1 Tbs. Garlic Powder
  • 1 Tbs. Onion Powder
  • 1 Tbs. Smoked Paprika

Instructions

  1. Bring 4 cups of the gallon of water to a boil.
  2. In a four cup measuring cup or something like it, mix the 4 cups of boiling water with the 6 tablespoons of chicken base. Whisk until the chicken base is completely dissolved.
  3. Measure out and whisk in the garlic powder, onion powder, salt, smoked paprika, white pepper and liquid smoke.
  4. Place your thawed turkey in a large stock pot. The one I use is a 20 quart capacity.
  5. Pour the 4 cups of concentrated brine over the turkey.
  6. Pour the remaining cold water from the gallon (12 cups) over the turkey.
  7. Swish the turkey around a little to mix. The turkey should be completely submerged.
  8. Place in the fridge and allow to brine for at least 2 days, 3 days if possible.
  9. Remove the turkey from the brine, let the excessive brine run off, discard the brine and cook your turkey as desired.

Notes

  • This is enough brine for a 12-14 lb turkey.  
  • The nutrition facts for this recipe are a little odd.  They don't include the turkey.  They are the facts for the gallon of brine.

Keywords: smoked turkey brine, easy turkey brine, best smoked turkey brine

Did you make this recipe?

Tag me on Instagram @mindeescooking and hashtag it #mindeescookingobsession

ANY NUTRITIONAL ANALYSIS ON THIS SITE IS BASED ON AN ESTIMATE, CALCULATED BY NURTIFOX PLUGIN (OR OTHER THIRD-PARTY SOURCE) FROM THE INDIVIDUAL INGREDIENTS IN EACH RECIPE. VARIATIONS MAY OCCUR FOR VARIOUS REASONS, INCLUDING PRODUCT AVAILABILITY AND FOOD PREPARATION. WE MAKE NO REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY OF THE ACCURACY OF THIS INFORMATION.

More Thanksgiving Recipes

  • Easy Turkey Reuben Sandwich
  • Leftover Turkey Soup & Stuffing Dumplings
  • Streusel Topped Sweet Potatoes
  • Leftover Turkey Stuffed Rolls

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Tawnie Kroll

    November 05, 2021 at 3:46 pm

    Used this for a Friendsgiving we had over the weekend - SOO good! Thank you!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  2. Zeke

    November 05, 2021 at 3:21 pm

    Lets be honest - any recipe with smoked paprika in it is a winner! This looks amazing and can't wait to try it on my thanksgiving turkey!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  3. Kristen

    November 05, 2021 at 2:33 pm

    This brine made my turkey taste amazing! Thank you!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  4. Nathan

    November 05, 2021 at 1:34 pm

    I've never made a turkey brine myself before, so I'm excited to try this out for Thanksgiving this year! And I'm with you, I don't love the fruit and meat combination, so I think this particular brine will really work for me. Thanks for the recipe!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  5. Jess

    November 05, 2021 at 1:27 pm

    Love all the smoky flavor in this gravy!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  6. Jeff

    November 27, 2020 at 2:30 pm

    Works well when smoking a turkey

    ★★★★★

    Reply

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Hi! I'm Mindee! Not only do I love to try and create all kinds of recipes, I LOVE to share them! Teaching others how to be successful in cooking in their own kitchens is one of my favorite things to do! Learn more about me or jump right in and check out my recipes!

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