Brining a wild turkey is one of the best ways to ensure it turns out moist, juicy and packed with flavor. While it may seem intimidating if you’ve never brined before, it’s actually a simple process that just requires some advance planning. As an avid hunter and wild game cook, I’ve brined many wild turkeys over the years and learned the proper techniques to do it right. In this article, I’ll share my tips for successfully brining a wild turkey.
Why Brine a Wild Turkey?
There are two main reasons to brine a wild turkey:
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It helps the turkey retain moisture and prevents it from drying out as it cooks Wild turkeys tend to be leaner than domestic turkeys, making them prone to dryness. The brine helps combat that.
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Brining infuses the meat with extra flavor The salt, sugars, and aromatics in the brine penetrate deep into the turkey to season it from the inside out.
Brining results in a flavorful, juicy turkey that makes for a superior holiday meal or backcountry camp dinner. It’s worth the small amount of extra effort.
Choosing a Wet or Dry Brine
You have two options when brining a turkey – a wet brine or a dry brine:
Wet brine: The turkey is submerged in a saline solution of water, salt, sugar, and spices. This allows you to easily add different flavorings to the brine. A good starting ratio is 1 cup of salt to 1 gallon of water. Too much salt can make the meat overly salty.
Dry brine: The turkey is coated evenly all over with a salt-based blend and left to cure in the fridge uncovered. Using a ratio of 1-1.5% salt by weight of the turkey is ideal to properly season it without over-salting.
Both techniques work very well. I tend to use wet brines since I enjoy being able to add aromatics like citrus, herbs, and peppercorns. But dry brining is simpler and less messy.
How to Wet Brine a Turkey
Here are the steps I follow when wet brining a wild turkey:
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Make the brine solution. Good basic ingredients are water, salt, sugar, bay leaves, peppercorns, citrus fruits, and herbs like thyme or parsley. Bring it to a boil to fully dissolve the salt and sugar, then let cool completely before submerging the turkey.
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Place the thawed, rinsed turkey in a container big enough to hold it fully covered in the brine. Weigh it down with a plate to keep submerged.
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Refrigerate for 12-24 hours. More than 24 hours can make the meat too salty. Turkey breasts need less time than whole birds.
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Remove the turkey and pat it dry. Let it air dry uncovered in the fridge for 8-24 hours. This helps the skin crisp up when cooking.
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Cook as desired, whether roasting, smoking, grilling, etc. The brined meat will be significantly moister and more flavorful.
Tips for Dry Brining
Dry brining a turkey is very straightforward:
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Calculate 1-1.5% of the turkey’s total weight in salt. Weigh precisely for best results.
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Mix the salt thoroughly with any other seasonings like sugar, herbs, pepper, citrus zest, etc.
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Pat the turkey completely dry. Coat all surfaces evenly with the dry brine mixture.
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Seal or cover and refrigerate for 12-24 hours. The precise salt ratio prevents over-brining.
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Rinse off the brine, pat dry, and roast as desired!
Key Brining Considerations
Keep these tips in mind when brining a wild turkey:
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Brining helps retain moisture, but doesn’t replace proper cooking. Still use a meat thermometer and don’t overcook.
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Let brined meat rest before carving to allow juices to redistribute.
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Avoid highly acidic brines, as acids can negatively affect texture.
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Chill the brine before submerging the turkey. Warm brine partially cooks the surface.
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Brining too long, even in a well-balanced brine, can make the meat overly salty.
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Dry brined turkeys cook faster – lower oven temp 25°F and check earlier.
Wild vs. Domesticated Turkey
If you are cooking a wild turkey, you will want to make sure it has aged properly. I prefer dry aging my meat before it is frozen. During dry aging, the meat needs to be surrounded by a constant air temperature of 34-37 degrees. This denatures (breaks down) the meat.
A domesticated turkey from the grocery store, on the other hand, is ready to cook. You can thaw the meat as per the instructions and then begin with a brine.
You can brine your bird before or after spatchcocking it, which I really think you should do.
- If I want to brine the turkey with water, I will spatchcock it first.
- But if I’m going to dry brine, I’ll butterfly the turkey before I put the dry rub on it.
Brining Meat is simple and results in a brilliant flavor!
Frying a Whole Turkey
- For a 12- to 14-pound turkey in a 30-quart pot, 4 to 5 gallons of cooking oil, peanut oil if no one is allergic to peanuts
- 1 12 to 14 pound turkey
- Turkey Dry Rub mixture of 2 Tbsp. Kosher salt, 1 Tbsp. pepper, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 2 tsp. thyme, 2 tsp. rosemary.
- Bring oil in the fryer to 375 degrees.
- After letting the turkey dry out, rub it all over with the dry rub, inside and out.
- Once the oil is 375 degrees, PLACE the turkey in the oil SLOWLY until it is completely submerged. This should take at least 5 minutes. The temperature of the oil will drop. The oil should be heated back up to 350 degrees. The turkey should be cooked at 350 degrees for another 40 to 50 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reaches 165 degrees.
Smoking meat rocks! I can’t say it any more clearly than that. I thought my roasted chicken tasted just as good as smoked chicken, but my husband begged to differ. We had a cook-off to determine who as correct. Hands down, smoked meat has a flavor that just can’t be touched. Don’t get me wrong, I love roasted meat — but side-by-side, smoked flavor rules.
Smoking meat is one of life’s treats to me. I love to use my smoker and cook chicken, sausage, and pork butt all at one time. Then we feast throughout the week on the bounty.
Smoked turkey is just fabulous. You get tender, succulent, juicy meat with a crispy exterior packed with flavor. What’s not to love? There’s just nothing like a smoker packed out with meat.
For more tutorials and recipes like this one, check out my books HERE or on Amazon.
Brining! (How to prepare a Turkey -Even WILD TURKEY!)
FAQ
How long should you brine a wild turkey?
What is the formula for brine?
How long to brine a turkey for smoking?
Can You brine a Turkey?
Adding the turkey while the brine is warm will partially cook the surface of the meat, which prevents proper absorption of salt and liquid. If you want the brine ready to use immediately, only pour in a portion of the water to dissolve the salt and sugar, then top off with ice until you have a gallon of liquid.
Can You brine a thawed turkey breast?
Bring to a boil to dissolve the salt and sugar, then let cool completely before adding the turkey. Place the thawed, rinsed turkey in a container big enough to hold it fully submerged in the brine. Weigh it down with a plate or brining bag. Refrigerate 12-24 hours. Longer can make it too salty. Turkey breasts need less time than a whole bird.
How does brining a turkey work?
The key to the technique is understanding how brines work and a few things to avoid. Brining is simply infusing a protein with salt, which seasons the meat internally, helps it to retain moisture, and firms up the texture. Since turkey is so lean, this process makes up for the lack of fat and helps to keep the meat moist.
Does brining a turkey make it taste better?
But here is my solution, and I think it makes turkeys or any other lean meat taste exponentially better: A great turkey starts with a great brine. Brining your turkey helps produce a moist, flavorful bird with minimal effort. The brine works to infuse the meat with flavor, and helps the bird retain moisture.
How do you brine a Turkey a day before roasting?
One day before roasting your turkey, bring 1 quart water, the salt, bay leaves, and spices to a simmer, stirring until salt has dissolved. Let cool for 5 minutes. Line the container with a large brining or oven-roasting bag to minimize cleanup. Line a 5-gallon container with a large brining or oven-roasting bag. Place the turkey in the bag.
How do you brine a Turkey in a crock pot?
Line the container with a large brining or oven-roasting bag to minimize cleanup. Line a 5-gallon container with a large brining or oven-roasting bag. Place the turkey in the bag. Add salt mixture, remaining 6 quarts (24 cups) water, and the other ingredients. Tie bag; if turkey is not submerged, weight it with a plate.