Printable Recipe: Simple Honey Brine for Smoked Turkey Recipe

Simple Honey Brine for Smoked Turkey

I love, love, love this recipe for a smoked turkey brine, which was created by Alton Brown. The brine creates a wonderful, slightly sweet flavor that balances perfectly with a smoky turkey. It's also a flexible recipe, flavor-wise, and works just as well with a smoked turkey rubbed with Cajun spices as one rubbed with, say, just a bit of rosemary. It suits any smoked turkey recipe!

Ingredients:
1 gallon hot water
1 lb . (16 oz.) kosher salt
8 C. chicken or vegetable broth
1 lb. honey
1 large bag of ice (you'll need about 7 lbs.)

Instructions: 1. In a large cooler or brining bucket, stir together the hot water and the kosher salt until well combined.

2. Add the broth and honey. Stir well, until honey dissolves.

3. Dump in the bag of ice and stir until brine is cooled.

4. Add turkey neck-cavity-side-down (or breast side up in a cooler), cover, and brine in the refrigerator (if you use a cooler and plenty of ice, you don't need to refrigerate-- a big bonus!) about 12 hours.

5. Let dry before using a spice rub like the ones below or your own favorite smoked turkey recipe.