How to Make a Citrus Herb Brine – perfect for a Thanksgiving turkey or a Sunday night roast!

Citrus Herb Brine

This is the perfect brine recipe – full of flavor and simple to make!  Perfect for your Thanksgiving Day turkey or just a simple Sunday night roast!

Can you guys believe that Thanksgiving is like a week and a half away!!  I am SO excited – although I did a mini Thanksgiving run-through this weekend so I could get some delicious recipes up on the blog for you guys!  Hey, it’s a tough job, but somebody has to do it!

So this recipe is for a Citrus Herb Brine and then tomorrow I will post the recipe for Roasted Citrus Herb Thanksgiving Turkey (stay tuned! I will give you a little sneak peek below!). Now I love, love, love a classic roasted turkey, (as well as deep-fried turkey) but I also LOVE a citrus herb turkey.  There is something about how the citrus flavors combine with all the wonderful fresh herbs and butter (because duh – it’s Thanksgiving and this is THE Thanksgiving turkey – you use real butter).  All those flavors just come together so beautifully – it is so delicious.

I know there might be a couple questions about brines so here is a little FAQ sesh for us:

What is a Brine

A brine is an age-old preservation technique that has been used more recently as a way to infuse moisture and flavor into proteins, similar to a marinade.  Your protein sits in a combination of water and salt, along with other aromatics prior to cooking.  It is a lengthy process that requires careful planning, but the results are SO worth it!

What is the water to salt ratio for a brine

Generally, the ratio for a brine is 4 Tablespoons of salt for every 4 cups of water.

How to Make a Brine

Once you get the water/salt ratio down, you need to ensure you have enough liquid to fully submerge your protein.  Then, it is all about designing what flavors you want to infuse – basically, you get to pick what aromatics you want to throw in there.  This might depend upon the type of protein and/or what else you are serving for dinner.  Let your protein soak for 12-24 hours then rinse and discard the brine liquid.  Some recommend letting your protein sit for 4-6 after you remove it from the brine.  Personally, I have never done this, but I have talked to others how have – some rave about it and some say they couldn’t tell the difference.  I will let you be the judge on that one!

So, I have made a basic brine here, but I have jazzed it up a bit.  First of all, I start out with a very high salt-concentrated water in a saucepan and combine my aromatics.  Then, I bring this to a boil to help dissolve the salt and to “open up” my aromatics to allow for full flavor-infusion. This is my secret-ingredient so-to-speak!  I then proceed to cover the protein with this mixture, along with the rest of my water and let it soak overnight.

It’s so good you guys – and so worth the extra step!!!  I promise!

And here is the sneak peek of how I roast the turkey after the brine…..

So excited about BOTH of these recipes you guys!!!  So, so, so good.  Thanksgiving Dinner good.

I have so many awesome recipes coming down the pipe this week and next – I hope you guys have as much planning your menu as I do!!  Have an awesome week!

Oh – and future reference – this doesn’t have to be used on Thanksgiving only!   A classic Sunday-night roasted chicken would be PERFECT with this recipe AND it is Whole30 compliant!  Such a great way to jazz up your recipes!

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