Turkey Brine and Injection Recipes: How to Brine, Inject and Season a Turkey

Last updated October 2026. Now with our from-scratch turkey brine recipe, a dry brine, four turkey injection recipes and brine times by turkey size.

This is the hands-on version. Each layer builds on the one before it, and each one has a way of going wrong that is easy to avoid once you know about it.

Not sure whether your bird needs all of this? Read should you brine a turkey before smoking first. Short version: brine an untreated bird, and if the label says enhanced, self-basting, pre-brined or injected, skip the brine and keep the rest low in salt.

Everything below assumes the Turkey Takeover turkey brine, injection and seasoning kit, but the method works with whatever you have on hand.

Step 1: Brine

Brining is where flavor starts. Salt seasons the meat throughout and improves how a lean bird holds moisture during cooking.

1. Prepare the base. Pour the entire contents of your Bird Brine into your brining vessel: the included 20x24 inch heavy-duty brine bag, a brine bucket, or a food-safe cooler.
2. Submerge the bird. Place the fully thawed turkey in and add cold water, optionally with a beer for depth, until it is completely covered. No part should sit above the surface, right down to the tips of the drumsticks.
3. Chill and brine 12 to 24 hours. Refrigerate at 40F or below. Do not go past two days.
4. Drain and dry. Lift the bird out, discard the brine, and pat it completely dry with paper towels. For better skin, let it rest uncovered in the refrigerator for 6 to 12 hours afterward. That air-drying step is what makes the seasoning stick and the skin brown.

Pro tips for brining

• Keep it cold. Never let the turkey sit in warm or room-temperature water.
• No fridge space? Use a clean, food-safe cooler with a generous amount of ice, or ice packs around a sealed bag. Hold 40F or below and check the ice overnight.
• Add aromatics such as orange, lemon, rosemary or thyme for a citrusy twist.
• Spatchcock first. If you are spatchcocking the bird, do it before brining. It is easier to handle and the brine reaches the meat more evenly.
• Remove the innards and trim excess fat before the bird goes in.
• Sanitize the vessel thoroughly after use before storing it away.

Our Basic Turkey Brine Recipe

No Bird Brine on hand? This is the from-scratch wet brine we fall back on. It is a classic salt and brown sugar brine with aromatics that stay in the background, so it works with any seasoning you put on afterward. This batch makes about 2 gallons, enough for a 12 to 17 lb turkey in a brine bag.

1. Dissolve. Heat 1 quart of the water with the salt and brown sugar, stirring until clear. Add the peppercorns, bay leaves, garlic, citrus peel and herbs and simmer 5 minutes.
2. Cool it completely. Pour the hot mixture into the remaining cold water (use ice for part of it to speed things up). The brine must be 40F or colder before the turkey goes in.
3. Brine. Submerge the thawed turkey and refrigerate 6 to 12 hours. Breast-only brines 3 to 6 hours.
4. Drain, dry and air-chill. Discard the brine, pat the turkey dry and let it rest uncovered in the fridge overnight before injecting and seasoning.

Why the three salt amounts? Salt crystals are different sizes, so a cup of one brand is not the same as a cup of another. Measure by the type you have, or by weight: about 290 grams of salt for 2 gallons of water.

Rather skip the measuring? Super Soaker Bird Brine in the Turkey Takeover Box is pre-blended for a turkey up to 18 lbs and comes with a heavy-duty brine bag, a marinade injector, Perfect Turkey Seasoning and Roasted Garlic Blend.

How Much Brine and How Long, by Turkey Size

Using Super Soaker Bird Brine instead? Follow the bag: one 9 oz bag brines a turkey up to 18 lbs for 12 to 24 hours. Cooking a bigger bird, add a second bag and use a larger container than the included bag, which fits turkeys up to 18 lbs. Whatever you use, never brine longer than two days.

Turkey Brine Variations

• Apple cider brine. Replace half a gallon of the water with apple cider and add a sliced apple and 2 cinnamon sticks. Slightly sweet, great with cherry or apple wood.
• Beer and brown sugar brine. Replace 2 bottles of the water with a lager or amber ale and bump the brown sugar to 3/4 cup. Pairs naturally with our beer injected spatchcocked turkey.
• Citrus herb brine. Double the citrus peel and add a handful of fresh sage. Bright and classic.

Keep the salt the same in every variation. The salt is what does the work. The extras are for flavor.

Dry Brine Recipe

No room for a bag of brine in the fridge? Dry brining gets you seasoned, juicy meat and even crisper skin, with nothing but salt and time.

1. Pat the turkey dry. Mix the salt, sugar and pepper.
2. Sprinkle it evenly over every surface, including under the breast and thigh skin and inside the cavity.
3. Set the bird on a rack over a sheet pan and refrigerate uncovered for 24 to 72 hours. Do not rinse. Season with a low-salt rub before cooking.

Wet brine or dry brine? Wet brining adds a little more moisture to lean breast meat. Dry brining is easier to fit in the fridge and gives you better skin. Both beat an untreated bird.

Step 2: Inject

Injection puts flavor, and fat, directly into the thickest muscle. Fill the injector with melted butter, stock and a pinch of Perfect Turkey Seasoning.

1. Insert the needle deep into a thick section of meat.
2. Start the plunger, then withdraw slowly as you dispense so the liquid spreads instead of pooling.
3. Work in a grid, roughly every 1 to 1.5 inches, across both breasts, both thighs and the drumsticks.
4. Refrigerate 30 to 60 minutes so the injection settles before you season.

Pro tips for injecting

• Keep it smooth. Extra seasoning in the mix is fine as long as the particle size is fine. Strain through a mesh sieve if in doubt.
• Warm, not hot. Melted butter or tallow works well, but overheated fat separates or solidifies too fast and clogs the needle.
• Vary the base. Apple cider, beer, or a compound butter all work.
• Clean it immediately. Flush the needle and barrel with warm soapy water right after use.

Four Turkey Injection Recipes

Each recipe makes about 1 to 1.5 cups, enough for a 12 to 16 lb turkey. Split it roughly half into the breasts and half into the thighs and drumsticks. If the turkey was brined or is pre-brined, use unsalted butter and low-sodium stock so the injection does not push it over the edge.

1. Classic Garlic Butter Turkey Injection

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken or turkey stock
• 1 tablespoon Roasted Garlic Blend (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
• 1 teaspoon Perfect Turkey Seasoning, finely ground
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Our everyday injection. Rich, savory and garlicky without tasting like anything but really good turkey.

2. Cajun Butter Turkey Injection

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon Louisiana-style hot sauce
• 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning, strained or very finely ground
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Big, buttery heat. Check your Cajun seasoning's salt content and cut back the stock's salt if it is a salty blend.

3. Beer Butter Turkey Injection

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 3/4 cup lager or amber ale, flat and at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon Roasted Garlic Blend
• 1 teaspoon onion powder

Malty and savory. This is the style of injection behind our beer injected spatchcocked turkey, and the Turkey Takeover booklet has its own version.

4. Apple Cider Herb Turkey Injection

• 1/2 cup apple cider
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme, ground to a powder

Lightly sweet and herbal. Great with apple or cherry wood.

How to mix and inject any of them

1. Melt the butter gently, then whisk in everything else off the heat. Let it cool until warm, not hot.
2. Strain through a fine sieve if anything looks gritty. Particles are what clog injector needles.
3. Inject in a grid about every 1 to 1.5 inches, withdrawing slowly as you push the plunger. Shake or stir the mix between fills so the butter does not separate.
4. Wipe off any that leaks out, then refrigerate the bird 30 to 60 minutes before seasoning.

Brine and inject the same turkey? Yes, as long as you watch the salt. Read should you brine a turkey before smoking for when to do one, the other, or both.

Turkey Takeover Box

Super Soaker Bird Brine, a heavy-duty brine bag, a marinade injector, Perfect Turkey Seasoning, Roasted Garlic Blend and six Thanksgiving recipes.

$64.99 $49.99 · ships free in the U.S.

Get the Turkey Takeover Box

Step 3: Season

Now build the crust. Perfect Turkey Seasoning brings rosemary, thyme, smoked paprika and black pepper. Roasted Garlic Blend adds depth that balances the salt and smoke.

Pro tips for getting seasoning to stick

• Start dry. Pat the bird completely dry first. Moisture stops rub from adhering and creates steam instead of crisp skin.
• Use a binder. A thin coat of olive oil, avocado oil or melted tallow. Mustard or mayonnaise also work for adhesion and browning. Skip butter on the exterior; it is roughly 15 percent water.
• Get under the skin. Gently lift the skin over the breast and thighs and season the meat directly.
• Season generously. A 12 to 16 pound bird takes 3 to 4 tablespoons for full coverage.
• Let it sit. Rest the seasoned bird uncovered in the fridge for 30 minutes to 12 hours so the rub sets.

Homemade Turkey Rub

No Perfect Turkey Seasoning? This makes enough for a 12 to 16 lb bird.

• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt, only if the turkey was not brined

Step 4: Cook

Set up for indirect heat at 325F, whether that is a pellet grill, a kettle, a kamado, an offset or a gas grill with the burners on one side. No coals or burners directly under the bird.

Apple and cherry are our default woods. Pecan and maple also work. Go easy on hickory and skip mesquite on poultry. See the complete guide to smoking woods for the full breakdown.

Cook to 165F, verified in the thickest part of the breast and the innermost thigh and wing, avoiding bone. Then rest 20 to 30 minutes, tented loosely, before carving.

Timing by weight is in how long to smoke a turkey.

The Prep Schedule

Do Not Forget the Sides

The same seasonings carry across the rest of the spread. Perfect Turkey Seasoning and Roasted Garlic Blend both work in the Pitmaster's Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, the Grill Master's Smoked Mac and Cheese, and Smoked Brioche Stuffing.

More that pair well with the box:

• Sweet Potato Boats
• Pit Roasted Dinner Rolls
• Smoked Scalloped Potatoes
• Smoked Cream Cheese Appetizer
• Smoked Queso

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you brine a turkey in a cooler?

Yes. Use a clean, food-safe cooler and pack enough ice to hold the brine at 40F or below for the full 12 to 24 hours. Check the ice before bed and again in the morning, and sanitize the cooler afterward.

What do you put in a turkey injection?

Melted butter plus stock is the classic base. Apple cider or beer add depth. Use fine-particle seasoning or strain the mixture, and keep the liquid warm rather than hot so the fat does not separate or clog the needle.

How much rub does a turkey need?

About 3 to 4 tablespoons for a 12 to 16 pound bird, over and under the skin, with a thin coat of oil as a binder.

Do you rinse a turkey after brining?

No. USDA guidance advises against washing raw poultry. Drain the bird and pat it dry with paper towels instead.

How long after injecting should you wait before cooking?

Refrigerate 30 to 60 minutes so the liquid settles and distributes before you season and cook.

Should you spatchcock before or after brining?

Before. The bird is easier to handle coming out of the brine, and the brine reaches the meat more evenly.

What is the ratio of salt to water for a turkey brine?

About 1 cup of table salt per 2 gallons of water, which is roughly 290 grams. That is 1.5 cups of Morton kosher salt or 2 cups of Diamond Crystal kosher salt, because the crystals are different sizes.

How much injection do you need for a turkey?

About 1 to 1.5 cups for a 12 to 16 lb turkey. Put roughly half in the breasts and half in the thighs and drumsticks.

Can you brine and inject the same turkey?

Yes. Brine for seasoning and moisture, then inject with unsalted butter and low-sodium stock so the total salt stays in check.

Bring It All Together

Brine for seasoning and moisture, inject for depth and richness, season for the crust, cook at 325F and pull at 165F. Four layers, one very good turkey.

Questions? Email support@grillmastersclub.com and we are happy to help with your smoky Thanksgiving.

Turkey Takeover Box

Super Soaker Bird Brine, a heavy-duty brine bag, a marinade injector, Perfect Turkey Seasoning, Roasted Garlic Blend and six Thanksgiving recipes.

$64.99 $49.99 · ships free in the U.S.

Get the Turkey Takeover Box

Use code USA at checkout for 10% off. Orders of $100 or more ship free in the U.S., and the Turkey Takeover Box ships free on its own. Want new pitmaster-picked rubs, sauces and recipes all year long? See the Grill Masters Club subscription.

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