Skip to main content

Beer Brined Turkey

Beer Brined Turkey will give you the juiciest, tastiest bird you’ve ever had! This recipe also tells you how to also get a crispy skin. You’ll never make it another way again!

There are two ways to look at this post. Either it’s a week late, or 11 1/2 months early. I prefer the latter. Unless you are a turkey on Christmas type of person, in that case, I’m right on time.

Beer-Brined-Roasted-TurkeyI use Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar for several reasons. This is a beer with the perfect flavor profile to brine a turkey, and it is also a beer that is becoming available at more and more locations worldwide.

Making it the perfect beer to recommend for this recipe. If you live in a land where Rogue isn’t available, look for another malty brown ale that isn’t too hoppy instead.

Why brine with beer?  This beer brine does two things: First, alcohol is a natural meat tenderizer. Second, the brown ale gives a beautiful but faint flavor of the hazelnut and malt that Rogue took so much time crafting.

Turkey cooking is tricky, while the dark meat should be cooked to 175°, the white meat is done at 165°. Giving you only two basic options when cooking the whole bird: overcook the white meat, or undercook the dark meat.

The beer brine infuses the meat, making it possible to get that dark meat up to the temperature it needs to be without drying the white meat out. This gives you the coveted juicy bird. But what about the skin? Brine can make it soggy.

Follow the steps to dry the skin in a roasting rack in the fridge and you’ll have that crispy skin.

Crispy skin: check. Juicy bird: check. You might even have some beer left over to celebrate your turkey win.

More tips throwing a Craft Beer Thanksgiving 

Beer Brined Turkey

Beer Brined Turkey

How To Truss A Turkey, Alton Brown.

Weight Total Roasting Time
8-12 pounds 2 to 3.5 hours
12-16 pounds 3 to 4 hours
16-20 pounds 4 to 5 hours
20-25 pounds 5 to 6 hours
25-30 pounds 6+ hours

Beer Brined Turkey

5 from 8 votes

Equipment

  • 2 large turkey oven bags, or bucket large enough to fit the turkey, but small enough so that the entire turkey is submerged.

Ingredients
  

  • 1, 12-16 lb turkey* thawed
  • 10 cups of water
  • 1 1/2 cups Kosher or Sea Salt don't use iodized table salt
  • 5 cloves of garlic quartered
  • 1/4 cup whole allspice berries
  • 1 tablespoon whole cloves
  • 2 onions quartered
  • 2 (22 oz) large bottles of brown ale or wheat beer (about 5 1/2 cups)
  • 2 cup ice
  • 3 celery ribs cut in half
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups of chicken broth plus 4-6 cups water if needed

Instructions
 

  • In a large pot, add the water, salt, garlic, allspice, cloves, and one of the onions. Bring to just barely boiling and remove from heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve the salt. Add the beer and ice, stir. (if your turkey is over 18 lbs, double the brine recipe)
  • Allow to cool to room temp, refrigerating if necessary. The brine must be cooled before you add your turkey or it will start to cook.
  • Rinse the thawed turkey and remove anything that has been placed inside the cavity.
  • Place turkey in either the large bucket or the oven bags. If you are using the oven bags, place one inside the other and the turkey inside those. Pour the brine over the turkey. If using the oven bags, make sure to remove as much air as possible and seal as tightly as you can, place in a roasting pan in case the brine starts to leak. Place in the refrigerator.
  • Brine for 16-18 hours. If using the oven bags, rotate the turkey every 6-8 hours to ensure an even brine.
  • Remove the turkey from the brine and rinse really well, inside and out with cold water.
  • Place turkey on a roasting rack inside a roasting pan. Place in the fridge, uncovered, for 12-18 hours to dry the skin. This is the step that will give you a nice crispy skin to go along with your juicy bird.
  • Preheat your oven to 400°F.
  • Truss your turkey if desired.
  • Brush your entire turkey with olive oil, sprinkle with salt.
  • Stuff the other quartered onion, and the celery inside the cavity of the bird.
  • Place the turkey on a roasting rack inside a roasting pan. Add the broth to the bottom of the roasting pan. If the pan starts to dry out during the cooking, add the additional water to the bottom of the roasting pan. Do not allow the broth/water in the roasting pan to touch the turkey.
  • Cook until your turkey reaches about 160 degrees (it will continue to cook once out of the oven to meet the 165-degree temperature). Allow to rest for 10 minutes before carving.

Notes

Turkey that has been pre-treated or pre-brined will be too salty. Large commercial poultry farms often add a salt brine to increase the weight and therefore the cost of the bird, "Kosher" turkeys are generally pre-treated with salt and aren't the best to use with a brine, as they will be too salty. "Natural" turkeys will most likely not be pre-treated with salt. If the label list "sodium" as an ingredient, it will likely be too salty to use with a brine. Look for a natural turkey or one that has never been exposed to salt

 

 

Related Posts

Similar Articles


Comments


Snippets of Thyme November 30, 2011 um 5:38 pm

Beautiful, gorgeous turkey! Thank you for that tip on how to get the skin crispy.

Reply

Ana December 21, 2011 um 4:01 pm

When you say add water shouls i add at this time the beer and broth also? If the amount of water is not enough to cover the turkey waht shoul i add? Thank!!!!

Reply

The Beeroness December 21, 2011 um 10:51 pm

I updated the post to make it more clear, hope that helps!

If you have a huge turkey, over 25 lbs, then you should just double the brine recipe and that will give you enough. If it is just slightly too little, just add a bit more water or just rotate the turkey a little more frequently to make sure it all gets it’s share of the brine!

Hope that helps 🙂

Reply

SeattleRedHead December 3, 2015 um 7:42 pm

5 stars
I received rave reviews this year. Only had enough for 4 leftover meals. Will only use nut brown ale for brine from now on.

Reply

Jackie December 4, 2015 um 11:17 am

So good to hear!

Reply

Mia April 18, 2012 um 10:48 pm

Aw, this became an extremely good post. I love beer, but I had no idea I could cook so many things with it. I WILLbe trying this for next thanksgiving.

Reply

Dave November 9, 2012 um 9:22 am

Does the brining part of this work well frying a turkey? I bought a turkey fryer a year ago for home brewing and when I finally made a fried turkey I was hooked! Best turkey I have ever had.

Thanks for any advice! And love your site!

Dave

Reply

Jackie November 9, 2012 um 11:07 am

Brining works really well with a fried turkey, the main function of a brine is to infuse the meat with flavor and help it to remain really juicy. Let me know how it goes for you!

Reply

Doug November 26, 2019 um 1:42 pm

I utilized your recipe for brining our turkey several years ago. – We fried it and it was delicious; probably the most tasty fried turkey that I have ever cooked. I used a brown ale from a local craft brewery, as opposed to the listed Rogue Hazelnut Brown. – We are going to revisit that process this year.

Reply

Dave November 9, 2012 um 3:19 pm

Thanks! I will after I awake from my turkey induced food coma! May even try it before Thanksgiving to make sure it works. 😉

Reply

Kellie November 19, 2012 um 12:17 pm

Jackie- what kind of gravy would you suggest with this?

Reply

Jackie November 19, 2012 um 12:53 pm

I just make a simple pan gravy with the drippings, flour, broth and some butter. Maybe some sage.

Reply

Ben November 12, 2013 um 4:09 pm

How would you adjust this for just a turkey breast?

Reply

Jackie November 12, 2013 um 6:08 pm

Much smaller brine, obviously. You can cut the brine time down to 6 hours and the drying time down to 8 hours (if there’s no skin, skip it). And the cooking time would be closer to 45 minutes.

Reply

Sam November 21, 2013 um 8:07 pm

I made this last year and it was hands down the BEST turkey I’ve ever had. It is now the only recipe I’ll ever use.

Reply

Jackie November 27, 2013 um 8:20 pm

That’s great! Thank you 🙂

Reply

Sean November 26, 2013 um 2:48 pm

Hi…

Is that copious amount of salt crucial to the brine?

Thank you.

Sean

Reply

Sean November 26, 2013 um 2:49 pm

More about the salt…

We are all on low-salt diets, and it is a kosher turkey. As a kosher turkey, it has been soaked and salted already. We had seen somewhere else that kosher turkeys do not require salt in the brine.

Thank you.

Sean

Reply

Jackie November 26, 2013 um 6:26 pm

Kosher turkeys are packed in salt to draw out excess blood, but they haven’t been brined, it’s a different process. You can cut the salt back, but salt is essential to the brining process. Possibly try and find a low salt brine recipe that might fit your needs better

Reply

Sean November 27, 2013 um 5:30 pm

Thank you. By the way, the marinated flank steak with the avocado cream sauce was stupendous.

Take care.

Sean

Reply

Jackie November 27, 2013 um 6:34 pm

Great! That’s good to hear 🙂

Reply

Luke MacCado November 28, 2013 um 1:27 pm

I just made this for Thanksgiving and everyone agree that it was the best turkey we have ever had. Thank you so much for the great recipe!

Reply

Sean November 28, 2013 um 6:57 pm

That was yummy.

Note to all: read the full instructions first.

We were able to use only 1.5 cups of salt. We brined it in my favourite beer, Muskoka brewery dark ale. http://www.muskokabrewery.com/beers.php It is one of the semi-local breweries for us Torontonians.

We did not leave the turkey on a rack to dry. That was the key part about reading the instructions in advance.

I normally prefer the white meat on fowl. This time, the dark meat was remarkably succulent, with a bit of a smoky taste to it.

We will certainly try this recipe again. It was delightful. Thank you.

Sean

Reply

Cindy November 13, 2014 um 4:18 am

I am so excited to try this recipe!! We make turkey 2 ways every year: roasted and smoked (and sometimes a third way: fried). The smoked version is made the day before Thanksgiving…my husband mans the smoker (after I have done ALL of the work in prepping the turkey and stocking the wood…then he takes the credit…LOL), invites his friends to join him outside as he keeps an eye on the temps whilst they drink copious amounts of various varieties of beer.

I think this brine would be EXCELLENT with my smoked turkey, and I look forward to trying it this year!! I have only recently discovered your site and I LOVE it!! 🙂

Reply

Jackie November 13, 2014 um 12:54 pm

Sounds like a great party!

Reply

Dan November 13, 2014 um 10:41 am

I was looking for a new way to do turkey this year – do you think I could adapt the recipe for a 20 lb. turkey? I;m going to hunt down the hazelnut ale…

Reply

Jackie November 13, 2014 um 12:59 pm

I’d double the brine and use a clean 5 gallon bucket, if it can fit in your fridge! If not, try the oven bags, maybe use three. And have someone help you with getting the brine in the oven bags.

Reply

Patrick November 25, 2014 um 1:13 pm

I am doing a 24lb turkey and using a large cooler to put the turkey in with the brine, and using a brine bag inside the cooler. Put ice bags along with it to keep it cold and the cooler should do the rest.
This sounds awesome and I can’t wait to make this.

Reply

Jennifer November 17, 2014 um 6:07 pm

I was at Rogue Newport this summer. Rogue has a "garage" sale on major, or minor holidays. They sell tons of stuff for cheap. I procured a case of Hazel Nut Ale. My plan was to make snickers with it, combination of hazel nut beer and chocolate stout, yes it is as good as you think. Now I am also going to bring my turkey in it. Oh the heaven that it a good beer brine.
Also Rogue has a Beer and Bed in Newport I suggest every one check it out if you like beer and sleeping above you pub? Who could say no.
Thanks for the post

Reply

Jennifer November 17, 2014 um 6:08 pm

I forgot to add that the case of bombers was 20$.

Reply

Rob November 23, 2014 um 9:54 pm

I’m giving this a go this Thanksgiving. One question: Does said roasting pan have a cover? I usually use a roasting bag, but I’m not sure if this should be without cover? Seems like that would dry out quick, but then I’m not sure where that would leave the crispy skin if I did use a bag or lid.

Reply

Jackie November 24, 2014 um 9:38 am

No cover. That’s how the skin gets crispy and brown. If it starts to brown too much towards the end of cooking, tent it with aluminum foil, but I almost never have to do that (only really needed if you have a very large turkey that needs lots of time in the oven.)

Reply

Chuck November 25, 2014 um 1:49 pm

I am wondering if you can give a conversion for the salt in weight.. I have different salt and it’d be a big help.
Thanks!

Reply

Jackie November 25, 2014 um 2:42 pm

about 550 grams or 1 lbs, 3 ounces. But I do recommend kosher or sea salt

Reply

Jessica from the North Pole November 30, 2014 um 2:54 pm

My hubby and I brined our Thanksgiving turkey with this recipe and then deep fried it. It was amazing! Super juicy and flavorful!

I’ve made three things off of your website so far and they have been amazing! Thank you for combining one of my favorite things too, beer and food! 🙂

Reply

LM December 2, 2014 um 10:24 am

My daughter used your recipe to brine her range turkey this year for our Thanksgiving feast….it was really the best turkey I’ve ever had!

Now..wondering if you have ever tried this on chicken? I have 2 freshly processed chickens that I want to brine so was hoping to apply the recipe to them.

Your thoughts?

Reply

Jackie December 2, 2014 um 3:20 pm

I’m so glad! yes, I really think that all whole poultry absolutely needs to be brined.
Here is a roast chicken:
https://domesticfits.com/2012/04/25/beer-brined-roast-chicken/

and game hens:
https://domesticfits.com/2013/05/08/beer-brined-roasted-cornish-game-hens-with-orange-chili-sauce/

Reply

David November 22, 2015 um 1:53 pm

5 stars
So I was sold at "beer brine" but my wife is worried about the beer flavor in the turkey in regards to making other things with the leftovers. How strong of a beer flavor really gets into the meat?

Reply

Jackie November 23, 2015 um 8:53 am

It’s really, really small. Most people can’t taste it. If you are worried just use 1/2 the beer and substitute the rest with broth, but I’ve never had anyone say they can taste it and I do serve this turkey to kids (although that’s your call).

Reply

Dana triano November 24, 2015 um 4:09 am

Are the instructions the same if I’m stuffing the turkey? Do you have any tips for that step? I’m trying this tomorrow, wish me luck! My first thanksgivings hosting

Reply

Jackie November 24, 2015 um 1:30 pm

If you do stuff it, do so right before you put the turkey in the oven. I’d also suggest taking the stuffing out and putting it in a dish and putting it back in the oven after you take it out of the bird to kill any bacteria that might still be hanging around, the center of the stuffing absorbs a lot of bacteria from the turkey when it’s raw but does not cook all the way through because it’s trapped in the center. Also, don’t add salt to your stuffing (if you use broth use low sodium broth as well) because the juices from the turkey will be injected into the stuffing and will be heavily salted.

Reply

Eelurra November 21, 2016 um 5:40 am

Hi, Thank you so much for this recipe. I have one question. Direction # 12.
"Place the turkey on a roasting rack inside a roasting pan. Add the broth to the bottom of the roasting pan."
What broth are you speaking of? Is it the brine or the chicken broth?

Reply

Jackie November 21, 2016 um 9:28 am

It’s the "2 cups of broth, plus water" that is listed in the ingredients just above "Additional equipment" If you want don’t want to, you can skip it. I’ve made that recipe without the broth in the pan and it turns out great as well.

Reply

nam November 22, 2016 um 10:05 pm

Is there anything bad about brining the turkey over 18 hrs? I read elsewhere that brining it will make it too salty. I started brining the turkey today but just wondering if it will affect the flavor

Reply

Jackie November 24, 2016 um 8:44 am

The turkey can get a little mealy and salty if you brine it longer than 18 hours and the job is done after 16. Too long of a brine and you run the risk of the meat breaking down too much.

Reply

Kristin November 24, 2016 um 4:38 am

So excited to try this! My turkey is waiting to go into the oven. I am just unsure about the roasting temperature–400* seems very high and I have a convection oven. Should I lower the temp or will that mess up the results of this wonderfully brined and dried turkey?!

Reply

Jackie November 24, 2016 um 8:42 am

Most turkeys are roasted at that temperature. If it won’t dry out because of the brine. I’ve made this turkey about a dozen times and it’s always great. I’ve never used a convection oven for this so I’m not sure if there is an adaptation that is used for roasting poultry but I think you should be fine. Just keep checking on it and tent it with foil if it starts to brown too quickly.
Happy holiday!

Reply

Paul Parks November 22, 2018 um 3:00 am

Do you cook at 400 thru out…I usually go 325 so it doesn’t brown to fast then the last hour go 400

Reply

Jackie November 24, 2018 um 10:14 am

I’ve always cooked at 400 for the duration, but feel free to play around with the temp. I like a really dark brown turkey.

Reply

Paul Parks December 20, 2018 um 4:38 pm

5 stars
I’ve used this brine with a 25lb and a 12lb Turkey. Left the salt out of the brine and added a little more beer, also put beer with the broth and basted the Turkey every hour. I brined both of them for 2 to 2 and a half days…truss and rubbed the turkey with olive oil and Kosher salt before baking Both turned out amazing….So juicey and tender

Reply

Kris November 18, 2020 um 11:43 am

5 stars
This looks great! Thanksgiving home alone this year for COVID safety and planning to make a whole meal for myself using your recipes! I saw your adjustments for just a turkey breast, but I’m wondering what other beers might be good options. I’m not generally a fan of brown beers, more of a fan of sours, wheats, IPA’s, sessions, etc. Any ideas? Thanks for all your great suggestions! Love my beer pizza crust!

Reply

Jackie November 19, 2020 um 8:39 am

Good for you for being so responsible! I’m staying home also. I would use a wheat beer, I’ve used them before for brining and it works great. Let’s hope next year we will be back to normal!

Reply

Lori November 22, 2020 um 8:25 am

I’m planning on doing this recipe, but I always use my kettle Weber to grill my turkeys. Will this brine recipe work on the grill? Thank you, Lori

Reply

Jackie November 23, 2020 um 9:06 am

I haven’t tried that, but I don’t see why not. I would definitely brine a grilled turkey to help prevent it from drying out.

Reply

Alex Shugart November 24, 2021 um 9:45 am

Found this recipe 4 years ago, and have used it every year since

Reply

Write a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




*
*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.