Looking for good wet brine recipe for Turkey

Alton brown's minus the sugar, it will cause the skin to have burnt spots

Every brine is wet as base ingredients are water, salt and sugar. Do you mean wet rub which is something totally different?

Rule of thumb is one cup salt, one cup sugar per gallon of water. Add whatever else you like but I’ve never made one where the rosemary or bay leaves or cut up oranges come through. So I use the basic above and I do a turkey or a chicken if both are Whole for 24 hours.

I don’t cook chicken without brining it. And rinse it well in cool water and pat dry very well. If you have time after brining put on a rack and let sit uncovered in the icebox for a couple of days. This will really dry the skin out and make it crisp up very well.

Thanks for the tips.

Have you ever tried frying one without rinsing after brining?

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Have you ever tried frying one without rinsing after brining?

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You rinse the brine off for two reasons. Mainly to get all the little bits of seasonings off (peppercorns, allspice, etc... for the AB recipe that is) and also because it is potent with the salt and sugar. Honestly I don't know if it really makes a difference to leave it on or not when you go to cook if you are using just the salt/sugar brine, but you MUST MAKE SURE THE TURKEY IS DRY.

Wet turkey in oil can cause some serious agitation that could be dangerous. No it won't be explosive like a frozen bird, but that oil can bubble and pop out potentially burning you or hitting your flame underneath. Get it as dry as possible.

Cup of salt, cup of sugar and a gallon of water is pretty cheap. This is a good use of the old Morton table salt.

I rinse it because I might want something different on the skin, like some fresh thyme or finally chopped rosemary but that is only for the skin.

Last week I brined Sunday and Monday evening I rinsed and dried well, put on a rack in the refrigerator and let it dry until Saturday. It changes color and texture. Put a few drops of oil on the skin and rubbed well then fresh thyme and onto a 350 big green egg for about one hour. That’s a good crispy chicken.

And as much as everyone beats him down I got that brine from Tom Fitzmorris about 20 years ago.