It’s best to start off with a fairly simple, basic brine. The first step of brining a turkey is figuring out how much solution you need. To do that, you’ll need a bowl or container that’s large enough to hold your turkey and then some. Place your still-wrapped turkey in the container and fill it with enough water to cover the turkey by about an inch or so. Remove the turkey from the container but leave the water — that’s the necessary amount for your brine.
Now, for some science! Because the amount of salt needed is a percentage of the water content, you need to weigh exactly how much water is left in the container. (As a point of reference, a gallon of water weighs a bit more than 8 pounds.) Once you know the weight of the water, it’s time to measure out the weight of the salt for your brine. The salt should measure about 1–2% of the water’s weight, and we recommend keeping it around 1–1.2% for first-time turkey-smokers. The saltiness may not land exactly where you want it, but it’s better for beginners to play it safe and get a feel for flavor.
After weighing out the salt, dissolve it in the water to complete your brine. You can cut the saltiness with a bit of sugar, but make sure it’s no more than 1% of the brine’s weight. Feel free to throw in the same amount of herbs and spices you’ll use for seasoning the turkey — it never hurts to get an extra boost of flavor in there.
The last part might be the hardest: finding a pot or food-safe bucket that can both hold your submerged turkey and fit in the fridge. You can also set your bird to brine in an ice chest, though it’s best done in the fridge to ensure it’ll remain cold overnight. Your best bet might be a food-grade brining bag, which can lie flat in the fridge to save space. Regardless of your method, place your unwrapped and dried turkey in the pot or bag before pouring your brining solution on top. You turkey should be left in the solution for about 12–24 hours the day before the cook, but the minimum amount of time for a successful brine is about 4 hours.
When the brining is complete, remove your turkey from the solution and rinse it off. Pat the entire bird dry (inside, outside, and under the skin) just like you initially did after taking it out of the packaging. This will remove any lingering salt from the bird and clear the way for your seasoning blend.