Brining

What It Means

Brining is soaking meat or poultry in a solution of salt and water for a while before it's cooked. Cooks do it for flavor and tenderness, and USDA's own guidance on brining a turkey presents it as a way to get tender, flavorful meat. Because raw poultry sits in liquid for a long time, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's safety advice centers on keeping it cold: in the refrigerator, at 40°F or below, for the whole soak.

How It Sounds at Home

• "The turkey's been in the brine since last night."
• "Brined chicken comes out so much juicier."
• "Do we have a bucket big enough to brine this thing?"

The Breakdown

How to brine poultry safely, per USDA

1. Make the brine. If the recipe heats it to dissolve the salt, let it cool before any meat goes in.
2. Pick a container made for food: food-grade plastic, stainless steel or glass. A food-grade plastic bag works too. A household trash bag doesn't.
3. Put the bird in and make sure the liquid covers it completely. Cover the container.
4. Keep it cold the whole time: in the refrigerator at 40°F or below, or in a cooler with enough ice to stay that cold. Don't leave it out on the counter while it soaks.
5. Take it out within 2 days. USDA ties this to how long fresh turkey should stay in the refrigerator at all.
6. Throw the used brine away.
7. Cook until a food thermometer reads 165°F in the thickest part, the safe minimum for all poultry on the FSIS chart.

Short version to try today. Before you buy a brining bag or bucket, check that it says food grade and that your refrigerator or cooler has room to hold it at 40°F or below.

Where people go wrong

Good to Know

A cooler works for USDA only if there's enough ice in it to hold 40°F or below for the whole soak, so plan the ice along with the brine. The brining rules from USDA don't change how the bird is cooked: it still needs to reach 165°F, and a food thermometer is the way to know it got there.

Related Terms and Categories

• Internal temperature

  The temperature at the center of cooked food, read with a food thermometer; USDA lists the minimum each food must reach to be safe to eat.

• Thanksgiving timeline

  A plan that works back from Thanksgiving dinner to set when the turkey thaws, goes in the oven, rests, and when leftovers go in the fridge.

• Resting meat

  Leaving cooked meat off the heat for a set time before cutting or eating it; USDA lists at least 3 minutes for whole cuts of red meat.

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