How long should I brine a turkey?

Turkey brining is more time-sensitive than chicken because turkeys are bigger — salt needs longer to penetrate, but excess time makes meat mushy or over-salty.

Wet brine timing (1 cup kosher salt per gallon water): - 8 lb turkey: 8–12 hours - 12 lb turkey: 12–18 hours (standard) - 16 lb turkey: 18–24 hours - 20 lb turkey: 24–36 hours - Never exceed 48 hours wet brine — texture becomes mushy + over-salty

Dry brine timing (1 tsp kosher salt per pound, uncovered in fridge): - 8 lb: 24 hours - 12 lb: 48 hours (standard target) - 16 lb: 48–72 hours - 20 lb: 72 hours - Dry brine is more forgiving — 24–96 hours is the workable range

Why brine a turkey? - Salt denatures muscle proteins → up to 15% more moisture retained during roast - Salt diffuses through breast meat → seasoned interior (turkey breast is famously bland without seasoning beneath the skin) - Dry brine air-dries skin → far crispier roast

Don't brine if: - Turkey label says "self-basting," "enhanced," "kosher," or "10% solution" (already salted) - Frozen-then-thawed turkey from supermarket (often pre-injected with brine; check package)

Method choice: Most modern chefs (Alton Brown, Kenji López-Alt, Bon Appétit) recommend dry brine over wet brine for Thanksgiving turkey. Dry brine = crispier skin + better seasoning + no soaking-bucket logistics + better fridge real estate.

The Thomas Keller "salt-brine method" applied to turkey at 1.5 tsp/lb for 48 hours is widely cited as the home-cook gold standard.