Honey Citrus Turkey Brine

A simple brine recipe and technique.

Ingredients

• 4 cups orange juice
• 2 cups water
• 4 (8 ounce) jars honey
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 lemon, sliced
• 2 oranges, sliced
• 3 tablespoons ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 (7 pound) bags of ice, or as needed

Steps

1. Place orange juice, water, honey, brown sugar, lemon, oranges, black pepper, red pepper flakes, garlic, and bay leaf in a large pot; bring to a boil. Cook and stir until sugar is dissolved, 10 minutes. Remove from heat and gradually stir in ice to start chilling the brine.
2. Pour brine into a large bucket; add more ice to finish cooling.