Easiest Turkey Brine

Ingredients

• 1 12- to 20-pound turkey, not kosher, saline-injected, or otherwise pre-salted
• 3 oranges
• 3 lemons
• 1/2 cup fresh sage leaves
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon whole peppercorns
• 5 large garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
• 4 quarts water
• 250g kosher salt, plus more if needed

Directions

1. Get the turkey ready for its soak: take it out of the packaging and blot it dry. Pull out the giblets and set them aside if you’ll use them for gravy. Put the turkey into a large pot, brining bag, or another roomy container that will allow it to stay covered by the brine.
2. Prep the aromatics: with a vegetable peeler, remove the zest from the oranges and lemons, taking care to get mostly the colored peel and as little of the white pith as you can. Coarsely chop the sage. Set out the bay leaves, peppercorns, and garlic so everything is ready when the brine is hot. Save the peeled oranges and lemons for the turkey cavity when it roasts.
3. Make the brine concentrate: pour 1 quart (4 cups) of the water into a large saucepan or stock pot and bring it to a boil on the stovetop. Add the salt and stir until it has fully dissolved. Stir in the orange and lemon peels, sage, bay leaves, peppercorns, and garlic. Bring the mixture back up to a boil, then take it off the heat.
4. Cool the concentrate, then turn it into the full brine: wait until the seasoned liquid is no longer giving off steam, then mix in the remaining 3 quarts of water. If the pot cannot hold everything comfortably, combine it in a pitcher or another large container instead. Check that the brine feels room temperature or only slightly warm.
5. Pour the brine over the turkey. The bird should be covered, although the bony ends of the legs can peek above the liquid. For a larger turkey, make more brine as needed by dissolving 1/4 cup of salt in 4 cups of warm water, then add enough to cover. If the turkey wants to bob up, set a plate or another heavy item on top to hold it down.
6. Cover the turkey and refrigerate it while it brines for 12 to 24 hours.
7. When it’s time to roast, lift the turkey out of the brine and rinse it under cool water. A little pink tint in the water is fine. Pat the turkey dry.
8. Roast the turkey according to your usual recipe, but do not salt it first. If you like, fill the cavity with the reserved sage and the peeled oranges and lemons from the brine prep. The turkey may cook more quickly than expected, so start checking its temperature halfway through the roasting time.