How Do I Know If My Turkey Is Pre-Brined?

Brining a turkey can help to ensure tender, juicy meat that is full of flavor. We put three types of turkey next to each other to see which was better: not brined, dry brined, and salt water brined. Read on for the results.

For years, I used a salt water brine to prepare my turkey for roasting. However, chefs and recipe developers are increasingly suggesting a dry brine in which the meat is rubbed with salt and left to rest so that the salt can flavor the meat. A lot of big food websites, like Serious Eats and the New York Times Cooking Section, say that dry brining is the best way to cook meat.

I set out to test three methods of roasting a turkey in my home kitchen. I bought three 14-pound organic turkeys and roasted them my Simple Roasted Turkey way, 1) without a brine, 2) with a dry brine, and 3) with a salt water brine. My recipes for dry brine and salt water brine can be found at the bottom of the post.

I rounded up some taste testers and did side-by-side comparison of the three turkeys. Results below!

It’s that time of year again – the holidays are approaching and it’s time to start thinking about cooking the star of many holiday meals, the turkey! A juicy, flavorful turkey is the crowning jewel of any Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner table.

But when buying your turkey, how do you know if it has already been pre-brined before you purchased it? This is an important question, because brining provides extra moisture and flavor to the turkey. You don’t want to double brine a turkey that’s already been pre-brined, as that will make it overly salty.

In this article, we’ll go over all the signs to look for so you can easily identify if your turkey has been pre-brined or not.

What is Brining?

Before we get into how to identify a pre-brined turkey, let’s go over what brining is and why it’s done in the first place

Brining is the process of soaking meat in a saltwater solution (also called a brine) before cooking. The brine is typically made up of water, salt, sugar, herbs and spices.

The purpose of brining is to impart additional moisture and flavor into the meat The salt in the solution helps the meat retain more moisture while cooking, so it stays juicy and tender The sugar and spices also subtly season the meat.

Poultry like turkey especially benefits from brining, since the meat can easily dry out during the long cooking time. Pre-brined or self-brined turkeys will be noticeably more moist, tender and flavorful compared to an unbrined turkey.

Signs Your Turkey is Pre-Brined

Now that you know about brining, here are the tell-tale signs that your turkey has already been pre-brined by the manufacturer:

1. Packaging Labels

Read the packaging labels and look for key terms like “Kosher,” “Self-Basted,” “Enhanced” or “Contains up to __% of a solution.” Any of these phrases indicate the turkey has been pre-treated with a salt solution a.k.a brined.

Butterball brand turkeys, for example, are often labeled as “self-basting” meaning they have been pre-injected with a salt solution.

2. Ingredient List

A pre-brined turkey will list ingredients like “salt”, “sodium phosphate”, “potassium chloride” or “turkey broth” on the label. If it’s just labeled 100% turkey with no other ingredients, then it hasn’t been brined.

3. Amount of Sodium

Check the nutritional label for the sodium content. Fresh, unbrined turkey contains about 70mg of sodium per 4oz serving. If the sodium level is significantly higher than that, like over 200mg per serving, then the turkey was likely brined.

4. Price

Pre-brined turkeys are more expensive than an equal size unbrined turkey. So if you see a lower priced turkey next to a higher priced one, the cheaper one is likely unbrined.

5. Ask Your Butcher

If you’re buying a fresh, unpackaged turkey from a butcher, just ask them directly if the turkey has been brined. Many grocery store butcher departments now offer pre-brined options.

6. Physical Appearance

Sometimes you can tell just by looking. Signs like a watery bag with lots of liquid, or if you see an unnatural amount of salt crystals on the surface, indicate pre-brining.

Should You Brine a Pre-Brined Turkey?

You may be wondering if you still need to brine a turkey that’s already pre-brined. The short answer is no, do not brine it again. Here’s why:

It will become overly salty – too much salt ruins the flavor and makes the meat unpleasantly salty
Texture suffers – excess salt can make the meat too mushy
Nutrition concerns – heavy double brining adds a very high dose of sodium, which many try to moderate for health
Waste of time & money – brining requires significant time and you have to buy all the supplies, so why do it if it already was brined?

Stick to just seasoning and cooking your pre-brined turkey as-is. The preparatory brining work has already been done for you.

However, if you have an unbrined turkey, then yes absolutely go ahead and brine it yourself before cooking! Homemade brines infuse so much more flavor than the standard salt solutions used in mass pre-brined turkeys.

Brining Guidelines for Unbrined Turkeys

If you do need to brine an unbrined turkey yourself before cooking, here are some quick brining guidelines:

Make a brine solution of 1 cup salt per 1 gallon of water as the basic ratio
Add flavorful ingredients like brown sugar, apple juice/cider, vegetables, and herbs
Submerge turkey completely in brine, allow to soak 12-24 hrs in the refrigerator
Rinse turkey, pat dry and let rest before roasting
Discard used brine safely after

Brining really takes a turkey from great to spectacular. Just be sure you don’t double-brine a pre-brined turkey! Follow the tips above to identify if your turkey has already been pre-treated. That way you can stick to simply seasoning and roasting, and end up with a perfectly juicy, flavorful holiday centerpiece.

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How Long to Roast a Turkey at 425°F

At 425°F / 218°C, estimate 8 to 12 minutes per pound of turkey. Keep in mind that this will vary based on the initial temperature of the turkey when it goes into the oven (try to bring it to room temperature before you start) and the variations in size / shape of the turkey. Use an instant read thermometer to start checking for doneness at the low end of the estimated time.

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How long to defrost a turkey

For even cooking, be sure that the turkey is fully defrosted before roasting. Defrosting in the refrigerator ensures that the turkey remains at a safe temperature. Estimate 1 day per 4 lbs of turkey to fully defrost in the refrigerator. For example, for a 16-pound turkey, allow 4 days.

You can skip this step if using a fresh (not frozen) turkey.

FAQ

How to tell if turkey has been pre-brined?

1 Answer 1 Pre-basted turkey is indeed already brined. You can double check this by looking on the ingredient list of the turkey packaging and you should see a salt or vinegar solution listed. You can still soak the bird if you would like, but either use no salt or a low-salt brine, like a 0.5-1% solution.

Is a butterball turkey already brined?

Butterball Fresh Whole Turkey is all natural*, never frozen, gluten free, and raised without hormones on American farms. Every fresh turkey is pre-brined before packaging for meat that’s always tender and juicy.

Do you rinse a pre-brined turkey?

Do I need to rinse a dry brined turkey? No, you don’t need to rinse a dry brined turkey. Just cook it as is or add an herbed butter and it’s ready to go!

Should I inject a pre-brined turkey?

Injection brine keeps the skin dry: Wet brines leave the turkey skin kind of flabby, because they plump up the skin with water just like they do the meat. Injecting the brine into the meat leaves the skin dry, so it will crisp up and brown.

What is Brining?