How Much Salt Should I Use For A Smaller Volume Of Turkey Brine? | Ask Nigella.com (2024)

Our answer

Nigella's Spiced And Superjuicy Roast Turkey (from NIGELLA CHRISTMAS) brines the turkey in a spiced salt solution. The brine seasons the turkey and also helps the turkey to stay moist during cooking. The amount of brine suggested in the recipe is usually enough for a large 5.5kg (12-pound) turkey, though you can top up with a little extra water, if necessary.

It helps to assess roughtly how much water you will need beforehand. If you think that you are only going to use 3 litres of water then ideally we would suggest halving the salt and other ingredients. It is the salt that you need to pay particular attention to, as if the concentration of salt in the brine is too high then the turkey could become too salty, particularly if you are soaking it for a long period. If you are not sure then start with a half amount of salt and sugar (using a full amount of the other ingredients) and measure how much water you are adding. If you end up adding more than the 3 litres of water expected then you can always add a little more salt and sugar in proportion to the extra water used.