Put a stop to dry, flavorless birds. Learn how to brine a turkey using the traditional wet brine method, or save space and amp up the flavor with a dry brine.

Brining isn’t a topic that gets brought up most of the year. I rarely get texts or messages from friends and family members wondering how to brine a pork loin or a whole chicken. But, as Thanksgiving draws nearer, the inquiries start flying, and they all have one ask: How do I ensure I have a flavorful seasoned turkey that doesn’t turn out dry and boring this year? Brine it.

What Is Brining?

Brining can be done with any cut of meat, but it’s especially important with lean cuts like poultry. In short, brining uses salt to add flavor, tenderize and infuse meat with extra moisture. It can be done by submerging a cut of meat into a saltwater solution (a wet brine) or by sprinkling salt directly onto the meat (a dry brine). The salt denatures the meat’s proteins, causing the muscle fibers to unravel and swell. That allows the cells to retain more moisture than normal, trapping so much liquid inside that it can’t all evaporate during the cooking process.

Why You Should Brine Your Turkey

Do you have to brine your turkey? Absolutely not. Lots of chefs are skipping the brining process, turning to methods traditionally used for tough cuts of meat like brisket or pork shoulder. Cook the turkey low-and-slow on the smoker, over indirect heat on the grill or deconstruct it and braise it in a stockpot until it’s shreddable and tender.

That said, we still think brining a turkey the most foolproof way to cook a turkey— especially if you’re trying the spatchcock method this year. Basically, it builds in overcooking protection. You see, as meat cooks, the muscle fibers contract and release water. Cooked long enough, the meat will have no more moisture to release, turning dry, flavorless and chewy.

Fatty cuts of meat (like ribeye steak or pork shoulder) have built-in dryness protection. The fat renders at high cooking temperatures, coating the meat to keep it juicy. Lean cuts of meat (like turkey) don’t come with the same protection, so they need an insurance plan: Brine. The added liquid protects delicate breast meat from drying out, even if you slightly overcook it.

Types of Brine

Wet Brine

Using a wet brine is the traditional way to brine a turkey. To wet brine turkey, combine salt and water (and other optional flavoring ingredients, like honey or molasses, soy sauce, herbs, apple cider and more) and submerge your turkey in the solution. Over time, the salty water enters the meat, firming it up and infusing the cells with extra moisture.

Wet brines are easy to pull off, but they do require a space commitment. You’ll have to find room in your refrigerator for a five-gallon container. It can be done out of the fridge using bags of ice, but you have to ensure the environment stays cold enough for 12 to 24 hours.

As far as flavor goes, wet-brined turkey almost always turns out juicy and moist. Some say wet brines dilute the turkey’s flavor, though. It turns out juicy but not flavorful, and the skin tends to be more water-logged than an