Over the years turkey has gone from proud centrepiece of the festive table to being almost overlooked as an option. I hear people say, “it’s too dry”, or “it’s not worth the effort”, which saddens me.

As an American, I’ve either had or cooked a turkey at least once a year for most of my life. Not all were excellent but I’ve eaten some truly memorable birds and learnt a lot about cooking this festive fowl along the way.

“Turkeys are naturally lean and because they are quite large, it’s really difficult to cook them through without the meat becoming tough.”

Here, then, is my foolproof, hard-won advice on how to cook a juicy bird that you can be proud of. Consider this my petition to encourage you to give turkey another try. To brine or not to brine? The short answer is yes, you definitely need to brine a turkey.

Why do you need to brine a turkey?

Turkeys are naturally lean and because they are quite large, it’s really difficult to cook them through without the meat becoming tough. The definition of brine is water that has been strongly saturated with salt.

You will hear people talk about “dry brines”, which given the absence of water no longer makes that a brine, to my mind. Instead, you are just seasoning the bird a day or two in advance. This is a worthy step and at a minimum it’s what you should do, but I see a proper brine as an opportunity to add flavour, moisture and tenderisation.

What is a turkey brine?

At its most basic, a brine is a mixture of water and salt, but from there you can add citrus, apples for sweetness, onions, garlic, spices, brown sugar, bay leaves – anything you think will enhance the flavour of your bird.

While that turkey sits in the brine over the course of 24 hours, the salt will season the meat throughout, the water will keep it moist, and sweeteners will be absorbed, helping you achieve a beautiful burnished skin.

My basic poultry brine should cover any bird up to about 6kg. Anything over 6kg is a little too massive for my liking (and my fridge). If I’m cooking turkey for lots of people, I prefer to cook two smaller birds rather than one really large one.

Basic poultry brine

• 4 litres water
• 200g sea salt (5% of the volume of water)
• 100g brown sugar (2.5% of the volume of water)

For turkey, I like to add a sliced onion, a can of apple cider, some black peppercorns and lots of herbs such a bunch of thyme, a bunch of sage, a few bay leaves and a few sprigs of rosemary.

Boil 1 litre of the water with all of the salt and sugar to dissolve, then combine with the remaining cold water and aromatics. This should be fully chilled before submerging your bird in it.

Place the bird into a large container, such as a large stock pot, and pour the cold brine over it. Use a plate to weight the turkey down and keep it submerged.

If your turkey is too big to fit in your fridge, you’ll need an Esky. The bird can be placed in a large brine bag with the brine, sealed and kept in the Esky over ice overnight. Or you can put your stock pot in the laundry sink and fill the sink with ice. Keep the turkey in the brine for a full 24 hours.

How long do you need to brine a turkey for?

As a rule of thumb, we recommend bringing your turkey for 24 hours to ensure the seasoning is even, and the bird is tender throughout. Don’t brine for longer than necessary as it can make the meat too salty.

What to pair with your turkey