This year I purchased a mayo sized jar of already made dry salt/sugar/herb brine from Wegmans. all I have to do is add it to 2 gallons of water. I'm excited to give it a try. Looks promising.

They are displaying this all over Wegmans right now.

All you need is equal parts sugar and salt plus water. As someone else's noted, I don't think the other herbs really change the flavor of the meat. The point of brining is to get salt crystal into the meat to hold moisture.

I do it in a cooler because I don't have space for a turkey (unbrined or not) the day before Thanksgiving. If I didn't brine the turkey, I'd probably still stick it in a cooler on ice so I had room in the fridge.

You can also brine a turkey in a garbage bag in the fridge. It takes up exactly the same amount of space as a pre-brined turkey.

Try a salt and sugar rub instead. Same thing, no vat of water to control. I think the LA Times had a recipe a few years ago, but I couldn't find it.

America's Test Kitchen has one.

Personally brining a bird is a headache b/c you need to be vigilant about the temperature being appropriately cold. Usually people do them in a cooler b/c they don't have space in their fridge.

I would just buy a brined turkey.

Alton Brown has a popular turkey one.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/good-eats-roast-turkey-recipe/index.html

Personally, I brine with just salt and sugar. There's really very little evidence that other flavorings like herbs and spices penetrate the meat, so I think its kind of a waste of those spices. I add salt by taste (until it tastes like the ocean) but the most common ratio I've heard is 5 ounces water to 1 oz salt).

Alton Brown has a popular turkey one.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/good-eats-roast-turkey-recipe/index.html

Personally, I brine with just salt and sugar. There's really very little evidence that other flavorings like herbs and spices penetrate the meat, so I think its kind of a waste of those spices. I add salt by taste (until it tastes like the ocean) but the most common ratio I've heard is 5 ounces water to 1 oz salt).

Anyone have a good basic brining recipe?