Pickle-Juice-Brined Grilled Turkey Breast

With turkey season either here or just around the corner, depending on your state, hunters around the country are already dreaming of the wild turkey meals they will put on the table. Everyone loves fried, but there are other options.

This spring, try grilling some of your wild turkey with this pickle-brine marinade.

Wild turkey is great on the grill, but it can get dry in a hurry. Looking for a way to add flavor and moisture to your grilled wild turkey breast? A brine is a great way to do both. The base liquid for this recipe is pickle juice. That’s right, the liquid left in the jar once all the pickles are gone. It is salty and tangy, the perfect combo for a brine.

The base for this marinade is simply leftover pickle juice from the jar.

To balance that tanginess, I like to add a bit of something sweet. I used honey, but you could substitute brown sugar if you like. From there, we add a little extra flavor with some minced garlic and a splash of Worcestershire sauce, and a bit of spice with some red pepper flakes. That is all the seasoning it needs.

Marinate, refrigerated, for 8 to 24 hours.

Slice the turkey breast across the grain into serving-sized pieces. Mix the brine in a 1-gallon zip-style bag. Add the turkey and refrigerate at least 8 hours, but up to 24 hours for maximum flavor.

Grill the turkey until it reaches around 155 degrees in the thickest part.

Heat your grill to medium-high. Once the grill is up to temp, remove the turkey breast from the brine. Drain the excess. Grill the turkey for 5-6 minutes per side or until it reaches about 155 degrees internal temperature. Loosely cover the turkey with foil and let it rest about 10 minutes before serving. The internal temperature will continue to climb a few more degrees as the meat rests.