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This was my first time dry-brining a turkey and I don’t think I’ll ever look back. It’s so much easier than a traditional wet brine and quite possibly even more delicious. Here’s how to make my Dry-Brine Thanksgiving Turkey!
As we all know, Thanksgiving turkey can often get a bad rep. Flavorless, overcooked, dry…it can really go bad pretty quickly. Enter: dry-brining! This technique not only helps inject the turkey with flavor, but also helps it to stay super moist.
To do it, you’ll rub a salt and dry spice mixture all over the turkey, then let it sit for 24 to 48 hours in the fridge. As it rests, the salt helps to draw out the meat’s juices, then the salt dissolves into the juices, creating a brine without adding any liquid. From there, the brine soaks into the meat resulting into a flavorful, moist turkey.
There’s a few important things to keep in mind as you prep your bird. If you buy a frozen turkey, make sure you give it plenty of time to defrost. I’d allocate 3 to 4 days for your turkey to thaw in the fridge, depending on the size. Once your turkey is thawed, let it dry brine for 1 to 2 days before Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving Day, remove it from the fridge for 1 to 2 hours prior to roasting so that it roasts more evenly and has a better chance at developing perfectly crispy skin, which everyone loves.
ingredients:
- Kosher Salt
- Fresh Sage
- Fresh Rosemary
- Fresh Thyme
- Garlic Cloves
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Light Brown Sugar
- Cayenne Pepper
- Lemon Zest
- Turkey
- Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
- Unsalted Butter
step-by-step:
step one: make the dry rub
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the salt, brown sugar, sage, rosemary, thyme, garlic, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and lemon zest.
step two: prep the turkey
Pat the turkey dry with paper towels. Arrange a roasting rack on a large sheet pan and place the turkey on top of the rack.
step three: dry brine the turkey
Rub the dry brine all over the turkey, especially on the breasts. Refrigerate, uncovered, for 24 to 48 hours.
step four: get ready to roast
Remove the turkey from the fridge to let stand for 1 hour at room temperature before roasting. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425°F.
step five: butter the turkey
Working from the neck end of the turkey, gently loosen the skin from breasts and rub the softened butter under skin of the bird. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine.
Fill a roasting pan with the broth and place the turkey and rack in the roasting pan. Transfer to the oven and roast until the skin starts to brown, about 20 minutes.
step six: roast the turkey
Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F and continue roasting, basting the turkey every 20 to 30 minutes with the broth/juices from the turkey.
When the turkey is starting to look golden brown all over, tent with foil. Continue to roast the turkey until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh (without touching bone) registers 160°F. It will continue to cook once you remove it from the oven.
step seven: carve and serve
Let the turkey rest for 20 to 30 minutes before carving and reserve any pan juices for my Herby Turkey Gravy.
No! That’s the beauty of a dry brine. It’s way less messy than a wet brine. For a dry-brined turkey, you don’t need to rinse the brine off since it will retain great flavor as it roasts. Instead, simply brush off any excess salt before cooking.
You should account for about 1½ pounds per person, which will be enough to feed a crowd and offer leftovers. If you’re hosting 10 people, you’ll want to buy a turkey that is about 15 pounds.
Follow these tips and and you will have a perfectly cooked Dry-Brined Thanksgiving Turkey that you’ll want to make for years to come! Oh, and don’t forget to pair it with my Herby Turkey Gravy!
looking for more Thanksgiving recipes? try these!
Dry-Brine Thanksgiving Turkey
Ingredients
For the Dry Rub:
- 1/4 cup kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh sage leaves
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest (from 2 small lemons)
For the Turkey:
- 1 (12- to 18-pound) turkey
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, plus more as needed
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the salt, brown sugar, sage, rosemary, thyme, garlic, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and lemon zest.
- Pat the turkey dry with paper towels. Arrange a roasting rack on a large sheet pan and place the turkey on top of the rack.
- Rub the dry brine all over the turkey, especially on the breasts. Refrigerate, uncovered, for 24 to 48 hours.
- Remove the turkey from the fridge to let stand for 1 hour at room temperature before roasting. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Working from the neck end of the turkey, gently loosen the skin from breasts and rub the softened butter under skin of the bird. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine.Fill a roasting pan with the broth and place the turkey and rack in the roasting pan. Transfer to the oven and roast until the skin starts to brown, about 20 minutes.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F and continue roasting, basting the turkey every 20 to 30 minutes with the broth/juices from the turkey.When the turkey is starting to look golden brown all over, tent with foil. Continue to roast the turkey until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh (without touching bone) registers 160°F. It will continue to cook once you remove it from the oven.
- Let the turkey rest for 20 to 30 minutes before carving and reserve any pan juices for my Herby Turkey Gravy.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
So, additional 2 hours and 10 minutes meaning after the initial 20 minute roasting?
What was the total time your 16lb turkey was in the oven ? I know you said 2 hours but I’m confused by “ additional “ lol
sorry for the confusion– I mean it took mine 2+ hours after the original higher temperature roasting time. My turkey took about 3 hours– my oven does tend to cook more quickly I’ve found
Thanks Alex!!
We’re team dry brined and spatchcocked!!
Would the dry rub still turn out well if we smoked the turkey?
I think it would be great!
Did you spatchcock the turkey or just leave it whole? What was total roasting time?
I left it whole
Hi! Do you put dry rub underneath the skin too?
Just all over the top! I am sure underneath the skin would be great– but I didn’t bother and it turned out so juicy and delicious.
Hi, planning out my thanksgiving cooking timeline😬 How many hours does the Turkey cook? I see the note that the Turkey took an extra 2 hours but how long should I reserve for Turkey roasting?
I just edited to clarify– it really depends on how big your turkey is.. but I’d hold 3.5 to 4 hours for a turkey (to ensure you have time for turkey to rest before carving, also).
Is it crucial to use a roasting rack or can you just cook the turkey in a traditional roasting pan sitting in the broth?
I prefer a roasting rack OR spatchcocking a turkey to ensure the skin is cooked more evenly. But technically, yes, you can roast a turkey in there without a rack!
https://thedefineddish.com/whole30-spatchcocked-turkey/
This may be silly- but I’m hosting my first thanksgiving and want to get it right. Are the herbs you mentioned supposed to be fresh or dried?
not silly at all! it’s fresh! I just edited to clarify! 🙂
Hi Alex, Could you use dried if I needed to? Eeek!
Yes, but i’d half the amount of herbs.
Will this work on a chicken? Thanks!
yes but since chicken doesnt weight near as much, you’ll need to reduce the salt amount
Do you find that the pan juices are too salty for gravy?