Dry-Brined Turkey is an easy, amazing turkey recipe for how to make the most flavorful, juicy turkey meat with buttery, crispy turkey skin.
The star of any Thanksgiving Dinner is the holiday turkey and everybody wants a deliciously seasoned bird with tender, juicy meat and extra crispy skin. From slow basted Roast Turkey to this Dry Brined Turkey, we have a variety of cooking methods to make a perfect Turkey. We even have a cooking method to cook Frozen Turkey to juicy perfection in case you forgot to thaw your bird!
Table of Contents
About Sabrina’s Dry-Brined Turkey
It takes a little extra prep work and some planning ahead, but Dry Brined Turkey is hands down one of the easiest ways to get amazing, perfectly cooked turkey! The dry brining process makes wonderfully juicy breast meat and thigh meat, with deep flavor and the crispiest skin. After the turkey is brined, it’s smothered in herbs and basted with its own delicious juices until it’s juicy, flavorful tender turkey perfection.
What is Dry Brined Turkey?
Dry brining is where the turkey is prepped with a dry salt rub and then chilled for a couple of days to tenderize the meat. While the turkey sits in the fridge, the salt pulls out turkey juices, acting as a natural brine for the meat. The dry brining allows the turkey to soak up the salted liquid and tenderize itself slowly. It plumps up the meat just like a wet brine, but it doesn’t add any extra liquid so you get a much deeper flavor!
Ingredients
- Turkey: You’ll need to start with a fresh or thawed 12-14 pound whole turkey. Remove all the giblets and do any cleaning if it is a fresh bird. A 12-14 pound turkey will serve about 8-10 people with plenty of leftovers. That size of bird will also take 3-4 days to fully thaw in the fridge, but you can start brining it if it is partially thawed, after about 1-2 days of thawing.
- Salt: The key ingredient you need for both wet and dry brine is salt. You’ll want to use kosher salt or sea salt, just don’t use fine table salt or it won’t brine properly. The larger crystals of kosher salt breaks down the meat and draws out the juices and flavor slowly without making it salty.
- Aromatics: The yellow onion, carrots, and celery are roasted under the bird in the pan juices and broth to create a delicious aromatic steam that gets into the meat. It helps the meat become even more flavorful and extra juicy.
- Broth: While you could use water, we just love the extra savory flavor from chicken broth especially in the gravy we make from the drippings.
- Butter Herb Rub: The turkey gets an herb and butter coating to trap in all those delicious juices and it also gives the skin the most amazing flavor. Butter also helps it get beautifully golden brown.
Kitchen Tools & Equipment
- Brining Bag: A bag made for brining is great because it is less likely to leak and isn’t as bulky as a large container. But if you don’t have the special bag, just use a container that is big enough to hold the turkey and can be dealed.
- Roasting Pan: You’ll need a large roasting pan big enough to hold the bird and 3 cups of broth without spilling and that has a roasting rack to elevate the turkey over the veggies.
- Turkey Baster: If you don’t have a turkey baster, you can use a long-handled spoon or ladle, just watch your hands so you don’t burn yourself.
How to Make
Time needed: 2 days and 3 hours.
- Prep the Turkey
Pull out any giblets from the turkey, then pat the bird dry on the inside and outside. Season the bird with salt. It’s also important to do the salt rub on the inside and the outside.
- Brine for 2 Days
Put the salted turkey in a large brining bag and place on a baking tray in the fridge breast side down. Chill overnight then turn the turkey over and refrigerate it for another day.
- Prep for Cooking
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees the day you want to roast. Use a roasting pan with a rack. Add chopped onions, carrots, and celery to the pan’s bottom and pour the chicken broth over the top.
- Season the Turkey
Mix together the butter, pepper, sage, thyme, and rosemary. Rub the herb blend over the turkey before roasting. It is important that you don’t rinse the turkey before seasoning.
- Roast the Turkey
Cook for 30 minutes. Take the turkey from the oven and baste it with the cooking liquid beneath the bird. Put the roasting pan back in the oven at 350 degrees. Continue cooking for 2 more hours. Every 30 minutes of cooking time, take the turkey out and baste it again. Use an instant-read thermometer and make sure it reaches 160 degrees before ending the cooking time.
- Rest Time
Carefully remove the roasting pan from the oven and tent it with foil. Leave the turkey to sit for 20 minutes before carving it.
- Optional Gravy Recipe
If you’d like to make gravy from the cooking liquid, combine 2 cups of it with 2 tablespoons flour in a pan on the stove. Mix in the flour with a wooden or silicone spoon. Remove the vegetables from the mixture as you go. Cook until the broth is thickened up, and add salt and pepper to taste.
Can this be made ahead of time?
Yes, in fact you will need at least 2 days to brine your turkey but you can brine a fully thawed for up to 4 days ahead.
Nutritional Facts
Dry-Brined Turkey Tips & Tricks
Brine for At Least 2 Days
To properly make a dry-brined turkey, it needs to be prepped with a salt rub a few days in advance. The salt slowly draws out the juices so if you try to shorten the time, your bird will not be as plump, juicy or flavorful.
Rest the Turkey Before Carving
Let your freshly cooked turkey rest before carving it so it retains all the delectable juices it absorbed while roasting in the oven. It needs to rest for at least 20 minutes, while loosely tented with foil, as soon as it comes out of the oven.
What to Pair With Dry-Brined Turkey
Drinks: You cannot go wrong in pairing your roasted turkey with a dry to medium bodied wine with crisp notes like Chardonnay. A nice Holiday Mulled Cider or blackberry and sage spritzer would be a delicious option too.
Sides: For a traditional holiday meal, up this perfectly cooked turkey with classic sides like Cranberry Sauce, Mashed Potatoes, and Dinner Rolls. Don’t forget the Pumpkin Pie for dessert!
How to Store
Store: Once the turkey has cooled, you can cover it tightly in tin foil or plastic wrap or store it in another airtight container. It will stay good for about 3-4 days.
Freeze: To keep the turkey longer, freeze it for 2-3 months. Make sure to let the roast turkey thaw in the fridge before you reheat it.
Ideas to Serve
Garnish: Dry-Brined Turkey can be beautifully garnished with fresh rosemary, pomegranate or sliced lemon or orange. Cranberries and blueberries are also colorful additives to the presentation platter.
Leftovers: Turn the turkey meat into a delicious sandwich or Leftover Turkey Casserole for an easy day-after Thanksgiving meal. You can also turn the carcass into a warm, hearty Turkey Carcass Soup!
Frequent Questions
It’s best to dry brine your turkey for at least 2 days so that the salt has time to bring out the juices and then those juices get absorbed along with the flavor. Make sure to flip the turkey half way through so the meat is evenly tenderized.
No, you don’t want to rinse the turkey after it has been dry-brined! The salt will absorb into the skin and it actually helps the skin get crispier while locking in the juices.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 12-14 pound whole turkey
- 3 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 yellow onion , cut into 6 wedges
- 2 carrots , cut into 2" chunks
- 2 stalks celery , cut into 2" chunks
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter , softened
- 2 teaspoons coarse ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme , removed from stem
- 1 tablespoon rosemary , removed from stem and minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh sage , minced
Instructions
- Remove giblets from turkey and pat dry inside and out.
- Season turkey all over with kosher salt, inside and out.
- Add to a large brining bag or covered container.
- Refrigerate overnight.
- Turn turkey over, refrigerate one more day.
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- To a large roasting pan with a rack, insert add the onions, carrots, and celery to the bottom of the roasting pan.
- Add in the chicken broth.
- Add turkey (do not rinse turkey) to the roasting rack.
- Mix butter, black pepper, sage, thyme, and rosemary and rub inside and outside of the turkey.
- Roast for 30 minutes, then baste the turkey with liquid from roasting pan.
- Reduce temperature to 350 degrees.
- Cook turkey for 2 hours (or until it reaches 160 degrees), basting every 30 minutes.
- Let rest 20 minutes tented loosely with foil before carving (temperature will rise to 165 during the resting time).
To make gravy (optional):
- Add additional 2 cups of chicken broth mixed with 2 tablespoons of flour to the pan to deglaze on medium heat with a wooden or silicone spoon (to not damage pan).
- Remove the vegetables and discard.
- Cook until mixture thickens and season with salt and pepper as needed.
Nutrition
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Dry-Brined Turkey Variations
Dry rub: Try mixing in additional ingredients to the dry rub. You can add fresh herbs like parsley, basil, dill, or chives. For other interesting add-ins, try a tablespoon of pink peppercorns, a pinch of cinnamon, allspice, or cloves.
Garlic Butter: Another way to add taste to the herb mixture is with the butter mixture. Try using garlic butter instead of regular butter.
Sweet Dry-Brined Turkey: For an extra sweet take on your Thanksgiving dinner, whisk some brown sugar in with the dry rub. About ¼ cup brown sugar should be plenty.
