Dry Brined Turkey
Dry Brined Turkey is my favorite way to prepare a Thanksgiving turkey! Tired of the mess of brining your holiday bird? Try this dry brine turkey recipe for delicious, moist results!
This is my go-to Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe. So easy and the Best Turkey Recipe I’ve made in 30 years!!
Why You Must Make
- It’s so much easier and less messy than soaking a turkey overnight in a brine solution!
- You rub down the turkey with a salt and herb blend and let it rest in the refrigerator for 3 days.
- The salt infuses into the turkey meat flavoring it perfectly!!
Ingredient Notes
- Turkey – It should not already be brined (Butterball and other turkeys are already brined. Double brining will make a very salty turkey! Check the label.)
- Kosher Salt – Table salt is too fine.
- Dry Herbs – rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, sage. use about 1+ teaspoon of dried herbs. If you use fresh, use 1 tablespoon.
- Butter – I use salted for basting, but unsalted works, too.
Expert Tips
I didn’t realize the meat market was closed on Monday last year, so I didn’t get the full 3 days of dry brining, but the turkey was still a showstopper. This year, I’m better prepared. Crispy skin and moist, lightly salted meat. I actually roasted a 22-pound bird and half was eaten by the end of the day. It is amazing what two twenty-something sons can pack away. PRO-Tip: Buy your turkey early enough so that it’s thawed and ready to brine on the Monday before Thanksgiving.
- The process is a piece of cake compared to filling a huge bag with a brine of water, salt, sugar, and spices, lifting a slippery turkey into its bath, and placing it in a cooler. Then if you happen to have a paranoid husband who is sure that raccoons will break into our cooler set on the patio overnight, you will also need to rig it so it is critter-proof.
- PRO- Tip: The main point is to allow enough time for osmosis to take place. Your turkey should be defrosted 3 days prior to roasting.
- Use kosher salt and pick your favorite herbs for turkey. Sage, rosemary, bay, poultry seasoning, and thyme come to mind. You can just use 2 or 3.
- Whiz them together in a food processor so they’re well interspersed with the salt.
- Generously cover your dried turkey (pat the skin dry with paper towels) with the salt mixture and place in a large food-safe plastic bag.
- Rub the turkey down each day, and flip on the 3rd day.
- PRO-Tip: Make sure you wash your hands frequently when dealing with raw turkey. Poultry is known for harboring bacteria like salmonella.
- Bring the turkey to room temperature for about an hour before roasting. Baste with butter, then roast until the internal temperature reads 165 degrees both in the breast and inner thigh.
I’m exhausted just thinking of our previous exploits. If you haven’t heard of using a dry brine for your Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe, I think you’ll be delighted with the results if you give it a shot.
P.S. I have a delicious Holiday Honey Brined Turkey Recipe if you’d like to experiment with wet brining.
Recipes for Turkey Leftovers:
- 21 Easy Recipes for Turkey Leftovers from Foodie Crush
- Leftover Turkey Monte Cristo from Wishes and Dishes
- Turkey Nachos from The View from Great Island
- Turkey Tetrazzini
- Turkey Enchilada Casserole
- Turkey Soup Recipe
- Curried Turkey Salad
Frequently Asked Questions
I used a wet brine for years, and the mess and hassle were worth it until I found this easier, tastier alternative. Dry Brining a turkey may take longer, but it’s almost all hands-off time and the results are delicious.
No, table salt is too fine for dry brining. The turkey will be too salty. Instead use Kosher Salt, which is a coarse salt.
First, you need a turkey. Do not buy a flavor-injected brand like a Butterball as it is already brined. Also, have on hand some kosher salt, a few dry herbs like sage, oregano, thyme, and poultry seasoning. Plus, you’ll need a turkey brining bag.
The rule of thumb is to brine the turkey covered for 2 days and uncovered, to air dry, for 1 day. Make sure to allow enough time for 3 days of brining.
Yes! Ignore any advice to the contrary. If you wet brine your turkey, it must be rinsed thoroughly so the stuffing will not be too salty. With dry brining, you still should do a quick rinse of the cavity. The risk of the stuffing being extra salty is less likely with a dry-brained turkey.
There is no need to rinse your brined turkey before roasting. The skin will be salty, but I’ve never found it overly salty. And if you rinse your turkey, the skin will not crisp to perfection. Also, rinsing poultry always increases the risk of contaminating your sink and counters with salmonella or other bacteria that are found on raw poultry.
Place your unrinsed turkey on a rack in a large roasting pan. Roast as you would any other turkey, basting with butter or butter and wine as needed. Roast until your turkey reaches the FDA’s recommended temperature for doneness.
Your best bet is to use a meat thermometer. The readings should be: 180°F in the thigh, 170 °F in the breast, and 165 °F in the stuffing, according to Butterball. Make sure the thermometer is inserted deep into the meat without touching the thigh or breast bone.
You can also look at the turkey juices, but this method is not as accurate. When cutting into the turkey, the juices will be clear when fully cooked. If the juices are reddish pink, it’s not done.
As a guideline, look at the packaging of your turkey (or online) for the recommended cooking time for the weight of your turkey. It will vary depending on whether it’s stuffed or not. Start checking your turkey about a half-hour before the time is up so you don’t overcook your bird.
Covering your roasted turkey with foil and letting it rest for 30 minutes after it’s done allows the internal juices to reabsorb keeping the turkey meat juicy.
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Dry-Brined Turkey Recipe
This winning recipe from the L.A. Times will make for a juicy and crisp turkey without the mess of traditional brining.
Ingredients
- 16 pound turkey, defrosted, giblets removed (just adjust salt if using a different weight turkey)
- 3 tablespoons kosher salt (1 tablespoon for each 5 pounds of turkey)
- Herbs, optional (I used rosemary, thyme and bay leaves)
- 6 tablespoons melted butter, to baste
Instructions
- Rinse and dry turkey. In a food processor, process salt plus about a tablespoon of any herbs you'd like to use (rosemary, thyme, bay).
- Lightly salt the inside of the turkey, then sprinkle the breast side with a bit more than a tablespoon of the herbed salt, and each side with a bit less than a tablespoon of salt. Place the turkey in an oven bag and remove the air before closing it with a twist tie. Place on rimmed baking sheet.
- Refrigerate for 3 days, starting breast side up, rubbing the skin through the bag once a day. Flip on day 3, then remove from bag to let skin dry 8 hours before roasting.
- Let sit at room temperature for one hour before roasting. Place on rack in roasting pan.
- Preheat oven to 425º, brush with melted butter and roast for 30 minutes. Decrease oven temperature to 325º, cover top with foil if browning too fast and cook till turkey reaches desired temperature, basting as needed. May add some wine and chicken broth to bottom of roaster as needed.
Cook time varies depending on size of turkey.
Notes
Do not use a turkey that has already been brined or injected (like a Butterball) or your results will be too salty.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 423Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 31gCholesterol: 196mgSodium: 722mgCarbohydrates: 0gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 58g
Data from the LA Times recipe
57 Comments on “Dry Brined Turkey”
Should you rinse off the salt before stuffing and roasting?
Hi, Deborah, No just leave the salt on the bird. Basting may cause some of the salt to drip into the roasting pan, but I’ve never rinsed off the salt. It should be a generous sprinkle, but you shouldn’t have a thick coating of salt. Let me know if that doesn’t make sense.
Please provide cooking time and temperature guidelines for natural organic (not injected) 22 pound turkey prepared according to your dry brining method and stuffed. Thank you!
Hi, Elly,
It won’t be any different than an unbrined stuffed turkey. Use the directions in the recipe. If you’d like another option, this is from AllRecipes:
Roast a stuffed turkey for 15 minutes per pound at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). It is important to check the temperature of the stuffing; it should be 165 degrees F (75 degrees C) when you insert the thermometer into the center of the stuffing. Neglecting to check the temperature of your stuffing could lead to foodborne illness. Hope that helps!
This is the perfect dry brine recipe. Turns out great every time!
Some great tips here! Totally agree that dry brining is superior. Not only is wet brining messy but it plays with the texture of the meat, leaving it rather unpleasantly “flabby”.
I’ve actually never brined a turkey. Yes, that’s right, I’ll admit it! It just sounds like such a fuss! But this I would try.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.
Your dry-brined turkey is beautiful.
Velva
I can almost smell that delicious turkey and hear the skin crackling all the way over here. She is a beauty.
A Norman Rockwell turkey!!! Happy Thanksgiving planning Liz-enjoy:@)
Definitely trying this for Thanksgiving. Looks delicious. Is it ok to stuff the bird?
Yes, I stuff my turkey when using a dry brine. A wet brine would make the stuffing too salty, but it’s OK with this recipe. Hope you enjoy!
I think I might need to try the dry brine. I’ve been glued to the same liquid brine every year, but I’m thinking it will be fun to mix things up this year with a smaller group. Thanks for the inspiration. 🙂 ~Valentina
This is very helpful and I think I will be dry brining the turkey this time. Would you just butter before roasting?
Yes! I just baste with butter and pan juices as it roasts. Sometimes, I pour a little white wine in the bottom of the roaster, too 🙂 Hope you enjoy!!
My sister made this for Thanksgiving last year and just passed along the recipe to me. It’s my turn to make it! It was so juicy and delicious!
Great way to make it!
This is gorgeous! I will be adding this to our Thanksgiving menu!
Definitely trying this for the holidays!
Love this so much. This is easier than all that sloshing liquid!
I have to try this out this year!
Definitely on my to make list
This is brilliant and exactly what I’ll do this year, thanks!
Waaooww. Looks perfect and I will try it asap
I love a dry brined turkey! Sooooo yummy.
We love this dry brine recipe.
My teenage son requested turkey and I found your recipe! It was AMAZING! It was so moist and delicious!
I made this recipe for thanksgiving and it was the best ever! It is my new go to turkey recipe! Wet brining a turkey has never yielded results this good. Thank you!
I totally agree! I did a wet brine for this years turkey for a change of pace, but it wasn’t nearly as good! Thanks for taking the time to give some feedback 🙂
I’m months away from turning 40 so it’s about time I learn how to cook a turkey. I’ve heard good things about brining. Pinned.
This is one gorgeous turkey Liz!
Sounds super easy! That’s right up my alley! Sharing On Fb & Pinned. Thank you for sharing on Merry Monday! Hope to see ya next week!
Kim
Hello, quick question… do you salt on top of the skin, or put the salt under the skin? Or both?
Many thanks,
Leslie
Hi, Leslie,
All the salt goes on top of the skin. I hope you love this method as much as we do!
I sure would be proud to serve this turkey!
Liz, just wanted to make sure before cooking the turkey, you do not rinse the turkey after the 3 days of brining right?
That’s right, you do not rinse. There should be no visible salt crystals and the skin should be moist, but not wet. Hope you enjoy!!!
Liz, help I’ve just realized that my turkey is pre-basted, it is honeysuckle, I’ve brined it yesterday to make it on Friday. Any suggestions?
By pre-basted, do you think it means it was already brined? If so, dry brining could make it really salty. I’d rinse the salt off the skin—if you were planning to dry brine for 3 days, I think you’ll be OK with only one day of brining. Fingers crossed it’s not too salty. If you’re really worried, you could soak it in plain water for an hour or two and by reverse osmosis, some of the salt can be pulled out into the water. Good luck, my friend!!!
Lizzy,
My side of the family and I aren’t fans of turkey but my hubby and his side of the family love, I mean really LOVE turkey. I bet they would love this dry brining method. Pinned, of course.
Annamaria
That is one gorgeous bird! And aren’t those self sharpening knives just the best!?!?
I will definitely try this method for Thanksgiving! I am looking forward to this!!!!
That is one gorgeous looking turkey Liz! I have never dry brined…but it looks lit it gives a perfect looking turkey. Love the knife set too. 🙂
I love the crispy skin, Liz! I’m not a fan the traditional turkey, but this looks so good. xoxo
I’ve always brined my turkey, but never a dry brine! This is definitely a method that is much easier. Thank you!
YES-this is totally the method I would use!
You wowed me this time Liz. Although Thanksgiving is not in our tradition but we do not mind eating the turkey :). I was just thinking of how messy brining is, I’ve never heard of dry one before. This deserves two thumbs up. Sharing on FB right away.
This turkey looks fabulous. I never thought about dry brining. Love it. Thanks for sharing the idea.
Velva
Wow. This might just be the sexiest turkey I’ve ever seen! I seriously butchered our bird last year and we suffered through a very, very dry turkey–I cannot WAIT to try this method!
A friend of mine started doing this a couple years ago, she swears by it, good to know you like it too! Love that first pic:@)
I never heard of dry brining but so cool! Will keep that in mind for sure. It looks gorgeous, especially the skin. Wow half of it gone in a day!
Wow! What a terrific way to brine turkey! My husband is actually the Thanksgiving turkey cooker in our house. I’m going to suggest this method to him. He is also the paranoid type who would entomb the turkey to safeguard it from critters. I am also wondering if you could do this on a smaller scale with chicken. It might be worth a try.
Oh I start feeling sorry that we don’t have Thanksgiving! I would love such turkey!
Dear Lizzy, what a wonderful idea. Brining is a delicious method, but it is certainty a lot of work and takes up a lot of precious room. This dry brine solution sounds like a must try! xo, Catherine
I’ve always been hesitant to brine a turkey for the reasons you indicated, so much work, but this method looks truly easy, all you need is some good space in the fridge! Your bird looks incredible, the skin is beautifully crispy. I’m tempted to try this method with a chicken since a turkey is way too large for just the two of us. I do have one concern though, leaving the bird st room temperature for an hour.
wow…I am drooling! Did you make the stuffing too?
We have turkey for Christmas and this is a fabulous idea, I am going to try it!