How To Dry Brine A Turkey

It goes without saying: A roast turkey is the signature dish at Thanksgiving dinner. While prepping this centerpiece may seem like an intimidating task, don’t let it stress you out—the secret to the perfect turkey is all about a few important steps in the prep work. If you want a foolproof way to ensure your bird stays juicy and doesn't dry out in the oven—brine it! While it does require a little bit of forethought, a proper brine will set you up for serious success, resulting in a bird that's juicy and flavorful with extra-crispy skin. Follow our top tips, and you'll have the best-ever Thanksgiving turkey worthy of being the center of your holiday spread:

How To Dry Brine A Turkey

INGREDIENTS

• Turkey: Obviously, the turkey is a very important ingredient when cooking a, well, turkey. So be sure to skip a turkey with added salt. We're adding a lot of sodium with the brine, so make sure to get a natural, not pre-salted or pre-soaked bird. When it comes to deciding between a fresh or frozen bird, honestly, that's up to you. Either are going to get you good results, but a frozen turkey is going to need significantly more time and planning. If your bird is frozen, you’ll need to thaw it in the fridge before brining. Head here for the full guide on turkey thawing times.
• Salt: Salt is super important to any brine. This is what is going to hold that moisture in, and ensure you have a juicy turkey at the end of the table. I recommend using 1 tablespoon of salt for every 4 pounds of bird (I use Diamond Crystal kosher salt). So an 8-pound turkey will need 2 tablespoons of salt.
• Sugar: I am mixing in a tablespoon of sugar here to help crisp the skin even more. This isn’t going to make the turkey taste sweet, but will make a big difference in flavor in helping achieve a crisp, brown skin, and balancing out some of the extra sodium.
• Garlic: The classic flavor and aroma of garlic are impossible to mistake, and provide tons of great flavor to almost any savory fall dish.
• Butter: This is going to add in some extra fat to the turkey which is going to add extra flavor and moisture. It's also going to help keep the skin glossy and gorgeous golden brown.
• Thyme: What is a Thanksgiving meal without thyme? This classic aromatic herb adds so much warmth and aroma to this dish. Thyme has a lot going on flavor-wise. Somewhere between mint, citrus, and green herbs with warm peppery notes.
• Red Pepper Flakes: I’m not opting for much red pepper here, so don’t worry about your bird turning out mouth burning bot. Just a pinch of red pepper is going to give a hint of heat and spice without making the meat taste hot or spicy at all.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

Making a dry-brined turkey takes time and planning. If you buy a frozen turkey, make sure you follow the chart linked above to allow proper time for it to thaw in the fridge before beginning. Two days before you begin cooking, with a fully thawed bird, begin by removing the giblets from the cavity of the turkey—don’t throw these away! While they may look unappetizing, you can make a delicious giblet gravy that will blow away any basic gravy you have had before. Using paper towels, pat the turkey dry.

Then, in a small bowl, prepare the brine by mixing the salt and sugar. Rub this mixture generously all over the turkey, focusing especially on the thicker parts of the meat—think the breast and things—they will need extra brine to properly soak in. Once the whole turkey is coated, place the bird in a large roasting pan and return it, uncovered, to the fridge to sit for 2 full days.

On the day that you plan to serve the bird, one hour before cooking, drain any liquid from the bottom of the roasting pan and pat the turkey dry with paper towels. You don’t need to worry about scrubbing the brine off, we are just trying to get rid of any excess moisture. Allow the turkey to sit out at room temperature for 1 hour until ready to cook. This will ensure that the turkey cooks evenly.

To roast the turkey, preheat the oven to 425°, and while it heats, combine garlic, butter, thyme, red pepper, and black pepper in a medium bowl. Brush this butter mixture over the turkey, making sure to hit every dip and curve.

Then use kitchen twine to tie the two legs of the turkey together—this will also help ensure even cooking—and place the turkey on a roasting rack inside of the roasting pan.

Cook the turkey for 45 minutes, brushing more garlic butter on and turning halfway through. If you notice that the skin of the turkey is browning too quickly, make a tent with foil and cover the bird before continuing to cook. Drop the oven temperature down to 375° and continue to roast for another 45 minutes until the skin is golden brown and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reads 160°.

Carefully remove the turkey from the oven and allow it to rest for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

Full list of ingredients & instructions can be found in the recipe below.

Recipe Tips

• Dry brine vs. wet brine. Brining meat simply means to soak it in a mixture of salt and water, resulting in a juicier and much more tender cut. Unlike a wet brine, dry brining takes the water out of the process. With a dry brine, you rub a lot of salt (and in this case, a little sugar) all over your meat. You'll still get a juicy turkey, but by not soaking it in water, you'll ensure extra-crispy skin on your bird as well.

• Why you should dry brine your turkey. The purpose of brining is to use salt—not just to add flavor but to also help break down the turkey's muscles. This both naturally tenderizes the meat and makes the muscles lose some of their ability to contract. When the muscles contract less in cooking, the turkey retains more internal moisture and flavor. With a wet brine, you do get some of these results, but you're also injecting a ton of water into the meat. So a turkey that is wet-brined may seem juicy, but the juiciness is primarily in the form of the water you're soaking it in. Dry brining has the same science behind wet brining: It will result in a tender, juicy turkey with that signature crispy skin, but with no risk of water-logging your bird.

• How long should I brine my turkey for? To properly brine your turkey, you'll want to do it for a minimum of 48 hours. This gives the salt plenty of time to soak into the meat and start tenderizing your bird. If you really want to maximize the dry brining method, let the bird hang around for up to 3 days in the fridge. The salt will have ample time to really penetrate the meat and create a supremely juicy, flavorful turkey.

• Do I need to rinse the dry brine off? No! Rinsing it would defeat the purpose of a dry brine. Dry brining draws some of the moisture out of the bird so that you can get an extra crispy skin and flavorful meat. Simply pat the excess salt and moisture off the turkey with paper towels before cooking.

Storage

Your cooked and cut turkey can keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days and is perfect for any number of leftover turkey recipes.