Dry Brine Turkey

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Dry brining does the same job with none of the drama! You rub salt over the bird, put it in the fridge, and walk away. The salt draws moisture out of the skin, then that seasoned moisture soaks back into the meat. What you get is a turkey seasoned all the way through and skin dry enough to crisp up golden in the oven.

Prep Time3

Refrigerated dry brine time1

Course: Dinner, Holiday

Cuisine: American

Keyword: turkey brine, how to brine a turkey, how to dry brine a turkey, turkey dry brine recipe, salt brine turkey

Servings: servings

Calories: 500kcal

Author: Renae Gerhardstein

Equipment

1 large roaster
1 roasting rack

Ingredients

1 whole turkey 12 to 16 pounds, thawed, giblets and neck removed
Kosher salt See notes below for chart. 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal per pound of turkey (about 14 teaspoons, or 1/4 cup plus 2 teaspoons, for a 14 pound bird). Please read the salt notes below before you measure.
2 teaspoons black pepper freshly ground
1 tablespoon light brown sugar optional, helps with browning
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon rubbed sage
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder

For roasting:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
1 yellow onion quartered
1 lemon halved
A few sprigs of fresh thyme and sage

Instructions

How to dry brine a turkey

Thaw completely. In the fridge, allow 24 hours for every 4 to 5 pounds. A 12 to 16 pound bird needs 3 to 4 days. Start earlier than you think you need to. A turkey that is still frozen in the center on Wednesday night is the most common Thanksgiving problem there is, and salt cannot get into frozen meat.
Pat it very dry. Remove the giblets and neck from both cavities. Save them for gravy. Blot the bird inside and out with paper towels. Dry skin is the whole point.
Mix the dry brine. Stir the salt, pepper, brown sugar, thyme, sage, garlic powder, and onion powder together in a small bowl.
Season everywhere. Sprinkle from about a foot above the bird so it lands evenly. Use roughly half on the breast and top, a quarter underneath, and the rest inside the cavity. Gently work some under the breast skin if you can slide your fingers in without tearing it.
Rest in the fridge. Set the turkey breast side up on a rack over a rimmed sheet pan. Refrigerate uncovered for 24 to 72 hours, with the fridge at 40°F or below. Start counting from the moment the bird is fully thawed, not from when you bought it. Forty eight hours is my sweet spot. If your fridge runs warm or you are not sure how long the bird has been thawed, stay at 24 hours.
Do not rinse. By the time you are ready to roast, the salt has gone into the meat. Rinsing washes away seasoning and splashes raw turkey juice around your sink. Just pat off any moisture you see.

How to roast your dry brined turkey

Heat the oven to 325°F with a rack in the lower third.
Take the turkey out of the fridge while the oven heats, no more than about 30 minutes. A bird this size barely changes temperature in that time, so there is nothing to gain by leaving it out longer.
Rub the softened butter over the skin. Do not add more salt.
Tuck the onion, lemon, and herb sprigs in the cavity. Tie the legs together loosely.
Roast on a rack in a roasting pan, about 13 to 16 minutes per pound. A 14 pound bird usually runs 3 to 3 3/4 hours. Larger birds take longer, so plan by temperature and treat the clock as a rough guide.
Tent the breast with foil around the two hour mark. This is the trick that keeps the breast and thighs finishing closer together.
Doneness. The breast governs. Pull the bird when the thickest part of the breast reads 160°F and the thigh reads 170 to 175°F, thermometer not touching bone. If the breast gets to 160°F while the thigh is still lagging, keep the breast tented and give the thighs another 15 to 20 minutes.
Rest 30 to 45 minutes before carving.
About that 160°F temperature number: Turkey is pasteurized at 160°F, so the breast is safe to eat the moment you pull it, and resting usually carries it up another few degrees.
USDA's recommendation for home cooks is 165°F. If you would rather cook to the USDA number, pull the breast at 165°F instead.
Either way, use a thermometer and do not go by the pop up timer, which is set so high the breast is always overdone by the time it triggers.

Notes

Salt Notes:

Salt brands are not interchangeable and this is the one place people go wrong. Diamond Crystal has big airy flakes. Morton is denser. Table salt is denser still. A teaspoon of each holds a very different amount of actual salt.

Measure by the row that matches the box in your pantry.

Your salt	Per pound of turkey	For a 14 lb bird
Diamond Crystal kosher	1 teaspoon	14 tsp (1/4 cup plus 2 tsp)
Morton kosher	2/3 teaspoon	about 9 tsp (3 tablespoons)
Fine sea salt or table salt	1/2 teaspoon	7 tsp (2 tablespoons plus 1 tsp)

If you use Morton or table salt measured for Diamond Crystal, your turkey will be too salty to serve. There is no fixing it after the fact, so take the extra minute now.

Check your turkey label

If the package says kosher, self basting, enhanced, or "contains up to X% of a solution," your turkey was already salted at the plant. Do not dry brine it. Season it lightly right before roasting instead. Most frozen store brands fall in this group, so it is important to check.

Renae's tips

A rack is important. Air needs to circulate around the bird. Sitting in a puddle undoes your work.
Uncovered in the fridge is correct. I know tt feels wrong, but do it anyway. Your fridge will be fine and the skin will thank you by coming out crisp. Put it in the bottom shelf, back corner. Keep raw poultry below everything else so nothing drips onto food underneath.
The drippings are seasoned already. Taste your gravy before you salt it.
Skipping the rest time causes a dry bird and a cutting board swimming in juice. Use that half hour to make gravy.
Short on time to brine? Even 12 hours makes a real difference. Do what you can.

Make ahead and storage

Dry brine: 24 to 72 hours ahead, counted from when the bird was thawed. This is the make ahead step.

Leftover turkey: airtight in the fridge up to 4 days.

Freezer: sliced meat with a little broth, up to 3 months.

Reheating: 300°F with a splash of broth, covered, until the meat reaches 165°F. The microwave turns turkey to rubber.

Nutrition