Dry Brined Turkey
Patricia @ ButterYum
If you're intimidated by the thought of brining in a liquid solution, Dry Brining is the perfect technique for you. I’ve made turkey all kinds of ways, and dry brining is by far my favorite for a couple of reasons; 1) it’s much less messy than brining in liquid, and 2) it produces the most juicy, flavorful bird imaginable!
Plan to begin the process anywhere from 24-72 hours (*see notes below recipe) before you place your turkey in the oven to roast. Enjoy!
Rinse and dry a 12-14 pound turkey well and place on a rimmed sheet pan. If there’s a pop-up timer in the turkey, remove it (they’re notoriously inaccurate).
Sprinkle the entire bird, inside and out, with kosher salt. Be sure to check the “note” section below the recipe to calculate how much kosher salt you’ll need based on the weight of your turkey.
Place the turkey in the fridge, uncovered, for at least 24 hour (but can be as long as 72 hours - *see notes below the recipe).
Be careful about accidental cross contamination - here I placed a barrier of homemade chicken stock in front of my turkey to reduce the risk that someone might accidentally touch it.
After 24-72 hours, remove the turkey from the fridge and pat dry thoroughly with paper towels.
Next, tuck the wings, tied the legs smear butter all over the skin, and insert an oven-safe probe thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh (without touching any bone). Sprinkle the turkey lightly with salt and pepper. Not too much, the salt brine will have flavored the meat already so we’re just adding a little flavor to the skin.
Roast in a 325F oven for 15-18 minutes per pound, or until the internal temperature in the thickest part of the thigh reaches 165F. I check both legs in a couple of places, just to be on the safe side.
Allow the turkey to rest for 30-40 minutes before carving (the internal temperature will rise 5-10 additional degrees - this is normal). That should leave you with plenty of time to make gravy with all the yummy pan juices. Happy Roasting!
Items used to make this recipe:
(affiliate links)
half sheet pan https://amzn.to/3rYgZWy
oven probe thermometer https://amzn.to/2VXgKNy
turkey roasting pan https://amzn.to/3o72iiQ
carving board with juice groove https://amzn.to/2LCIZwO
turkey carving set https://amzn.to/2Yq1NkG
Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt https://amzn.to/4fGyXVa
Morton Kosher Salt https://amzn.to/4fMFcqE
Dry Brined Turkey
Ingredients
12-14 pound turkey (thawed if applicable)
6 tablespoons kosher salt (see formula in the “note” section below)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
kosher salt and pepper for sprinkling
1 large onion, sliced
1 large carrot, sliced
1 large stalk celery, sliced
2 cups water
Directions
Remove neck, giblets, etc from inside turkey; reserve for gravy.
Rinse turkey well and dry thoroughly with paper towels; place on half sheet pan.
Sprinkle turkey inside and out with salt, refrigerate uncovered for 24-72 hours.
Preheat oven to 325F and place oven rack in the lower third position.
Pat turkey well with paper towels to absorb any moisture that might be on the surface (pay close attention to nooks and crannies).
Place a roasting rack into a large roasting pan; add sliced onion, carrot, celery and water.
Smear softened butter all over turkey and sprinkle lightly with kosher salt and pepper; place on roasting rack.
Place turkey in oven, uncovered, and roast for 15-18 minutes per pound or until the meat in the thickest part of the thigh registers 165F.
Remove from oven and rest for 30-40 minutes. Strain pan drippings and use to make gravy.
NOTEs
Cook’s Illustrated suggests salt-brining a turkey for a maximum of 48 hours, while The New York Times says you can let it go for as long as 72 hours.
To calculate how much Kosher salt you will need, use this formula:
Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt - use 2 to 2 1/2 teaspoons per pound of turkey.
Morton Kosher Salt - use 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons per pound of turkey.
