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How To Dry Brine Turkey

Dry Brining turkey is a much easier, more efficient way to prepare and tenderize a turkey before cooking. There is no need for a large gallon-sized bucket and it doesn't require half of the space in your refrigerator. You only need to rub the turkey with the dry brine mixture, then place it in the fridge for 24 to 72 hours. The end result is a perfectly brined turkey ready to roast, grill, or deep-fry!
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Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 30 minutes
1 day
Total Time: 1 day 30 minutes
Servings: 1 Whole Turkey
Calories: 8kcal
Author: Capri Lilly

Ingredients

  • 12-14 lb Turkey, giblets and neck removed (defrosted if frozen)

For The Dry Brine

  • 4 tbsp Kosher Salt Or Coarse Grain Sea Salt
  • 2 tbsp Herbs de Provence (or Italian seasoning or Dried Oregano)
  • 1 tbsp Freshly Crushed Black Pepper
  • 1 tbsp Smoked Paprika
  • 1 tbsp Garlic Powder
  • 3 tbsp Fresh Parsley, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp Fresh Sage, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp Fresh Rosemary, chopped
  • 1 tbsp Lemon Zest or orange zest
  • 2 tsp Dried Thyme

Instructions

  • Mix the spices, fresh herbs, citrus zest, and salt together to create the dry brine salt mixture. Set aside.
  • Take the turkey out of the packaging and remove the giblet and neck from inside the cavity. Remove or discard any plastic or metal cages or pop-up thermometers.
  • Use clean paper towels to pat dry the outside of the turkey. If you are spatchcocking the turkey, do so now.
  • Using gloved hands, gently loosen the skin over the turkey breast, removing the thin membrane between the skin and breast, but still keeping the skin intact. Gently loosen the skin around the turkey legs as well.
  • Start by seasoning the cavity. Take 2 (two) teaspoons of the mixture to season the cavity.
  • Season under the skin of the turkey. Start by seasoning the legs and thighs (under the skin) using 2 teaspoons of the dry rub mixture. Then, season the breasts of the turkey (under the skin) using 2 (two) tablespoons of the mixture.
  • Season the skin and wings. Use the remaining mixture to season all the skin, breasts, and wings.
  • Place the turkey breast side up on a rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan to capture any drippings or juices.
  • Refrigerate uncovered for at least 1 day, but ideally 3 days. Do not pat the turkey dry or rinse it— it's ready to be roasted, grilled, or deep-fried!

Notes

  • Coarse Kosher Salt: You'll need about 1 tablespoon of coarse kosher salt per 4 pounds of bird. Morton’s Kosher Salt is the preferred salt for dry brining. Diamond Crystal Kosher is popular as well, but the salt granules are smaller, so you will need to use less salt. DO NOT USE TABLE SALT. (It will result in an overly salty turkey)
  • Turkey: Use a thawed turkey. Make sure the turkey is not pre-salted (a kosher turkey) or has been previously injected with salt solution (a self-basting turkey). (USING EITHER WILL RESULT IN AN OVERLY SALTY TURKEY)

Pro Tips And Things To Know When Dry-Brining

  • USE THAWED TURKEY: It is best to dry brine a completely thawed turkey.
  • GET THE BRINE UNDER THE SKIN: While you want to brine the entire turkey, it is most important that the dry rub mixture goes directly on the skin, especially the turkey breasts, which tend to be the thickest part of the turkey.
  • BRINE AT LEAST 24 HOURS: The salt needs enough time to penetrate the skin and meat and tenderize the turkey. You can dry brine your turkey up to 72 hours in advance. We typically dry brine our turkey for 32 hours.
  • DO NOT RINSE: Do not rinse off the dry brine. This will reverse all of your hard work and the skin of the turkey will not brown as well once rinsed.
  • ANY COOKING METHOD WORKS: After dry brining your turkey, you can roast it, grill it, or deep fry it. Cook the turkey using your favorite method.
  • SPATCHCOCKED TURKEY IS A GAMECHANGER: Spatchcock Turkey is our favorite way to cook a whole turkey. If you want to learn how to spatchcock and roast a turkey check out our post: Best Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe.
 
Calories are for dry brine mixture only. goodfoodbaddie.com offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site. This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients you used to make the recipe. For more information read our Nutritional Disclaimer.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 8kcal | Carbohydrates: 1.8g | Protein: 0.4g | Fat: 0.2g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 2327mg | Potassium: 43mg | Fiber: 0.8g | Sugar: 0.3g | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 1mg