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Dry Brine Turkey Recipe

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August 21, 2022

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The easiest way to brine your turkey is with this simple dry salt and spice mixture - makes a perfect, juicy turkey!
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golden roasted turkey on a bed of greens and red cranberries and rosemary and sage
golden roasted turkey on a bed of greens and red cranberries and rosemary and sage
golden roasted turkey on a bed of greens and red cranberries and rosemary and sage
golden roasted turkey on a bed of greens and red cranberries and rosemary and sage
golden roasted turkey on a bed of greens and red cranberries and rosemary and sage
broccoli, french bread, and chicken on white plate, french bread and champagne glass in background
golden roasted turkey on a bed of greens and red cranberries and rosemary and sage

When searching for easy turkey recipes with the best turkey seasoning or best turkey brine, don’t skip over dry brine turkey! If you’ve never tried it then now is the time. This delicious, moist Thanksgiving turkey recipe will teach you the best seasonings, what temperature to cook a turkey and how long to cook a turkey.

Plus, get tips on how to refrigerate, freeze and how to defrost a turkey.

collage. top image of turkey slices on a white round plate with turkey in the background. Next image of closeup of slices into the turkey breast with two prong fork holding it open. Third image of full golden roasted turkey on bed of greens.
Golden roasted turkey with moist breast meat.

Table of Contents

  • Enjoy dry brine turkey as a full Thanksgiving turkey meal:
  • What Is Dry Brine Turkey?
  • CREAMY MASHED POTATOES
  • GRANNY SMITH APPLE PIE
  • How To Defrost A Turkey
  • Dry Brine Turkey Seasoning Ingredients:
  • FAQs About Home Cooked Turkey
  • How to Make Dry Brine Turkey:
  • Ways to Use Thanksgiving Turkey Leftovers
  • ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS
  • PARMESAN ROASTED BROCCOLI
  • Dry Brine Turkey Recipe
  • PUMPKIN PIE CUPCAKE
  • BLACKBERRY DUMP CAKE
  • PINEAPPLE MINI CAKES

Enjoy dry brine turkey as a full Thanksgiving turkey meal:

  • Side Dish: Mashed Potatoes– This classic side dish is colorful and full of flavor!
  • Side Dish: Brussels Sprouts– Get your greens with this delicious Brussels sprouts recipe with pecans and cranberries.
  • Bread: Garlic Knots – These make a delicious dinner roll!
  • Drink: Spiked Apple Cider – This is a must have adult drink for the holidays.
  • Dessert: Apple Pie – This needs no introduction! This easy apple pie is just what your Thanksgiving turkey needs as a chaser.
  • Dessert: Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes – Every Thanksgiving meal needs pumpkin pie. These little individual servings are fun and tasty.
beautiful golden roasted turkey with dry rub turkey seasoning on a bed of greens
Gorgeous golden roasted turkey has the perfect seasoning and color.

What Is Dry Brine Turkey?

When searching for easy turkey recipes (let’s skip the giant vat of boiling oil, shall we?) you’ll run into a few terms that you’ll need to know.

Turkey brine: Brining is soaking your turkey in saline water (salt water) overnight. The turkey will absorb some of the water and the salt is supposed to make the turkey contract less while it’s in the oven. Some people love brining but many believe the extra juiciness in the turkey is watery. But, if you want to do the best turkey brine, just find a container large enough to fit your whole turkey, mix kosher salt 1 cup to 1 gallon of water plus your favorite seasonings. Some people even add a dry Reisling to the brine. Dissolve the salt, put the Thanksgiving turkey into the brine and find some way to keep it refrigerator cold over night. Then rinse well before cooking.

Turkey seasoning: We consider it turkey seasoning when you put the seasoning on the turkey or under the skin right before you cook the turkey. This is the type of seasoning you’ll find in most easy turkey recipes.

Dry brine turkey: Dry brining is spreading a dry salt and turkey seasoning on the turkey under the skin for a day or two before cooking. This adds all the flavor and helps make it juicier without watering it down. Dry brine turkey can be done as your turkey is defrosting as well, as long as the outside is defrosted. Read below for how to defrost a turkey.

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How To Defrost A Turkey

There are three safe ways to defrost a turkey.

How to defrost a turkey in the refrigerator. Keep the turkey in its original packaging. Place the turkey breast side up in a container or pan to catch any drips. It will take a full 24 hours for every 5 pounds of turkey. A 20 pound turkey will take 4 days to thaw. Once it is defrosted you can keep it in the refrigerator for up to 2 more days.

How to defrost a turkey in cold water. Keep the turkey in it’s original packaging. Place it in a larger plastic bag that is leak proof. Try to get all the air out of the bag and seal. Place the bag breast side down in a sink or container large enough for the turkey to be completely under water. Fill your container with cold water. Change the cold water every 30 minutes. It will take about 30 minutes for every pound of turkey. A 20 pound turkey will take 10 hours this way. You might need to place something heavy on the turkey to keep it under water. Cook immediately after thawing.

How to defrost a turkey in the microwave. Remove the plastic packaging from the turkey. Remove any metal tags or clips. Place the turkey breast side up in a microwave safe container to catch drips. Every microwave is different so read the manual for your microwave. It should take an hour to an hour and a half to defrost in a microwave but it depends on the microwave. Clean your microwave well when it is thawed. Cook immediately after thawing.

beautiful golden roasted turkey on a bed of greens for a Thanksgiving turkey

Dry Brine Turkey Seasoning Ingredients:

  • Turkey: While we do like cooking turkey breast sometimes, you’ll need a whole turkey to dry brine a turkey.
  • Spices: Whole black peppercorns, thyme, sage, rosemary and salt.
raw whole turkey on white paper with seasonings sitting next to it.
Dry rub turkey ingredients.

FAQs About Home Cooked Turkey

How long can you refrigerate turkey after cooking?

After your dry brine turkey is cooled, store in a container with a lid and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Can you freeze cooked turkey?

After your Thanksgiving turkey has completely cooled, wrap tightly and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator.

How do you make seasoned turkey gluten free?

This turkey recipe is naturally gluten free.

How do you make dry brined turkey dairy free?

This turkey recipe is naturally dairy free.

Do you rinse a dry brined turkey?

No, resist the temptation to rinse your dry brined turkey.

How long should I dry brine my turkey?

If you only have one day then that will have to do but more time is better to allow the salt and seasonings to permeate down through more layers of the meat. If you can brine for 2-3 days that is best. Consider beginning the dry brine before your turkey is fully defrosted then continue brining for 2 days after it is defrosted.

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How to Make Dry Brine Turkey:

Step 1: Use a mortar and pestle to grind and mix black peppercorns, dry, and fresh herbs.

Step 2: Stir ground spice mixture with the kosher salt.

Dry rub spices mixed for the raw turkey.

Step 3: Rinse and pat dry the turkey. Be sure that you have removed the giblets.

Step 4: Slide your hands between the turkey skin and the breast meat to loosen the skin and create as much separation as possible.

hand putting spices in the raw turkey between skin and breast
Dry rub spices being put into the turkey skin.

Step 5: Rub the salt mixture evenly over the breast meat, leg meat, and as far as you can reach between the skin and meat. Rub some of the salt mixture inside the neck and body cavities. You can also rub some of the mixture over the outside of the skin.

Step 6: Place the prepared turkey in a pan or dish and set in the refrigerator to brine for at least 24 hours.

two images. Raw turkey read to go into the oven on the left and golden roasted turkey on the right side.
Turkey before and after.

Step 7: Proceed with cooking the turkey using whichever method you prefer. Do not rinse the brine from the turkey before cooking.

Step 8: One of the most contested things about cooking a turkey is what temperature to cook a turkey. Our preferred cooking method is to roast at 325°F until cooked (typically about 3-4 hours for a 15-pound turkey). We like to baste the turkey every 30 minutes with its juices. Some turkeys will cook up quickly so if you have an instant read thermometer check the turkey a little early to make sure you don’t overcook.

Make sure the temperature of the turkey breast is 165 degrees. Do not eat undercooked poultry.

Ways to Use Thanksgiving Turkey Leftovers

  • Turkey Sandwiches: Top the leftover rolls with turkey, cranberries and mashed potatoes, stuffing, dijon mustard and mayonnaise.
  • Turkey Noodle Soup: Chop up carrots, onion and celery and sauté in a stock pot. Combine turkey broth, egg noodles and turkey to make soup. Add a little garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, rosemary, oregano and a. bay leaf.
  • Turkey Shepherd’s Pie: Make our shepherd’s pie recipe and sub the beef for turkey.
  • Turkey Enchiladas: Substitute turkey for the chicken in our favorite enchiladas recipe.
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golden roasted turkey on a bed of greens and red cranberries and rosemary and sage
5 from 13 votes

Dry Brine Turkey Recipe


Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
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15
The easiest way to brine your turkey is with this simple dry salt and spice mixture – makes a perfect, juicy turkey!
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Ingredients
  

  • 15 pound whole turkey thawed
  • 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
  • 1-2 teaspoons ground thyme, dried sage, or other dried herbs
  • 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary and/or fresh sage finely chopped
  • 3 tablespoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt

Instructions

  • Use a mortar and pestal to grind and mix black peppercorns, dry, and fresh herbs.
  • Stir ground spice mixture with the kosher salt.
  • Rinse and pat dry the turkey. Be sure that you have removed the giblets.
  • Slide your hands between the turkey skin and the breast meat to loosen the skin and create as much separation as possible.
  • Rub the salt mixture evenly over the breast meat, leg meat, and as far as you can reach between the skin and meat. Rub some of the salt mixture inside the neck and body cavities. You can also rub some of the mixture over the outside of the skin.
  • Place the prepared turkey in a pan or dish and set in the refrigerator to brine for about 24 hours.
  • Proceed with cooking the turkey using whichever method you prefer. Do not rinse the brine from the turkey before cooking.
  • Our preferred cooking method is to roast at 325°F until cooked (typically about 3-4 hours for a 15-pound turkey). We like to baste the turkey every 30 minutes with its juices.

Notes

Use kosher salt only, which is much coarser than a sea salt or table salt.  We like the Diamond Crystal brand, which is readily available at most grocery stores.  

Nutrition

Calories: 456kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 70g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 232mg | Sodium: 1756mg | Potassium: 732mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 191IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 3mg

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posted in: American, Course, Cuisine, Dairy Free, Diet, Gluten Free, Ingredient, Keto Friendly, Main Dish, Method, Occasion, Oven, Thanksgiving, Turkey

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    Comments & Reviews

  1. Robin Donovan says

    February 12, 2021

    5 stars
    Great recipe. The turkey was so flavorful!

    Reply
  2. Glenda says

    February 12, 2021

    5 stars
    What a genius idea for sinking flavor deep into the turkey! And so much simpler than messing with liquid brines. I love the idea and I’m definitely going to try it. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  3. Linda says

    February 12, 2021

    5 stars
    Our family loves chicken brine but we never try turkey. I’m excited to try this one and pretend it’s Thanksgiving all over again. Yum!

    Reply
  4. Rhonda Brown says

    February 12, 2021

    5 stars
    One of the reasons that I don’t like to make turkey is that it always turns out so dry and unflavorful. This recipe and of course the turkey, looks absolutely delicious! I’m bookmarking this. I can’t wait to try it myself.

    Reply

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