How To Dry Brine Turkey


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If you dry brine your turkey, you find yourself with a superbly browned chicken with crispy pores and skin on the skin and juicy, flavorful meat on the within! It is going to for positive be some of the flavorful, moist turkeys you’ve ever had!

Overhead shot of dry brine turkey in a roasting pan. Overhead shot of dry brine turkey in a roasting pan.

Causes You’ll Love This Recipe

  • Moist & Flavorful: If you coat the turkey with salt, it attracts the moisture out. Then, the juices reabsorb again into the turkey, taking the seasonings with it. It’s significantly so moist and scrumptious.
  • Easy Course of: In comparison with a moist brine turkey in a seasoned bathtub. You merely smother the turkey in salt and seasonings, which may sit uncovered in your fridge whereas it does its magic.
  • Versatile: Dry-brined turkey is so flavorful, it goes nicely with all of the Thanksgiving classics, together with giblet gravy, stuffing, and mashed potatoes.

Elements for Dry Brine Turkey

The substances wanted to make a dry brine turkey are easy pantry staples. When you aren’t positive what you’re going to do together with your turkey this 12 months, you’ve obtained to do that easy dry brine method. The precise measurements are within the recipe card on the backside of the put up.

Dry Brine

  • 15-Pound Turkey: Give your self three days to permit your 15-pound turkey to thaw! When you use a distinct measurement turkey, discuss with my ideas part for tips on how to modify accordingly.
  • Kosher Salt: Utilizing kosher salt is essential! It’s coarser and totally different than common desk salt.
  • Cracked Black Pepper: Provides a slight peppery warmth to the turkey and enhances the flavors of the opposite herbs and spices.
  • Herbs: Combining Dried RosemarySage, and Thyme completely enhances the turkey and offers it the traditional Thanksgiving tastes.
Overhead shot of labeled dry brine ingredients. Overhead shot of labeled dry brine ingredients.

Elements to Stuff the Turkey

  • Onion: Offers the turkey a gentle, candy, and savory taste.
  • Carrots: Add sweetness; they add an earthy, contemporary taste whereas they cook dinner.
  • Lemon: Offers a brilliant citrus taste that balances the savory notes.
  • Contemporary Herbs: Including a couple of sprigs of contemporary Thyme and Rosemary helps infuse the flavour whereas it cooks. Giving the chicken an extremely fragrant taste.
Overhead shot of labeled stuffing ingredients. Overhead shot of labeled stuffing ingredients.

Find out how to Dry Brine a Turkey

This dry-brined turkey recipe is definitely fairly easy but yields some of the flavorful, moist turkeys you’ve ever had. Observe my steps under and discuss with the information part in order that your turkey seems excellent this vacation season.

Making ready and Brining

  1. Thaw and Put together the Turkey: Plan to thaw the turkey forward of time! For each 5 kilos of turkey, refrigerate for twenty-four hours. My 15-pound turkey took about three days within the fridge. Put together the thawed turkey 1-2 days earlier than cooking day! Take away the packaging of the giblets, the neck, and the plastic cage holding the legs collectively. I additionally take away the pop-up thermometer as a result of I like to recommend utilizing your personal!
  2. Pat Dry: Place the turkey on a baking sheet and pat it dry utilizing paper towels.
  3. Mix: Add the salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme, and sage in a small bowl and stir to mix.
  4. Rub on the Dry Brine: Sprinkle the dry brine combination generously on the turkey. Rub the brine onto the meat, beneath the pores and skin, and contained in the cavity.
  5. Stuff the Turkey/ Tie the Legs: Place the turkey breast aspect up in a roasting pan. Stuff the within cavity of the turkey with onion, carrot, lemon, and herbs, then tie the legs with kitchen twine.
  6. Refrigerate the turkey uncovered for at the very least 24 hours. If refrigerating for greater than 1 day, calmly cowl it with plastic wrap and place it within the fridge. Take away the plastic wrap 24 hours earlier than cooking so the turkey has time to brine with out the plastic wrap. This helps to dry out the turkey!

Cooking Directions

  1. Sit at Room Temperature: Take away the refrigerated dry-brined turkey from the fridge and permit it to sit at room temperature for 1 hour earlier than cooking.
  2. Prepare dinner: When able to cook dinner the turkey, place the oven rack within the backside third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 425 levels Fahrenheit. Prepare dinner the turkey for 20 minutes or till the pores and skin begins to brown. Tent the breast with aluminum foil and scale back the warmth to 350 levels Fahrenheit. Prepare dinner for a further 45 minutes.
  3. Examine the Temperature: Proceed cooking till an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest a part of a breast with out touching bone reads 160 levels Fahrenheit. Examine the temperature till the chicken is totally cooked. Enable the turkey to relaxation for quarter-hour earlier than carving and having fun with it!

Dry Brine Turkey Suggestions

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Side shot of dry brine turkey in a pan. Side shot of dry brine turkey in a pan.

Why Dry Brine?

Dry-brined turkey doesn’t use any water! It’s simply salt and herbs to season and brine your turkey. As your turkey sits uncovered within the fridge, it dries out the pores and skin. The result’s a superbly browned chicken with crispy pores and skin on the skin and juicy, flavorful meat on the within!

Leftover Turkey Suggestions

Further turkey makes the BEST leftovers! Right here is how one can retailer leftover turkey to avoid wasting for later! 

  • Within the Fridge: Wait till your turkey has cooled. Then, place it in an hermetic container and put it in your fridge. It could actually final there for 3 to five days.
  • To Reheat: To reheat within the oven, then place in a baking dish at 350 levels Fahrenheit for 12 to fifteen minutes or till heat. When reheating in a microwave, warmth for 1 to 2 minutes at a time till heat. Attempt to not overheat. It will depart your leftover turkey dry and exhausting.
  • Within the Freezer: After your turkey has cooled down, place it in a freezer bag. Lay your turkey flat within the bag, then zip or suction out all of the air. Label your bag with the date, after which hold it frozen for as much as 1 month within the freezer. When able to reheat, place within the fridge in a single day to thaw.

Overhead shot of plated dry brine. turkey with a side of mashed potatoes and gravy, and roasted vegetables. Overhead shot of plated dry brine. turkey with a side of mashed potatoes and gravy, and roasted vegetables.

What to Serve With Dry Brine Turkey

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Elements to Stuff the Turkey

Put together the Turkey/ Dry Brine

  • Plan to thaw the turkey forward of time! For each 5 kilos of turkey, refrigerate for twenty-four hours. My 15-pound turkey took about 3 days within the fridge.

  • Put together the thawed turkey 1-2 days earlier than cooking day! Take away the packaging of the giblets, the neck, and the plastic cage holding the legs collectively. I additionally take away the pop-up thermometer as a result of I like to recommend utilizing your personal!

  • Place the turkey on a baking sheet and pat it dry utilizing paper towels.

  • Add the salt, pepper, rosemary, sage, and thyme in a small bowl and stir to mix.

  • Sprinkle the dry brine generously on the turkey. Rub the brine onto the meat, beneath the pores and skin, and contained in the cavity.

  • Place the turkey breast-side up in a roasting pan. Stuff the within cavity of the turkey with onion, carrot, lemon, and herbs, then tie the legs with kitchen twine.

  • Refrigerate the turkey uncovered for at the very least 24 hours. Whether it is refrigerating for greater than 1 day, calmly cowl it with plastic wrap and place it within the fridge. Take away the plastic wrap 24 hours earlier than cooking. This helps the dry brine soak up higher into the turkey.

Cooking Directions

  • Take away the refrigerated dry-brined turkey from the fridge and permit it to sit at room temperature for 1 hour earlier than cooking.

  • When able to cook dinner the turkey, place the oven rack within the backside third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 425 levels Fahrenheit. Prepare dinner the turkey for 20 minutes or till the pores and skin begins to brown. Tent the breast with aluminum foil and scale back the warmth. Then, decrease the oven temperature to 350 levels Fahrenheit and cook dinner for a further 45 minutes.

  • Proceed cooking till an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest a part of a breast with out touching bone reads 160 levels Fahrenheit. Examine the temperature till the chicken is totally cooked.
  • Enable the turkey to relaxation for quarter-hour earlier than carving, and revel in!

Energy: 967kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 193gFats: 17gSaturated Fats: 4gPolyunsaturated Fats: 4gMonounsaturated Fats: 4gTrans Fats: 0.1gLdl cholesterol: 570mgSodium: 3626mgPotassium: 2065mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 1616IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 136mgIron: 9mg

Vitamin info is mechanically calculated, so ought to solely be used as an approximation.



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