For the last few years, I’ve been preaching the joys of brining turkey to anyone who will listen. Brining really does make a big difference to your finished turkey, but most importantly, it gives you some margin of error. While a traditional brine involves gallons of liquid, this dry brine method is SO easy and there’s basically no reason not to try it if you are roasting a traditional turkey.
Tried this method this year and everyone raved about the turkey! It was perfectly seasoned and cooked thoroughly without drying out. (I did wash off the brine before roasting.) It was so easy! Thanks for this alternative to wet brining!
ERIN
What is a brine?
If you aren’t familiar with brining, basically you submerge your bird (or any protein really) in a salty solution and using science the meat can better retain moisture. How it works is fairly complicated, but if you care an episode of the sporkful did a good job of explaining it.
But anyway, just trust me that brining is a good idea. In fact, I really like brining with apple cider. It’s out of this world.
One problem: It’s a pain in the butt. Mixing gallons of salty liquid and figuring out how to store a bird in it overnight can be a bit tricky.
That’s when the dry brine can really help you out!
Dry brining your turkey lets you skip all that nonsense and still get all the advantages of brining! Not only does this work great on turkey, but also can be used if you roast chickens. It’s a method that requires very little work and results in deliciousness.
In fact, some argue that it’s actually better than a liquid brine because it retains the natural juices rather than adding a lot of other flavors.
Personally, I like both ways, but most years I do a dry brine these days.
My step-by-step recipe will show you how to dry brine a turkey for the most delicious bird you’ve ever had!
Making the Salt and Sugar Dry Brine Mix
The first thing you’ll notice about this rub is how simple it is. While my apple cider brine solution has 13 (really?!) ingredients, this has just a handful and you probably already have most of them.
Just stir the ingredients together and feel free to add any other dried herbs you want. I wouldn’t make it too complicated but a teaspoon of something extra won’t hurt.
One important note though is that you do want to use a coarse salt for the brine. Something like kosher salt or coarse sea salt works fantastically. If you use table salt, it will be much too salty.
Once you mix the rub together, you want to season the bird liberally. While not necessary, I like to actually rub some under the skin of the bird also.
Crunch Time Tips
If you place your brined turkey on a raised rack in the refrigerator, air will circulate more evenly and you’ll get a dryer skin on the bird which will mean more browning later. If you do this on an oven-safe rack, you can roast it on the same rack!
How much brine to use on your turkey
There’s not too much of a risk of over-salting a turkey as long as you aren’t using table salt for the dry brine. It’s possible, but you can use a pretty liberal hand with the brine mixture.
If you are doing a 12-pound turkey, you should use at least 1/4 cup of the rub, but even a little more is okay. Get it on all surfaces of the bird, even the cavity. You should have a visible coating on the whole bird, inside and outside.
For the photos in this post, I roasted a 14-pound turkey and used almost all of the brine mixture in the recipe.
How long should the dry rub be on the turkey?
Just like if you are doing a liquid brine, this needs to sit on the bird to really do the work. Cooking it immediately is useless. Overnight is about the minimum you can let it sit, but a full 24 hours is a better bet. Really try to give it some time for the salt and sugar to break down and do its osmosis thing.
Crunch Time Tips
Letting the bird rest in the fridge for 24 hours very loosely covered, or uncovered if you can, will let the skin dry out better on the turkey and give you a really browned skin.
Do you need to rinse off the brine before roasting?
As far as rinsing the bird off, you definitely can. Or you can just wipe it down with a few paper towels to remove any excess salt. Personally, I didn’t do any of that. I just left it all on there and cooked it as is. Most of the salt is in the meat anyway at this point so you’re just washing off herbs and flavors. You can do it though if you are worried that you used too much rub. It won’t hurt the brining process to rinse it off.
Of course, if you do rinse off the brine, you’ve just destroyed all the work you did to dry out the skin…
Some Basic Turkey Roasting Tips
Roast the turkey however you want to after that.
Personally, I like to use a spatchcock method for turkey these days which means the turkey roasts really fast. If I roast my turkey at 400˚F, it’ll be done in under two hours.
Need a walkthrough on spatchcocking? Check out my Harissa Spatchcocked Turkey.
I also like to add some citrus to the bird cavity or layer some lemons under the turkey.
Whatever you do, please use a meat thermometer. The worst is to go through all this work only to overcook your bird by 15 degrees and have it be tough and rubbery.
The brine will give you some wiggle room in cooking time, but I always say it’s best to shoot for 165 degrees F. in the thick part of the breast (or thigh). The turkey will still continue to cook more after you take it out of the oven.
Look at that beauty!
Be sure to let the turkey rest for at least 15 minutes before you try to carve it up. If I’m cooking a full turkey, I’ll let it sit for 25 minutes or so before trying to carve it. There’s a lot of residual heat and cooking still happening in the turkey and cutting into it early is a bad idea.
Give this method of how to dry brine a turkey a try and you will love the results!
Maybe hard to see in the photo, but my turkey breast was super-juicy!
Dry Rub Turkey Brine
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried sage
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 small lemon, zest only
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, opt.
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice, opt.
Instructions
- Stir together dry rub ingredients in a small bowl.
- Rub your turkey with the dry brine. I like to separate the skin a bit and rub some of the brine rub under the skin. Most can go on top though. Rub the entire bird or breast. I would say to use 1 teaspoons of rub per pound of turkey. A 12 pound turkey should be rubbed with 1/4-1/3 cup of the dry rub.
- Lightly cover the turkey and let it rest in the fridge overnight (at least 12 hours or up to 24 hours).
- Before cooking the turkey, you can optionally rinse off any salt on the surface of the bird or just wipe it off with a paper towel. You can just cook it without doing that also and the skin will be saltier. I also recommend adding a sliced lemon and orange to the bird cavity before roasting also.
- Roast until the bird is 165 degrees F. in the thick part of the breast or thigh (if you’re cooking the whole bird). Let rest at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Did you make this recipe?
Are you making a turkey this year for Thanksgiving? What’s your game plan? Curious to hear what people are planning to cook and happy to help if people have questions!
Leave a comment!
More turkey business!
Need more Thanksgiving recipe ideas? Here are a few or browse all the Thanksgiving recipes on Crunch Time Kitchen!
mary
One thing I like about Nick’s brine turkey is that when you make stock out of the carcass, there seems to be no fat and the broth is wonderful. Course the turkey is wonderful, too
Nick
Thanks Mary! The drippings would be good on this version also. I do like the apple cider one though… :)
Susan
This looks great and will give it a try for Christmas. We missed turkey at Thanksgiving cause our daughter is vegetarian and we had it at her home. Then I decided that we should celebrate your Thanksgiving, but it turns out that I didn’t realize how soon we were leaving for an early season ski trip. Don’t want to deal with a large meal and all the leftovers when we are leaving. So turkey deprived until Christmas !
Nick
A Christmas turkey is always a hit in my mind Susan! Good luck!
Kate Clark
Thanks, Nick! I am going to do this. One question…for that 24 hours of brining do I cover the turkey as it sits in the fridge or does the skin need to dry out?
Nick
Hey Kate! I would definitely cover it just so stuff doesn’t get on it, but cover it loosely so it can get some air. I wrap mine very loosely in plastic wrap usually and that works well. Good luck!
gordon
NICK,
BEEN BRIMING FOR MANY YEARS–
ALWAYS 2/1 SALT TO SUGAR + WHATEVER HERBS WE HAVE-
Q—ALWAYS BRING MY BRIME TO A BOIL, LET COOL–IN THAT WAY THE SALT & SUGAR ARE IN SOLUTION—
GONNA TRY YOURS —
GORDON
STOWE
Nick
Hey Gordon,
Yea… I found that you don’t need nearly as much sugar in a dry brine… the salt gets the job done. Give it a shot for sure. :)
Bill
Hi Nick. While this looks great, I’m sticking with your wet brine we now call the Withches Brew. It was the first time I found you several years ago and it’s the most amazing turkey. Thank you and happy holidays!
tammy masters
just a question about timing you said you just did the breast for this post. But if you were doing a 12 lb turkey what would the timing be closer to. do you leave it on high longer etc. this looks great and definitely I will try this for Christmas as being Canadian we already have had thanks giving. tx
Nick
Hey Tammy, it’s tough to say really. You pretty much have to use a meat thermometer. But generally, I will roast a full turkey at 425 for 30 minutes and then turn it down to 350 until it reaches the right temperature. Hope that helps!
Joanna
Hi Nick,
Two hopefully quick question for you. I’m doing a boneless turkey breast. And I’m attempting your dry brine.
Do I have to use coarse salt? I only have regular salt. Also, how dry does the meat have to be when you apply the dry brine/rub?
Thanks!
Joanna
Nick
Hey Joanna! To be honest, I think it will be too salty with regular (I’m assuming you just mean table salt). The grains are too fine. You really need a coarse salt for it to work.
THAT SAID, you can absolutely make a liquid brine using regular salt and brine in that without an issue. Take a recipe like my apple cider brine (https://www.crunchtimekitchen.com/2011/11/apple-cider-brined-turkey-breast/), but cut the salt in half if you are using table salt instead of kosher salt. (You can simplify the liquid brine substantially if you don’t have all that stuff. Really you just need salt, sugar, water, pepper, maybe some herbs.) It’ll be great.
If you do get coarse salt though for the dry brine, it doesn’t matter how wet/dry the turkey is when it’s applied. It should be thawed though… Hope that helps!
Mirlandra @ mirlandraskitchen.com
This looks excellent! I used a wet brine last week and it really was frustrating. I love the flavor but all that water gets heavy since I’m always working with a giant bird to start with. My husband keeps telling me I should try a dry brine and now I’m determined to. Maybe I will do up some chickens to experiment!
Joanna
Yes, it did help! Thanks!
I found some coarse salt in the back of the pantry. I mixed it with some herbs and sugar. I’ll try to remember to come back after it’s been eaten and let you know how it goes. Thank you again for the quick reply!
Happy Thanksgiving,
Joanna
Cindy near Fruita
Last year we used your recipe with the 13 ingredients, the hubby complained until he tasted it. I was convinced it was the only way to go, then, you posted this recipe. It looks so easy, we’re rubbing the bird now. Thanks for sharing all your ideas with us.
Erin
Tried this method this year and everyone raved about the turkey! It was perfectly seasoned and cooked thoroughly without drying out. (I did wash off the brine before roasting.) It was so easy! Thanks for this alternative to wet brining!
Nick
Awesome Erin! Glad you tried it and liked it! Happy holidays!
gordon
nick, we did try the apple cider brine—used about 3/4 gal of cider, 6 fresh bay leaves, rosemary & parsley + peppercorns, anise, garlic & cinnamon–1/2 cup salt, 1/4 brown sugar,–bialed, cooled-
left the bird in the brine for 18 hrs–
we’ve been priming turkey, meats for lots of yrs, always with great results-
Q-we had on glitch -for our 21 # stuffed turkey, we planned to cook @ 325 for 4 hrs, basting every hour–at hr 2, we noted the bird was much darker, let cook for a total of 3 hrs—my Q, does the cider brine shorten cooking time—my wife checks the turkey by pressing the thighs , not science, but she knows the feel—tks
gordon—-we will try again @ Xmas
Nick
Hey Gordon, the brine shouldn’t really affect cooking time at all although it will make the skin slightly darker during cooking. As you probably know, I’m a big fan of using both an oven thermometer and a meat thermometer to make sure everything is at the right temp. My guess is that your oven might be running a little hot (I’ve seen some frequently run 25-50 degrees hot).
Hope that helps!
Joanna
Nick,
I did the dry brine. It was a tad salty, and I think it was because 1) the mesh holding the boneless breast together soaked up the salt, and 2) I didn’t wash enough of the brine off the breast before roasting.
That being said, it was pretty good, if a bit salty for me. I normally cook with very low salt.
Nick
Hey Joanna, yea… I think the mesh might have affected that. If you try it again, I would take that off and also rinse off the brine and dry the skin before roasting. Thanks for the comment!
Chris
I started experimenting with dry brines last year and have liked the results. Great post, Nick.
Joanna
Hi Nick,
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
I wanted to post that I did the dry brine again, this time on a bone in turkey breast. It didn’t look quite as nice as yours, but it tasted pretty good.
The change I made was I left out the pepper flakes and allspice, added some thyme and sage, then buttered the meat up.
Nick
Nice Joanna. Thanks for the comment. Glad it came out tasty!
Lisa
What was the weight of your turkey breast, so I can gauge how long mine needs to cook? Thank you. Lisa
Nick
Hey Lisa, you should use a thermometer. It’s really impossible to know when a turkey breast is done by weight/time. Good luck!
Gina K.
Aloha Nick! Just found your wonderful site as I was trying to find out whether or not to cover the dry brined bird. There seems to be comflicting views out there, but your suggestion to cover it made more sense to me. Also, I am using a convection oven. Do you have any suggestions for the temp and timing for convection ovens? Mahalo!
Gina K
Oh it is a twelve pound bird and i do use a thermometer
Nick
Hey Gina! I cover my bird just for sanitary reasons b/c normally my fridge is pretty packed! The argument for not covering it is to make sure the skin stays dry. I just pat my dry before roasting it and it works great. :)
As far as timing goes, really tough to say. Assuming you are roasting it at 350 degrees in convection, I’d guess 2 1/2 hours as a starting point. The thermometer is the way to go though and if it were me I’d start checking it around 2 hours and it might need up to 3 1/2 hours… the range is pretty huge and depends on a ton of variables. Good luck!
Gina K.
Thanks for the quick reply, Nick! So I tried the dry rub brine this year and it was okay. I dont think I used enough kosher salt. It was not “fall off the bone” tender like my wet brine usually is. I may have overcooked it a tad in the convection oven (2&1/4 hours) but I was thinkinking there was no way it could have been done in two hours! I did face the open cavity towards the fan, so that might have sped it up a bit. I started at 350 degrees and after an hour turned it down to 300 degrees and basted with butter. The flavor was excellent and made perfect gravy from the dripping. Thanks for all your helpful suggestions! Will visit your site often! Happy Holidays!
Monica
Hi I am just trying the dry brine for the first time this year. I applied the dry brine to a bone in turkey breast (almost 7lbs) last night and left it uncovered in the refrigerator. I’ve been concerned about leaving it uncovered for a few days as it feels counter intuitive. I’m not worried about cross contamination as I have plenty of room. Are there any concerns with leaving it uncovered for a few days? Also do you recommend buttering the skin once I’m ready to put in the oven? Or just pat dry and cook as is?
Thanks,
Monica from Pasadena, CA
Nick
Hey Monica, the only real concern of leaving it uncovered is cross-contamination. If you have the space it’s actually best to leave it uncovered so the surface moisture can evaporate. Personally, I still cover mine just because I don’t have the space and then I just pat it dry. Either way is fine but there’s nothing wrong with having it uncovered assuming nothing else is in danger of touching it!
Monica
Ok thanks! Also when it’s time to cook the turkey do you add anything else? I’ve read other sites where they suggest to but some butter on the skin before cooking?
Nick
Butter always helps. :)
Laurie
Do you cover the turkey while roasting
Nick
Not normally… unless it’s getting too dark or hot. Then I’ll cover it with some foil for more even cooking.
Kate
Hi Nick! I used your brine and Alton’s roasting strategy on our 20lb family turkey this year. WOW, what a bird!!! :) We will definitely use this brine again. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!
Irene
Isn’t leaving a previously frozen and then thawed turkey in the fridge for 3 days too long before cooking? Or does the dry brine preserve it? I plan on having an18 lb turkey for Christmas, and it is frozen at this time. The thawing process will take a few days, and I’m concerned about the safety, of leaving it raw for this long .
Nick
Hi Irene, there’s really no danger of leaving a thawed turkey in the fridge for a few days, especially if it’s in a brine. I dry-brined a turkey this year for about 72 hours in my fridge before frying it.
If you were really concerned about it, I might recommend doing a wet brine which would keep the bird in liquid and only needs to be brined for 24 hours to be really effective. That’s the method I use if I’m short on time! You could double this apple cider brine recipe and it would be plenty for a whole turkey. Good luck!
Cris Gomez
Do you recommend/discourage using a roaster oven for a dry-brine turkey?
Nick
Hey Chris, I’ve never tried it but I assume it would work okay. You can cook it any way you normally would once it’s brined. Good luck!
Jill
If my turkey is basted in salt, sugar, and broth should I skip the salt in the dry brine?
Nick
Hey Jill, I wouldn’t brine a turkey that is already basted. I’d only do this to a turkey that is fresh and has no additives already. Hope that helps!
Jeffrey H
Hey Nick, I plan on using your dry brine on this years bird. It’s only a small fresh breast 3 1/2 lb.What ratio of salt would you suggest, I don’t want to crush my wife, I’ve used dry rubs and brines on other before and she always says they are too salty.
Nick
Hey Jeff, I’ve done a turkey breast with it before. I’d keep the ratio the same actually on the dry brine, but just use slightly less of it. I ususally use about 2 TBSP of the rub for a full bone-in turkey breast. You could cut that back to 1-1 1/2 TBSP for sure. Good luck!
Jeffrey H
Thanks Nick,
I’ll give it a shot and see how it turns out. I’ll give ya a shout on the results.
Thanks.
Jeffrey H
Hey Nick, Just a little follow up. I did your dry brine and my bird turned out perfect! .
I followed your directions to the T. I did add about 1 1/2 Tsp. of Herbs De Provence to the mix and brined the bird for 2 days. I followed your roasting method and it was great, everyone raved about how crispy the skin was and yet how tender moist the meat was. They kept asking how I did it? I just smiled and said, it’s a secret recipe and I had a little help! Thanks Nick!
I have 2 Ring Neck pheasants that I’m going to try the brine mix on. Do you have any input?
Pheasant dries out so fast.
Once again Thanks!
Nick
Hey Jeff! Glad the turkey came out well! I don’t have much experience with pheasant. I usually just fry them. :) You might check out Hank at http://www.honest-food.net He’s a foul expert. :)
Diane
I plan on dry brining a 22-24# turkey and baking it in a Mielle convection oven. It has a setting for turkey, but last year it said it was done in 1-1/2 hours which I felt was impossible. So I had to change to a manual setting and try to figure out how long to cook it. As a result I had a very nerve wracking afternoon and dinner was late. The guests were waiting around. I’d like to know exactly how long it should take to bake a 22-24# bird. I’d also like to know how to keep it safely warm while I make the gravy and mashed potatoes.
Nick
Hey Diane! Sorry to hear about your stress. I’ve been there. Might I suggest running out and getting a good probe thermometer? I’ve used one for the last five years or so and they are AWESOME. Even the same size of bird can actually bake at very different times depending on an number of factors. You can leave the thermometer in while the bird bakes and set an alarm so it’ll let you know when it hits the right temp. Easy and fail-proof! I’m sure if you call around to a few stores, you can find one even the day before Thanksgiving. It’s a life safer and stress reliever for a few bucks. :) Good luck!
Diane
Also why does the recipe call for DRIED herbs? I have a garden filled with fresh herbs. Couldn’t I use them?
Nick
Hey Diane, I wrote the recipe with dried herbs just because they are more consistent for a dry rub like this, but you could sub fresh. I’d times the amount by 2-3 for each herb as dried are more concentrated. Good luck!
Diane
Thanks for the quick response. I have an old fashioned simple meat thermometer. Will that be sufficient?