Primally Inspired Real food, Natural Remedies, Holistic Living
Dry Brine Turkey Recipe. Learn how to dry brine your turkey or chicken using an easy dry brining recipe containing a touch of orange and maple with all the traditional Thanksgiving flavors. I always get asked for this recipe because it makes the most flavorful and crispiest skin turkey and chicken! Perfection!
Dry Brine Turkey
A few years ago I was introduced to dry brining a Thanksgiving turkey and now I won’t make a turkey any other way! It’s a total game changer on Thanksgiving! Dry brining a turkey produces amazing flavor, super moist meat and that skin…oh that skin…irresistible crispy and golden brown to perfection. I’m drooling just thinking about it 🙂
I’ve experimented with a bunch of different dry brine mixes and today I’m sharing our all time favorite dry brine recipe for a turkey or chicken. It’s a huge winner, not just to us, but with all our friends and family, too. I always get asked for this recipe!
This turkey dry brine recipe has just a touch of orange and maple mixed with the traditional Thanksgiving flavors. Ohmigosh, I love it so much! My friends and family can’t get enough of it so I always make extra batches of this recipe and give them out as little gifts. A small jar of dry brine makes such a cute and practical gift or party favor! You can tell your guests that it’s absolutely fantastic on chicken, too.
What is a dry brine?
Dry brining simply means pre-salting with salt and/or other herbs and seasonings. There’s no water or liquid involved and no mess.
The salt helps draw out the moisture. Then that moisture dissolves the salt crystals. And this is where the magic happens: the now dissolved salt, moisture and seasonings get reabsorbed back into the meat all the way down to the bone. The salt helps break down the tightly woven proteins resulting in the most tender, moist meat. And the seasonings get infused throughout the whole bird. You won’t want to make a turkey (or chicken) any other way once you try it!
Dry Brining benefits include:
- far more flavorful than any other method
- crispy golden brown skin and moist, tender meat
- less mess compared to a wet brine
- no fancy equipment
- super easy
- turkey is prepped and ready to go for the big day
Dry Brine Turkey Tips (please read!)
- Please, please do NOT use table salt or fine salt – it will make it too salty. Using coarse salt or kosher salt is the key to flavorful perfection.
- Only use this dry brine on a fresh (or frozen and thawed) turkey that has not been pre seasoned, marked kosher (because they already salt it) or injected with flavorings. Double check the label and make sure that turkey is the only ingredient. **Update 2019: I’ve received multiple messages and comments that say this recipe has been very successful on an 8% injected turkey and it was perfect and not to salty at all.**
- For the best (seriously, the absolute best!), crispiest skin ever, leave your turkey uncovered in the fridge during the final 12 hours. I know…I know…that grosses some people out, but I promise you, that golden brown skin will make you swoon.
- Make sure to pat your turkey completely dry before cooking it.
How to Dry Brine Turkey Recipe:
- ¼ cup coarse sea salt (I use THIS)
- 1 tablespoon maple sugar (my fav because it adds a touch of wonderful maple flavor, but if you can’t find it, you can use brown sugar or coconut sugar. I get my maple sugar HERE)
- 2 tablespoons orange zest
- 2 teaspoons dried sage
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- Mix all the ingredients together.
- *Use 1 tablespoon of dry brine for every 5 pounds of meat* Pat dry the outside and inside of the turkey. Then season the entire outside and inside cavity using the dry brine. Don't forget to loosen some of the skin and season directly on the meat, too, especially on the breasts.
- Refrigerate, loosely covered, for at least 12 hours up to 72 hours (the more time it sits in the fridge, the more flavorful it will be, but you'll still get a really great tasting bird even if you do the minimum time). *Important step for the best, crispy skin: Take OFF the covering during the final 12 hours in the refrigerator and refrigerate UNCOVERED for 12 hours*
- When you're ready to cook the turkey, pat the outside dry (no need to rinse or wipe anything off) and cook using any method you prefer. I like the long and slow oven roasting method: 325 degrees F for approximately 15 minutes per pound.
Please read my turkey dry brining tips above in the blog post for the best possible results!
If you have any questions, just let me know! I hope you’ll get a chance to try this dry brine method for your turkey or chicken – it’s a game changer!
Pin Dry Brine Turkey recipe HERE:
I have done a wet brine with chicken where I soaked in brine for several hours, then drained, patted dry and cooked. This sounds so much easier and less messy. Can’t wait to try it.. thanks Kelly!
I LOOOOOOOVE THIS RECIPE!!! I use this all the time on my whole chickens ever since you introduced it to me. Seriously people you have to make it, it’s so good! What jar do you use? I really like the idea of making this for giftsfor the holidays.
Oh hey Meg! haha thank you!! I use the half pint wide mouth mason jars – it’s the perfect size for this recipe. You can find them at a lot of places (Target, Wal-Mart, most grocery stores, etc), but here is the Amazon link if you prefer online shopping: http://amzn.to/2gas4Pq 🙂
For it make the drippings too salty to use for gravy? I would love to try it….. this is my husband’s question .
Thanks
No, not at all as long as you stick with using 1 tablespoon per 5 pound of meat – it makes some awesome gravy! Although, I should mention that it seems that the dry brine method doesn’t produce quite as much drippings because most of that moisture is infused in the turkey. Sometimes I’ll add a cup or two of broth in my roasting pan before I put the turkey in the oven just to be sure I have enough drippings because I love extra gravy! I am one of those people who pours an obscene amount of gravy over my entire plate of food 🙂
Hi, do you think this method would work the same on a Turkey cooked overnight. I always put my Turkey in on Christmas Eve and wake up to the most delicious smell on Christmas morning, but your seasonings sounds fabulous, so I’d like to give it a try. What do you think.
Yes, definitely!
Hello!
Is the orange zest fresh or bottled?
Don’t want to ruin the turkey brine ising the wrong one.
I use fresh, Lisa!
I used dry zest. Will that be ok?
I Had to brine before I got your answer, so I thought fresh zest may go bad.
Is there anything I should do to correct the bottled zest I used?
My turkey is uncovered in the refrigerator for 3 days. Looks kind of dried out. If that how it hsoild look ?
It’s my first time dry brining a turkey.
Thanks for your help!
Can you add fresh zest to yoir recipe.
Sorry for misspells.
Meant to say can you add (fresh) zest to your recipe?
Thank you!
The bottled zest is fine, Lisa! And yes, you want the turkey skin to look dried out – that’s perfect and just what you want – it will make the skin sooooo crispy!!
Thank you very much! Looking forward to tomorrow’s meal!
Do you baste the turkey during the cooking process?
I don’t baste, Lisa! I wasn’t 100% sure if basting could help or hurt a dry brined turkey so I looked it up and the answer from some of the top chefs is that you don’t want to baste: http://www.epicurious.com/holidays-events/how-to-get-crispy-turkey-skin-article And the great news is that they also say that the most moist and tender turkey with crisp skin is done through dry brining – woohoo! 🙂 Happy Thanksgiving!!!
I stuff my turkey. Is it ok to do this or will the dry brine change the taste of the stuffing?
Thanks again
Lisa
Hi Lisa, no it won’t change the taste of your stuffing.
Do I dry rub a spatchcock turkey?
Yes, you can!
Hi! Do you rinse the bribe off prior to roasting? Just afraid it would be too salty
Hi Aundrea! No, don’t rinse prior to roasting! Rinsing defeats the purpose of air drying the turkey, which is the secret to super crispy skin perfection 🙂
I know it seems like a lot of salt, but it’s really not, I promise! If you or anyone else still has any hesitations on dry brining and thinking there will be too much salt, let me send some comfort to you with this article I just found…they did a test kitchen experiment and tried a few different proven winning turkey methods and dry brining was hands down the winner! And they got over 200 emails from readers saying it was the best turkey they ever cooked…woo! http://www.latimes.com/la-fo-turkey19-2008nov19-story.html (also there’s some good tips in that article!) Happy Thanksgiving to you!
Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a thorough response!!
* Oops brine that is lol…
Hi Lisa,
I’m excited to try your recipe tomorrow; it looks great!
I do have a question: during the “When you’re ready to cook, pat dry the outside of the turkey” stage of the process, do I leave the dry rub on the turkey or should I scrape it off? In other words, should there still be a good amount of rub on the turkey when it goes in the oven?
Thanks so much and Happy Thanksgiving!
Hi Jim! I alway leave the seasonings on. If you let your turkey sit uncovered in the fridge for more than a day, you most likely shouldn’t even have to pat dry because the skin will already by very dry (the secret to crispy skin!) so you can just pop it in the oven – or whatever method you choose to cook your turkey 🙂 Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy!!
That sounds great! Thanks Kelly!
Hi Kelly I meant!
Direct from fridge to preheated oven or do you let the turkey stand for an hour or so at room temperature before putting in the oven. Did you use convection or just bake setting on oven?
Thank you!!
Hi Cindy, I do like to let it sit for 45 mins to an hour. But I have done it both ways and to be honest, I haven’t noticed a difference!
I don’t have a convection oven, so it’s just bake setting for me. But my mom does and she likes to cook it in the convection setting. If I had the convection option, I would cook it in the convection setting.
Hi Kelly,
I knew the minute I read your blog that I had to try “dry rub.” My turkey has been brined & in the fridge since Tuesday morning. I can’t wait to prepare it tomorrow for my family. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I’ll let you know how it turns out!
Happy Thanksgiving! ?
Robin
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family, Robin!!
Happy Thanksgiving! Thank you for this wonderful recipe! Followed your tips and had a turkey uncoverd in the fridge overnight. It turned out very good. We had a great meal today. Hopefully you too. 🙂 Diana.
I’d like to share how my turkey turned out. Kelly’s recipe sounded perfect.
My turkey was very moist!
So thankful for that since it was the first time I did a turkey dry rub and left it sit uncovered in the refrigerator over 48 hrs.
I basted the turkey once since I didn’t check back in time to see the answer on to baste or not to baste. I don’t know if the basting had anything to do with it, but the skin was crisp as promised, however in a tough kind of turkey jerky way.
My husband couldn’t cut it with a knife, he had to punctue it!
Also, in the instructions to pat dry, it took off a lot of the brine seasoning.
I didn’t have a lot of juice in the bottom of the pan for gravy, so I was glad I made stock to mix with what little I did have
Kelly said there wouldn’t be.
Now that I know the finer details to the recipe, I won’t hesitate to try it again next year.
I used an organic turkey on bake setting. I have convection, but chose the standard bake setting.
Thank you, Kelly!
What an excellent recipe. Our Turkey turned out to be flavorful and moist. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Kelly so in addition to the thawing the turkey in the fridge time its an additional 12-24 hours refrigerator time once turkey is brined is that correct? Is it 3 days (72 hours) of thawing time for all sizes of frozen turkeys?
Yes, Becky you got it right!
Hi Kelly,
I am very excited/nervous to try this recipe out. Just wondering I rub the brine all over the turkey and as well between the skin and inside? and I do not place the turkey in a brine bag i just leave it in a large pot/pan to air out for as long as i can. Then from there I just pop it into the oven to cook at 325 until ready.
Sorry! just want to make sure I do this right lots of pressure!!
Appreciate your help 🙂
Hi Pam, yes, you got it right! Although, I updated the recipe to say only leave uncovered for the last 12 hours. Last year one of my readers got too crispy of skin for letting it air dry for the maximum amount of time (3 full days). I never had that issue with my turkeys, but the Thanksgiving turkey is so important that I thought I should update it just to be on the safe side 🙂
How long can you store this dry brine rub for, and should it be kept in the fridge if you use fresh oranges?
Hi Nathan, The dry rub will keep for 1-2+ years in the cupboard if your orange zest was dried out. If you haven’t made it yet, just zest your orange and leave the zest on the counter for an hour (or until it’s dried out) before you add it to the salt. Even if you already made it, though, I personally would still feel comfortable keeping it for 6+ months in the fridge since salt is one of the best inhibitors of bacteria. Most bacteria or other pathogens cannot survive in a highly salty environment. Happy Thanksgiving!
Hi,
I’m on the hunt for a turkey to try this dry brine recipe! I’m having a hard time finding a frozen or fresh turkey that doesn’t have any spices, salt etc. it says it’s contains less than 8% of but i don’t know if that would make a difference?? It’s a butterball and says all natural. Help please!!!
Hi Emily, your turkey won’t work for this recipe….bummer 🙁 Even though it’s only 8% seasonings, it has already been brined or at least has salt in it. This recipe will be way too salty for any turkey that isn’t 100% fresh!
Okay, well good news is I didn’t get it! Still turkeyless, haha. Any brand recommendations or stores you’d recommend?? I really love the sounds of the recipe and would love to try it!
Can anyone tell me what turkey brands they used that were successful for this recipe??
If you have a Kroger near you, their own organic brand turkeys, Simple Truth, have no salt added – only ingredient is turkey!
So here’s the lowdown..I got an open nature organic turkey. It’s not injected with anything nor any added salt. Although it does say 75mg of sodium on the nutrition label, however only says turkey under the ingredients list. Would this work????
yes! Woohoo!!!
I have a Publix Greenwise “All Natural” young turkey (13 lbs) that says it has 75mg sodium (same as what Emily posted above). Others I found have 3x as much. I *think* this will work for dry brining, but I am concerned because I can’t find an “ingredients” list on the label and, although it says “No artificial ingredients or preservatives and minimally processed”, it also says “With up to 6% water retained from chilling process”. Thoughts?
This is so tough for me to answer because I, too, think it would most likely be fine, but thinking and being sure aren’t the same thing…and I’d feel awful if I said yes and then it was too salty. If it were me, I’d lessen the salt by half. Anyone out there done this dry brining method before with a low salt turkey? We’d love to hear the results.
Hi Kelly!
I just noticed that the chicken I bought is 9.5% flavored ? Do you have any other recepie that I could use to cook my turkey?
Ohhhh man, bummer! I’m glad you noticed it now, though, because it would have been waaaaay too salty if you tried it!
With already flavored turkeys, you can still let the skin air dry in the fridge for a day for crispier skin! I also like to add a handful of fresh herbs (sage, rosemary, thyme, parsley), an orange or a cored apple and a quartered onion inside the cavity. That will help make it nice and flavorful and moist! Happy Thankgiving!
Hi Kelly,
This recipe sounds great. I just made some and plan to use it this Thanksgiving, we have an oilers infrared turkey fryer.
Questions:
I made a lot of the dry rub. How long will it keep? I made it with fresh orange zest.
I am getting a 15lb fresh turkey from our
Local turkey farm, so I only need 3TBSP of the run? Will it cover all the surfaces?
Can this be used in a typical turkey fryer using Louanna Oil?
By the way, the rub smells delicious
Hi Paula!
The dry rub will keep for 1-2+ years in the cupboard if your orange zest was dry. Even if it wasn’t dry, I still would feel comfortable keeping it for a few months since salt is one of the best inhibitors of bacteria. Most bacteria or other pathogens cannot survive in a highly salty environment.
Your 15 lb turkey sounds great! I would start with the 3 tablespoons of dry brine and if it doesn’t cover your entire turkey, don’t hesitate to add a bit more. Although 3 tablespoons is a lot more than it sounds…I have a feeling the 3 tablespoons will be able to cover it 🙂
I’m not sure about the turkey fryer since I’m not familiar with them, but I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t work! I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Enjoy!
I used this dry brine last year for Christmas and Thanksgiving. I used dried orange peel and substituted brown sugar for the maple sugar. I deep fried in my indoor Butterball fryer. It was perfect both times. My daughter said it was the best Turkey she’d ever had!
Oh, that is so great to hear, Lisa!!!
I saw this pin and also bought my turkey before seeing that you should use a fresh turkey without any injections/brining which mine has. Could I still do this recipe with less salt?
Hi Kayla, no it will still be way too salty even with less salt.
How many days ahead of time can you make the brine? Should it sit in the fridge until you put it on the turkey?
Hi Kelsey, if you let your orange zest dry out for an hour (or until it’s dry) on the counter before you add it into the salt mixture, this dry brine will keep in the cupboard for 1-2+ years!
I’m using my big batch of dry brine that I made last year for this years turkey 🙂 Happy Thanksgiving!
Do you cook your turkey in a bag?
Hi Brooke, I do not.
Hi Kelsey. I was wondering if I use Kosher Diamond Crystal Salt, which isn’t course. Do I still use a 1/4 cup salt?
Sorry, I meant Kelly.
Hi Jennifer,
To be honest, I’m not sure and I’d hate to tell you the wrong thing for such an important part of Thanksgiving. I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help. If anyone else has experience with this, please chime in!
Thanks Kelly! Looking forward to trying it out! Happy thanksgiving!
I’m going to try this. Do you put your turkey on a rack in the pan?
Hi Annette, I don’t, but you definitely can. I don’t think you can go wrong either way! Happy Thanksgiving!
Late Thanksgiving question, can I use the drippings in dressing? I’m worried about the sweet flavor and citrus flavor. Will thank transfer to the drippings?
Hi Raven, Yes you can! They are delicious in my opinion 🙂
Hi Kelly,
I have always added butter under the skin of the turkeys I have made before. I really want to try your brine, it sounds delicious! Would adding butter under the skin of the turkey ruin the crispy skin?
Thanks!
Hi Alysse,
I wouldn’t say it would ruin it (I used to make turkeys with butter on and under the skin and it was always very delicious, although not the crispiest of skin), but it does defeat the purpose of air drying the skin and in my experience the air drying is the key to the super crispy skin! Happy Thanksgiving!
Since I am using this method, would i still be able to put butter in the cavity when cooking or will that defeat the purpose?
Butter in the cavity is great, Rebecca! I wouldn’t suggest buttering the skin or under the skin because that would defeat the purpose of the air dry skin (which = really crispy skin), but in the cavity is good! Enjoy and happy Thanksgiving!
Ty SO much for such an AMAZING recipe! My turkey turned out so moist and delicious with super crispy skin! I’ll never make a turkey any other way!
Woohoo!!!
Hi Kelly,
I started brining my turkey before I left for work today. I made sure that it was thawed out first and completely dry before I put the rub on but when I got home to check it, the skin was drying out like it is supposed to but there was some (not a lot) of liquid on the pan with the turkey, is that o.k? it was not a lot about 2 tablespoons if that but I don’t want to get anyone sick. Please help!
Mine does that, too Louise – it’s normal and no problem! Enjoy and happy Thanksgiving!
This recipe is awesome! It was my first year hosting thanksgiving and the turkey was a huge success!! Thanks so much!!
Oh this makes me so happy to hear, Emily! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out 🙂
Hi Kelly,
I’m going to try this recipe for Christmas. My question is, do you cover the turkey while cooking?
Thanks for sharing and Happy Holidays!
I do not, Naga. Enjoy!
Made my first Christmas turkey using this dry brine (minus the citrus peel, cause that’s not my thing) and it was amazing. My hubby was very sceptical but now we are both total converts.
Easy and it works.
Awesome, Shauna!!
I’m making this again this year for Thanksgiving and again at Christmas. It was a hit last year. My stepdaughter said it’s the best turkey she’s ever had! I left uncovered for 2 days. Deep fried in my Butterball indoor turkey fryer. Skin was crisp. Meat was juicy. Thanks for sharing!
So awesome, Lisa!!
I can’t wait to try this! I just checked my bird…the only ingredient listed is turkey!
I come from a long line of amazing cooks and I am nervous to host 20 of my extended family this year! I have been researching turkey roasting recipes for weeks and I keep coming back to this one. Fingers crossed for a delicious Tom!
Katie, you are going to rock this!!! Happy Thanksgiving 🙂 🙂 🙂
I am so excited to try this recipe on my first thanksgiving turkey ever! I will be brining tonight. Just wanted to ask – how long do you let your turkey rest when you pull it out of the oven? (If at all)
I do let it rest about 30 minutes before carving!
I just got through making the dry brine. I used “Italian Seasoning” since it has all of the individual spices in it without me having to go and buy all new separately. How would this work smoking the turkey as opposed to in the oven? Was thinking of using a mild smoke such as apple, pecan or cherry wood.
Great idea on the Italian Seasoning, Bill! Smoking it would be amazing!!!
I so wanted to use this recipe this year, but I just realized I bought a turkey with added salt. 🙁 Can I use the rub (minus the salt) and still dry it out in the fridge and it still turn out? I’m so bummed, I was really looking forward to trying this method out. 🙁
Oh bummer!! I believe it would work out just fine, but I really can’t say for sure because I haven’t tried it. Not what you want to hear, right?! If it were me, I’d probably do another method just to be sure…and then try again for Christmas or next year with a no salt turkey (it’s worth it, I promise!) 🙂 If anyone out there has tried using the rub without salt and then air drying before cooking, we’d love to hear your results!
Also, do you think the skin would stay crispy if I make it at home and then bring somewhere else (probably have to re heat)?
Yes, it should, Sarah!
I plan on starting tomorrow with my turkey. So no compound butter? Just wipe and stick in the oven? Any broth in pan? I’m fairly new to the turkey game.
You got it, Cassie – just wipe off and stick in the oven! No broth or butter needed 🙂 Happy Thanksgiving!
Hi, I’m planning on trying this recipe this year as well. Did I read right that there will not be a lot of juice/broth at bottom of pan when done? Just wondering if I should plan to make some stock or if there will be some juices to use from the turkey. Thanks!
Hi Dina, it doesn’t make nearly as much juice as regular recipes (it’s all inside the meat!), but there will be some juice and brown bits that will make excellent, very flavorful gravy. If you are feeding a large crowd, I think making additional stock is a great idea.
Last question I have (I hope) I’m finding I can’t get the maple sugar anywhere locally. I’ve tried Whole Foods and a spice shop. Any good substitutes or should I just leave it out?
and I re-read the recipe again and see you already have an answer for this very question (duh!)
Oh good, glad you caught it! And for those reading the comments…brown sugar works wonderfully. Coconut sugar is a great substitute, too.
I have read every single comment. One question that hasn’t been asked is, why the maple or brown sugar? Since you don’t rinse it, some brining recipes do say to rinse, I don’t want my turkey tasting sweet at all. Please tell me this isn’t the case? Thanks
It doesn’t end up sweet at all, I promise! The sugar helps to some extent with really tender meat….although, it’s a far lesser player than the salt for that role. But where the sugar shines is in its ability to impart flavor and helping the skin to brown and crisp nicely. I’ve tried dry brining a whole chicken without the maple sugar and there was a definite difference in the flavor and browning. Hope that helps!
Can you use this on a turkey breast with skin?
Yes, definitely!
Will this work if you smoke it rather than roasting? I want to use this brine but we plan on smoking.
Yes!
I’m going to try this next week. Just wanted to clear up the last 12 hours of uncovering. Is that where you take the plastic off the turkey and let it unthaw for the last 12 hours? I should probably start thawing it out tomorrow. Will it work to make it a day a head? Thanks.
Hi Mary, your turkey should be completely thawed before doing the dry brine. And yes, you can cook it a day ahead and reheat if that’s what works for you. Hope that answers your question completely. If not, just let me know!
I just purchased a turkey from Trader Joe’s that is already brined. And THEN I found this awesome recipe. Do you think I could do this too?
Hi Sherry, does it have a percentage of injected flavorings on the package? Some of my readers in social media comments have had success (and saying it was the best Thanksgiving turkey they’ve ever made and it wasn’t too salty at all!) with this dry brine recipe even with 10% injected seasonings.
But if it doesn’t say a percentage at 10% or below, I personally wouldn’t do it. I think it would make it too salty.
Can you use this if the turkey is prepackaged basted in chicken broth and sugars
Hi Cynthia! I updated my tips for 2019 because I’ve received so many messages and social media comments saying that this brine is absolutely delicious and not too salty on a 10% or under injected turkey. Does your turkey have a percentage of flavorings on the package?
I used your recipe for our Thanksgiving turkey and it was a huge hit1 I haven’t cooked a turkey in years so I read lots and lots of information and combined little pieces of all of it, using your brine. The turkey was so juicy and it made fantastic gravy. I put the brine on 2 days before I cooked the turkey and left it uncovered for about 24 hours of that 2 days. I brought it to room temperature before cooking it, started it at 450 for a half hour then turned down to 325 for the remainder of time to get it to 155-160. I let it rest for a half hour before we carved it. I used a Honeysuckle White fresh turkey and though it did have a salt solution already injected, the turkey was amazing. My only regret? I also put butter under the skin before I read all the comments here and as you predicted, no crispy skin. Luckily, nobody even mentioned it. We must not have anyone who particularly craves the skin in our group. Thank you so much for posting this recipe. I’ll never make turkey any other way!
Awesome, Robin! Thank you for taking the time to share your experience – much appreciated!
I have used this recipe for the past few years, and each year everyone says it is the best turkey they have ever had. The flavor is delicious and the meat is juicy EVERY time. When people ask, I tell them this dry brine is the way to go. Thank you for this recipe! I love it:)
Woohoo! So happy to hear this, Megan!
We are going to use the 2 hour cooking method which uses higher heat than normal. Do you think the sugar will burn using this method?
I’ve gotten feedback from others who’ve used a higher heat method and all has been well. Happy Thanksgiving!
I’m guessing I’ve roasted 50+ turkeys in my lifetime ( we have turkey several times a year). Last year I tried this recipe and as others have said,”it the best turrkey ever”!
Based upon my experience last year I’ve changing it up a bit. I put the turkey on a rack on a disposable roasting pan in the fridge. This way the bottom of the turkey has a chance to air dry. When the turkey comes out of the fridge I place it on a clean rack in my roasting pan and let it sit for an hour before putting it in the oven. The first time I tried your recipe there was a bit of liquid in the bottom of the pan when it came out of the fridge. I just wanted to be sure that the entire bird was dry. This worked out perfectly. This will always be my go to method for roasting a turkey or chicken. Thank you !
Thanks for your comment, Dayle! So glad you are enjoying this recipe as much as me and my family! I really appreciate all your tips, too. I especially like the idea of airing it out on a rack and I’m going to do that. Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving this year!
Could this be used as a smoker recipe? if someone wanted to brine and then smoke it?
Yes!
Hello again. I’m going to do the recipe again (we loved it) but this year I get my Turkey frozen from the farmer (we pick it up tomorrow). I’m curious what your recommendation is if I want to brine a full 3 days (so say 22-24 and then cook thanksgiving day) how early do you get your Turkey out to thaw in time to do the brine? I assume you don’t put it on before it’s thawed? Mine will be about 20 lbs. Thanks!