Want a succulent, oven-roasted, dry-brined turkey without all the labor? This is my preferred (stress-free) method for preparing turkeys every year. Juicy Oven Roasted Dry Brined Turkey takes only a few minutes of prep and no large pot of liquid is needed.
Recipe: $15.11 | Per Serving: $1.26 | Servings: 12
The main dish is key to winning. With a simple mix of salt and seasonings, you'll have a flavorful bird ready in no time.
What is Dry Brine Turkey? Dry brining, or pre-salting, is an easy process. Massage the turkey with salt, refrigerate for 24 to 72 hours, then roast. Unlike wet brining, dry brining adds flavor without water.
The result? A juicy bird with crispy skin. This is our go-to dry brine turkey recipe every year, and it's easy to see why.
For more turkey recipes, try my Air Fryer Turkey Breast, Cajun Turkey Breast Recipe, and Thanksgiving Tamales.
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🍯 Why This Recipe Works
- It's easier than wet bines! This recipe is super simple, no bags of sloshing liquid or giant pots big enough to submerge a turkey in. Just a few pantry staples, a roasting pan, and a few minutes of your time.
- The prep is quick. Mix some seasonings, rub the bird, and then wait as it brines in the fridge for a day or two. This is a great recipe for those with busy holiday schedules. Note that you can actually prep the bird up to 4 days in advance!
- Simple ingredients. We just need a thawed turkey and some basic seasonings. This keeps the recipe affordable for tight budgets or those of us who avoid grocery shopping too close to the holidays.
🥘 Ingredients
Ingredient Notes:
Kosher salt- This is the big grain salt, not table salt. I repeat, do not use table salt! Just grab a container of Morton's kosher salt and use that.
Seasonings- To keep things simple, you'll want to use basic seasonings like Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Paprika, Black Pepper, Cayenne, Dried Basil, and Fresh or dried Rosemary.
Whole Turkey- Make sure to plan ahead and thaw your turkey with plenty of time to go. Turkeys can often take days to thaw in the fridge and you will need your bird completely thawed in advance.
Make sure to see How to Reuse Leftover Food to help you find ways to use up leftover turkey meat!
For specific ingredients and measurements, please see the recipe card below.
🔪 Instructions for Dry Brined Turkey
Step 1: Make the dry bine rub by adding the salt and seasonings to a small container or bowl.
Step 2: Mix well to combine and then set aside.
Step 3: Remove the neck, giblets, bags, etc from inside the turkey, and then pat it dry with paper towels.
Step 4: Loosen the skin around the turkey by placing your hand between the skin and the meat and working your way all over the breasts and thighs as best as you can. The skin is pretty elastic so don't worry about popping holes in it unless you have long/sharp nails.
Step 5: Sprinkle the seasoning blend over the turkey.
Step 6: Smother the bird with the seasonings salt, get inside the cavity, on the skin, underneath, and directly on the meat layer under the skin too.
Step 7: Place the turkey in a large roasting pan and then place it uncovered in the fridge overnight or for 24 hours, or even up to 4 days.
Step 8: When ready to cook, place the turkey on the counter to rest for 30 minutes while the oven preheats.
Step 9: Cook at 350 degrees F for roughly 2-3 hours (15 minutes per pound) until the thigh reaches 165 degrees F with an instant read thermometer.
Note: If you don't want the turkey breasts to darken further, cover them with a foil tent at any point during the baking process.
Step 10: Let the turkey rest for 30 minutes before carving. I let mine rest for 1 hour with a tight tent of foil over the top and several clean bath towels laying over the top of the foil, to hold in the heat.
🍴 Recipe Tips
- Easy Dry Brining- Preparing a dry brined turkey is remarkably simple, making it my preferred method for seasoning these large birds.
- Enhanced Flavor Penetration- Loosening the turkey's skin to apply the seasoning underneath not only promotes crispier skin but also allows the flavors to infuse the meat. The salt aids in breaking down tough fibers through osmosis, resulting in a juicier turkey.
- Optional Stuffing- Consider stuffing the turkey with onions, apples, carrots, celery, or other aromatics before roasting for added flavor. Alternatively, rubbing unsalted butter under the turkey's skin prior to baking can enhance richness.
- Balanced Drippings- When done correctly, the turkey drippings won't be overly salty, ensuring they're suitable for making delicious turkey gravy.
⏲️ Make Ahead Instructions
After applying salt to your turkey, you can leave it in the fridge uncovered for up to 4 days. I usually just do 24 hours as I enjoy keeping my fridge open to space during the holidays, but letting it brine longer is noticeable in the difference in tenderness.
💭 Recipe FAQs
No, this is a big NO! Table salt has way more salty flavor packed into those tiny grains and will make your dry brined turkeys taste like a salt lick and not like a fresh herb turkey.
A wet brine is usually done by placing a turkey in a large pot or bag full of liquids and then storing it in the fridge. Dry brine is just rubbing it with salt and calling it a day. No leaks, no fuss, the way Thanksgiving was meant to be.
This is another big no. The salt is pulling out moisture and locking it in at the same time like magic (well, science). To add water by rinsing off the salt, you will completely undermine your efforts and it will be like you wasted the past few hours of your life. Leave the salt. You'll thank me later.
Brined turkeys cook faster than unbrined ones, so start checking the internal temperature about an hour before the expected cooking time ends. When the breast and thighs reach at least 165°F, it's ready. Be vigilant about temperature checks, and once done, let the turkey rest for 20 minutes before carving.
❤️ More Delicious Thanksgiving Recipes
If you tried this Dry Brined Turkey, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and share your feedback in the 📝 comments section below. I would truly appreciate it!
📖 Recipe
Dry Brined Turkey
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons kosher salt (not table salt!) ($0.02)
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder ($0.02)
- ¼ teaspoon paprika ($0.02)
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder ($0.02)
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper ($0.02)
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper ($0.01)
- ½ teaspoon dried basil ($0.04)
- 2 Tablespoons freshly chopped rosemary (or 2 teaspoon dried) ($0.20)
- 1 whole 10 -12lb turkey ($14.76)
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl or jar, combine the seasonings and set them aside.
- Remove all necks, giblets, bags, or unedible contents from the turkey.
- Pat the turkey dry with a paper towel. This will help the seasonings to stick much better.
- Loosen the skin on the turkey by carefully working your hand in between the thick skin and meat. Loosen it as best as you can over the entire breast and some of the thigh area. The more you can get -the better.
- Smother the inside and out of the bird with the salt mixture. Make sure to rub under the loose skin and directly on the meat as well.
- Place the turkey in a large pan and stick it in the fridge uncovered for 24 hours or up to 3 days.
- When ready to cook, allow the turkey to rest at room temperature as you preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cook for roughly 2-3 hours (about 15 minutes per pound). Make sure to check on it every hours as it can come to temperature faster than expected. The thigh needs to reach 165 degrees F on an instant read thermometer.
- If you don't want the turkey breast to get any darker after it's been roasting for a while, place a triangular shaped piece of foil over the breasts as a shield and continue to cook.
- After it's finished cooking, allow your turkey to rest for a good 30 minutes before carving. This helps to keep the juices in place and allows it to finish the last few minutes of cooking.
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