Dry Brine Turkey with Herb Butter

A dry brine is mostly waiting. You rub salt over the bird, leave it uncovered in the fridge for a day, and the salt does the work — drawing moisture out, dissolving, then carrying seasoning back into the meat while the skin dries out and gets ready to crisp. The best part: none of the mess of a liquid brine.

Two important things to know: one tablespoon of Diamond Crystal kosher salt for every two pounds of turkey, and 24 hours in the fridge. Everything else — the herb butter under the skin, the oranges and onion in the cavity — is flavor on top of a bird that’s already going to be good.

The one thing people miss is that the brine comes after thawing, not during. A 14 pound turkey needs about three days in the fridge to thaw and then another day to brine, which means it comes home from the store the Saturday before Thanksgiving. There’s a full schedule below.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Foolproof dry brine – Dry brines give a ton of flavor to your turkey and makes the skin so crispy. This recipe is great even if you’ve never made a turkey before
• Less mess, less stress – wet brines are great, but they require pouring a bunch of liquid in a huge pot or bucket. I love that the dry brine makes it easy and less messy, especially on a day as chaotic as Thanksgiving!
• Herb butter heaven – The herb butter goes under the skin of the turkey to make the tastiest, juiciest turkey ever.

Not cooking for a crowd? This recipe is written for a 10 to 15 pound whole bird. If you’re feeding six or fewer, a whole bone-in turkey breast gives you the same herb butter and crisp skin in under two hours — and you can dry brine that too, with the same salt ratio.

How long to dry brine a turkey

12 hours minimum, 72 hours maximum, and 24 hours is the sweet spot. Under 12 hours the salt hasn’t travelled past the surface. Past 72 the texture starts to turn faintly hammy.

The bird has to be completely thawed before the brine starts, and that’s about a day per 4 to 5 pounds in the refrigerator. So for a 14 pound turkey, brined 24 hours and served Thursday, it goes in the fridge to thaw the previous Saturday. That’s the date most people miss.

Dry Brine vs Wet brine

A dry brine is a salt mixture with spices that you rub directly onto the turkey. The salt pulls the water out of the meat to get that crispy, golden brown skin on your roast turkey.

A wet brine is a solution of water and salt and other flavors in a large pot or bucket. You put the whole turkey into the salt solution and allow to sit for anywhere from a few hours to a couple of days. This method keeps the turkey very moist.

Dry Brine Turkey FAQs

Do you rinse a turkey after dry brining?

No. Rinsing undoes the dry surface you’ve spent 24 hours creating, and it splashes raw poultry around your sink. Wipe the bird down with damp paper towels to take off any undissolved salt, then pat it completely dry. That’s all it needs.

Can you dry brine a frozen turkey?

No — it has to be fully thawed first, or the salt sits on ice instead of drawing moisture from the meat. Allow about a day per 4 to 5 pounds in the refrigerator, and remember that thawing time comes before the 24 hours of brining, not instead of it.

Can I dry brine a turkey breast instead of a whole turkey?

Yes, and it’s a good option if you’re cooking for six or fewer. Use the same ratio — 1 tablespoon of Diamond Crystal per 2 pounds — and the same 24 hours, then follow my roast turkey breast recipe for the herb butter and timing.

Why is my dry brined turkey too salty?

Almost always the salt brand. Morton kosher is about one and a half times as salty by volume as Diamond Crystal, so measuring Morton with Diamond Crystal numbers overshoots badly. The other cause is a turkey that was already brined at the plant — kosher birds and anything labeled “self-basting” or “enhanced” shouldn’t be dry brined at all.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Turkey – fresh or frozen works, but just be sure to start your defrosting process ahead of time if it is frozen. You do not want kosher turkeys or self-basting turkeys for this recipe because they already have added salt.
• Diamond Crystal kosher salt — 1 tbsp for every 2 lb of turkey (use ⅔ as much Morton)
• Zest from 2 oranges – the orange zest is perfect for this recipe. It adds so much great flavor.
• Yellow onion – the onion goes into the cavity for the duration of roasting your turkey
• Fresh herbs – these herbs goes into the cavity to add a depth of flavor to the turkey while cooking
• Unsalted butter – the base of your herb butter. Unsalted is best so you can control the amount of salt going into the butter
• Chopped fresh herbs – these herbs go into the herb butter, so I like to chop them as finely as possible
• Garlic cloves – I find grating the garlic is the best result for adding it into the butter
• Kosher salt and black pepper – the salt and pepper add flavor to both the butter and the turkey. You can add more to taste if needed

Salt by weight

Use 1 tablespoon of Diamond Crystal kosher salt for every 2 pounds of turkey.

The brand genuinely matters here. Morton kosher salt is about one and a half times as salty by volume as Diamond Crystal, because the crystals are denser. Measure Morton with the Diamond Crystal numbers and you’ll oversalt the turkey by half, which isn’t something you can fix on Thanksgiving. Use roughly two-thirds as much, as in the column above. Don’t use table salt at all — it’s finer still, and the iodine comes through.

One more thing to check before you buy: skip kosher and self-basting turkeys. The label will say “enhanced,” “basted,” or list a solution percentage.

How to make the juiciest thanksgiving turkey with a dry brine

Step 1: Defrost Turkey and dry Brine

If turkey is frozen, defrost completely before starting dry brine. It will take 1 day for each 4-5lbs of turkey to defrost in the refrigerator. Prep turkey for dry brine 24 hours prior to cooking the turkey.

Remove any organs or giblets from the cavity of the turkey and pat the turkey dry with paper towels. Calculate the amount of kosher salt needed for the weight of the turkey. Zest both oranges and mix the salt with the orange zest in a small bowl (Image 1).

Sprinkle the salt and orange zest mixture over the entire turkey and spread some inside of the cavity (Image 2). Place the turkey on a rimmed baking sheet in the refrigerator for 24 hours – leaving the turkey completely uncovered results in crispier skin, but you can cover it if you’re more comfortable with that.

Step 2: Make Herb Butter, spread under skin and fill the cavity

Remove the brined turkey from the fridge (Image 3) and wipe off excess salt with damp paper towels. Preheat the oven to 400F and place the turkey breast-side up in a rack in a roasting pan.

Make the compound butter (Image 4) by mixing the softened butter with the finely chopped fresh herbs, minced garlic, salt and pepper. Spread the compound butter under the skin of all areas of the turkey (Image 5).

Cut the yellow onion and zested oranges into quarters. Place them into the cavity of the turkey along with the bundle of fresh herbs (Image 6).

Step 3: Roast

Tie the legs of the turkey together with butchers twine (Image 7).

Place the turkey in the oven at 400F for just 30 minutes. Then, reduce the heat to 325F and let the turkey continue to cook. Every 30 minutes, take the drippings from the bottom of the pan and baste the skin of the turkey with a cooking brush.

Cook the turkey for about 13 minutes per pound at 325F checking the temperature each time you baste. Total time usually between 2.5 hours for a 10lb turkey and 3.5 hours for a 15lb turkey. Use an instant-read thermometer to check both the breast and thigh. Pull the turkey when the breast reads 160°F and the thigh reads 170°F. Measure the breast at its thickest point and the thigh at the inner joint, keeping the probe away from bone, which conducts heat and reads high. (Image 8).

If the turkey is browning but not yet reached temperature, you can cover any dark spots with foil to avoid burning.

Rest at least 30 minutes before carving. It needs that long for the carryover to finish, and a turkey that size stays hot far longer than people expect. I like to cut the breast and thigh off the turkey with the skin on it before cutting into slices.
Reserve the drippings at the bottom of the pan for gravy.

Roasting time by Weight

Start checking at the earlier time rather than trusting the clock. Ovens vary, and a turkey that sits in the oven twenty minutes past done is a different bird entirely.

How to Store Leftover Turkey

Carve the meat off the bones before it goes in the fridge. The meat will dry out faster if it stays on the carcass. Here’s the one thing that makes a real difference: leave the meat in large pieces rather than slicing it. Store each lobe whole, or in big chunks, and slice when you’re ready to eat. Sliced turkey has far more surface area exposed to the air, and that’s where the moisture goes. Sealed in an airtight container, it keeps 3 to 4 days.

Spoon any leftover make ahead turkey gravy into a separate container — it keeps the same 3 to 4 days and it’s what you’ll want for reheating. Don’t throw away the carcass. Simmered with an onion, a couple of carrots and whatever herbs are left, it makes a far better stock than anything in a carton, and it’s the base for turkey noodle soup on the Saturday after. If you’re not up for it that week, bag the carcass and freeze it whole.