Dry Brine Turkey with Herb Butter
This dry brine turkey is the perfect recipe for your Thanksgiving dinner!
Servings 12 servings
Ingredients
Dry Brine Turkey
- 12 lb fresh or frozen** turkey (anywhere from 10-15lb works)
- 6 tbsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (1 tbsp salt for every 2lb of turkey - see notes for Morton)
- Zest from 2 oranges - save the oranges after zesting
- 1 yellow onion
- 1 oz Fresh poultry herbs (3 sprigs each sage, rosemary and thyme) tied together with a piece of butchers twine
Compound Herb Butter
- 1 cup unsalted butter - 2 sticks at room temperature
- ½ cup fresh herbs - finely chopped - I use a mix of fresh parsley sage, rosemary and thyme
- 2 cloves garlic - finely grated
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- ** 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 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.
- Sprinkle the salt and orange zest mixture over the entire turkey and spread some inside of the cavity. Place the turkey on a tray 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.
- Remove the brined turkey from the refrigerator and wipe off excess salt with damp paper towels. Preheat the oven to 400F and place the turkey in a rack in a roasting pan.
- Make the compound butter 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.
- Cut the yellow onion and zested oranges into quarters. Place them into the cavity of the turkey along with the bundle of fresh herbs. Tie the legs of the turkey together with butchers twine.
- 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. Pull the turkey from the oven 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.
- Allow the turkey to rest for at least 30 minutes before carving. 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.
Notes
- Salt brand matters. This recipe uses Diamond Crystal kosher salt at 1 tablespoon per 2 pounds. Morton is about 1.5× as salty by volume — use roughly two-thirds as much. Don’t use table salt.
- Don’t dry brine a kosher or self-basting turkey. Both are pre-salted, and brining on top of that makes the bird far too salty. Check the label for “enhanced,” “basted,” or a solution percentage.
- Thaw completely before brining — about a day per 4 to 5 pounds in the fridge. That time comes before the brine, not instead of it.
- Brine 12 to 72 hours; 24 is ideal. Uncovered on a tray in the fridge, which also dries the skin and is why it crisps.
- Timing: 30 minutes at 400°F, then 13 minutes per pound at 325°F. Start checking 30 minutes before the expected finish.
- Pull at 160°F in the breast and 170°F in the thigh, away from bone. Both climb about 10 degrees during the rest, which carries the breast past a safe 165°F.
- Rest at least 30 minutes before carving, and save the drippings for gravy.
