Published 10/9/2023 • Updated 10/21/2023 If you are used to wet brining your Thanksgiving turkey, we’re here to change your mind with a simple turkey dry brine recipe! A dry brine refers to the salting and resting of meat. By allowing your turkey to rest with salt on it, it actually draws out moisture and allows it to soak back in, leaving your turkey tender and delicious. Our recipe is so simple and made with just 4 ingredients –> kosher salt, pepper, dried thyme, and dried rosemary.
A Quick Rundown on How to Dry Brine Turkey
Season: Combine the salt, pepper, rosemary, and thyme, and then rub it all over your raw Thanksgiving turkey, covering every part of the bird. Rest: Allow the meat to rest in the fridge overnight.
How long should I let my dry brine turkey rest?
We recommend letting your dry brine turkey rest for at least 12 hours, but it can stay in the fridge for up to 72.
What You Need to Dry Brine a Turkey
Kosher salt: we prefer to use kosher salt for dry brining, but other salts can be used as well. Other spices: we like to add additional flavor to our turkey dry brine with salt, black pepper, dried thyme, and dried rosemary. Storage container: Make sure to have an airtight container or plastic bag large enough to fit your turkey. We typically keep things simple and just use a grocery bag. Turkey: this recipe is enough for around a 14 lb. untreated turkey,
You’ve Dry Brined, Now What?
Now that your turkey has rested for at least 12 hours, it’s time to prep and bake as desired! We have lots of great Thanksgiving turkey recipes on Fit Foodie Finds and dry brine works for all of them. When it comes to dry brining vs. wet brining, it’s all about preference. We personally think dry brining is easier! Roasted Turkey: check out our classic Roasted Thanksgiving turkey recipe. While it calls for a wet brine, simply switch that step out for this turkey dry brine. Smoked Turkey: our smoked turkey is a reader favorite! It does call for a wet brine, but simply swap it out for this dry brine. Spatchcock Turkey: spatchcocking a turkey is one of our favorite cooking methods because it cooks super fast. Our spatchcock turkey actually uses this exact dry brine. Smoked Turkey Legs: while turkey legs are already made with juicy dark meat, a dry brine would do wonders for flavor!
Variations
A dry brine is really all about the salt, so you can add other flavors and spices to the mix to really make it your own. Here are some spice ideas to flavor things your way:
Italian seasoning Dried oregano Dried rosemary
How to Serve Your Dry Brine Turkey
As you can see by the photos of this recipe, we spatchcocked and roasted our Thanksgiving turkey and it came out SO delicious — crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. Below are some Thanksgiving side recommendations for your turkey.
Turkey Recipes
Smoked Turkey Dry Brine Smoked Turkey Breast Baked Turkey Tenderloin Sous Vide Turkey
Roasted Brussels Sprouts Mashed Sweet Potatoes Lemon Ginger Cranberry Sauce Mushroom Gravy
