Dry Brine Turkey (Juicy, Crispy Roast Turkey)
Servings: 8
Calories: 863kcal
This dry brine turkey uses a simple salt, herb, and brown sugar rub to season the meat all the way through. No buckets, no watery mess- just a juicy, flavorful turkey with naturally crispy skin. Includes exact salt-to-weight ratio, timing by turkey size, and chef tips for roasting.
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Ingredients
For Dry Brine:
- 15 pound turkey
- 3 tablespoons coarse sea salt *
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh herbs minced and optional
- 2 cloves garlic , grated
- 1 teaspoon white pepper , ground, optional
- 1-2 tablespoons brown sugar
For turkey:
- 2 whole carrots , cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 white onion , cut into quarters
- 3 ribs celery , cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 cup chicken broth, white wine or apple juice , or other liquid
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter* , melted
Instructions
For Dry Brining:
- In a small bowl, mix together the 3 tablespoons coarse sea salt *, 1-2 tablespoons fresh herbs, minced or grated 2 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon white pepper and 1-2 tablespoons brown sugar.
- Remove the turkey from the packaging. Remove the giblets and neck from inside the cavity and discard or save for another use. Remove or discard any plastic or metal cages or pop-up thermometers. Rinse the turkey under cold water. Pat the turkey dry, inside and out with paper towels.
- Using your fingers, gently loosen the skin from the meat around the breast and legs.
- Season the inside of the turkey cavity with 2 teaspoons of the dry brine mixture.
- Rub the reminder of the dry brine between the skin and meat and over the top of the skin evenly.
- Bend the wings back and tuck under the breast to secure.
- Place the turkey breast-side up in a roasting pan and refrigerate covered for 2-4 days. Check daily for pooling liquid, discarding as needed. On the last day, remove the cover and allow to air dry.
- Do not rinse before cooking. From here follow any recipe you like or use the instructions for roasting below, but DO NOT add additional salt.
For Roasting:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- In the bottom of a clean roasting pan add the roughly cut 3 ribs celery, 2 whole carrots, 1 white onion and 1 cup chicken broth, white wine or apple juice .
- Place the turkey upside down (breast side down) on a rack in a roasting pan. Juices will run down preventing the turkey breast from getting dry, so you don't have to baste and potentially hydrate the skin and prevent it from being crispy.
- Brush the bottom of the turkey with half of the melted 4 tablespoons unsalted butter*.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F. Roast for 1 hour.
- Remove the turkey and carefully turn it over, breast side up. Baste with the remaining melted unsalted butter.
- Return to the oven and roast for an additional 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until internal temperature reaches 160°F in the meaty part of the thigh and not near a bone. This will vary greatly depending on the size and shape of your turkey. Check often using a digital thermometer.
- Remove the turkey and allow it to rest for at least 30 minutes before carving. Carving too soon will release all of the juices. Turkey will hold heat fairly well, but you can tent with aluminum foil or return to the oven on the servin tray for 3-4 minutes to reheat.
- If you do make turkey gravy, test drippings for saltiness before adding any additional salt to the gravy.
- We hope you enjoyed this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.
Notes
For salt, we recommend Diamond Crystal. If your turkey varies in size, use approximately 1 tablespoon of coarse sea salt, 1/2 teaspoon dried herbs, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper for every 5 pounds. This measurement does not need to be exact.
Do not use salted butter, the turkey is already well-salted, so use unsalted butter.
Nutrition
Calories: 863kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 131g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 435mg | Sodium: 3293mg | Potassium: 1358mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 338IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 71mg | Iron: 5mg
