A Thanksgiving meal is not complete without the the star of the show: Roast Turkey. It's the signature dish to the holiday meal — but don't let that stress you out! Turkeys are large, so we get it, but they don't have to be intimidating. The secret to the perfect turkey? It's all in the prep work. If you want a foolproof way to ensure your bird stays juicy and doesn't dry out in the oven: Brine it!
While it does require a little bit of forethought, a proper brine will set you up for serious success, resulting in a bird that's juicy and flavorful with extra crispy skin. Follow our top tips and you'll have an extra-flavorful Thanksgiving turkey worthy of being the center of your holiday spread:
What is a dry brine?
Brining meat simply means to soak it in a mixture of salt and water, resulting in a juicier and much tender cut. Dry brining takes the water out of the process. With a dry brine, you rub a lot of salt (and in this case a little sugar) all over your meat. You'll still get a juicy turkey, but by not soaking it in water, you'll ensure an extra crispy skin on your bird as well. Win win!
Why not use a traditional wet brine?
The purpose of brining is to use salt — not just to add flavor but to also help break down the turkey's muscles. This both naturally tenderizes the meat and makes the muscles lose some of their ability to contract. When the muscles contract less in cooking, the turkey retains more internal moisture and flavor.
In wet brining, you do get some of these results but you're also injecting a ton of water into the meat. So a turkey that is wet brined may seem juicy, but the juiciness is just in the form of the water you're soaking it in. Dry brining has the same science behind wet brining, but no risk of water logging your bird.
How long should I brine my turkey for?
To properly brine your turkey you'll want to do it for a minimum of 48 hours. This gives the salt plenty of time to soak into the meat and start tenderizing your bird. For the first 24 hours you'll want to keep it covered in the refrigerator, and keep it uncovered in the refrigerator for the last 24 hours so that the skin has time to dry out.
How much salt should I use?
We recommend using 1 tablespoon of salt for every 4 pounds. So an 8 pound turkey will need 2 tablespoons of salt. We also mix in a tablespoon of sugar to help crisp the skin even more! It won't taste sweet but will make a big difference.
Do I need to rinse the dry brine off?
No! Rinsing it would defeat the purpose of a dry brine. Dry brining draws some of the moisture out of the bird so that you can get an extra crispy skin and flavorful meat. Simply pat the excess salt and moisture off the turkey with paper towels before roasting.
Top 5 tips for dry brining:
Did you try dry brining this year? Let us know how it went in the comments below!
Editor's note: We updated the introduction to this recipe on September 30, 2022, to include more information about the dish.
(8-lb.) turkey
kosher salt
granulated sugar
melted butter
Freshly ground black pepper
cloves garlic, minced
fresh thyme leaves
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
Makinze is currently Food Editor for Delish, where she develops recipes, creates and hosts recipe videos and is our current baking queen.. Reigning from Oklahoma, she's also our go-to for all things regarding Midwestern cuisine. She's also our expert pie crimper.
