How to Dry Brine a Turkey for the Juiciest and Crispiest Bird

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There are a lot of opinions out in the world about how best to prep a turkey for Thanksgiving. Should you make a dry-brine turkey? Wet-brine? Skip brining altogether? We’ll just cut right to the chase: The official Epi opinion is that dry-brining is the only brine method you should consider when prepping a holiday bird. The process is literally just coating the raw turkey in salt (and maybe a few other flavorings) and letting it hang out in the fridge for a couple of days. It’s exponentially easier to pull off than a wet brine and it imbues the meat with so much flavor, your guests will never complain about dry, tasteless meat again. But let’s back up:

Dry brining a turkey is one of the best ways to ensure a flavorful, moist and tender turkey with crispy skin for your Thanksgiving or holiday meal. It may sound complicated but dry brining simply involves rubbing the turkey all over with salt and letting it rest in the fridge for 1-3 days before cooking. This draws out moisture from the turkey, which combines with the salt to create a brine that gets reabsorbed into the meat.

I prefer dry brining over wet brining because it’s so easy and requires no special equipment. The result is a turkey with seasoned succulent meat and super crispy skin. In this article, I’ll explain what dry brining is why it makes for a better turkey, and provide a simple step-by-step guide on how to dry brine a turkey yourself for the perfect holiday centerpiece.

What is Dry Brining?

Dry brining is a salt-based brining method that relies on the natural juices drawn out of the turkey to create a brine. It involves rubbing salt all over the turkey, letting it rest in the fridge uncovered for 1-3 days, and then roasting without rinsing off the salt

The salt draws moisture out of the turkey through the process of osmosis. The moist salt on the surface then dissolves into a brine, which gets reabsorbed into the meat. This seasons the turkey throughout and helps it retain moisture during cooking.

Dry brining should not be confused with wet brining, which requires submerging the turkey in a saltwater solution for hours before cooking.

Why Dry Brine Your Turkey?

There are several benefits to dry brining over traditional wet brining:

It’s easier: Dry brining just requires rubbing salt on the turkey and refrigerating. No need to find a container big enough to submerge the turkey.
Better flavor: With wet brining, the turkey absorbs water which can dilute the flavor. Dry brining concentrates the flavor.
Crispier skin: The turkey skin dries out in the fridge, allowing it to get super crispy in the oven.
Seasoned meat: The salt penetrates deep into the meat to uniformly season the entire turkey.
Juicy meat: The brine keeps the turkey extra moist and tender.

So if you want a turkey with seasoned, tender meat, ultra crispy skin, and concentrated flavor, dry brining is the way to go.

How to Dry Brine a Turkey – Step-by-Step

Dry brining a turkey takes minimal active effort but requires 1-3 days of waiting. Here is a simple guide:

Ingredients

1 whole turkey (10-15 lbs), neck and giblets removed
1-2 tbsp kosher salt per lb of turkey
Optional: herbs, spices, sugar

Instructions

Remove turkey from packaging: Take the turkey out of the packaging. Discard the neck and giblets or use to make stock.
Pat turkey dry: Use paper towels to thoroughly dry the outside and inside cavity of the turkey.
Calculate salt amount: Use 1-2 tbsp kosher salt per lb of turkey. For a 15 lb turkey, that’s 15-30 tbsp salt.
Make dry brine: Combine salt with any optional herbs, spices, or sugar. I like rosemary, thyme, sage, pepper, and brown sugar.
Coat turkey: Rub the salt mixture all over the turkey, including the cavity. Gently loosen the skin to get salt underneath if possible.
Refrigerate: Place turkey on a rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate, uncovered, for 1-3 days.
Roast turkey: Roast turkey as desired without rinsing off the salt. For crispiest skin, leave uncovered for the last 6 hours.

And that’s it! Just coat in salt, wait, then roast. The salt will penetrate deep into the meat for seasoned, juicy turkey with super crispy skin.

Turkey Dry Brining FAQs

Here are answers to some common questions about dry brining turkey:

How long should I dry brine a turkey?

1-3 days is ideal. The longer you dry brine, the more seasoned the meat will be. For best results, dry brine for at least 24 hours.

Should I rinse off the salt before roasting?

Do not rinse the turkey after dry brining. This will result in soggy skin. Pat dry with paper towels before roasting.

What size turkey should I dry brine?

Dry brining works great for most standard 10-15 lb turkeys. Larger birds may need more salt.

Can I stuff a dry brined turkey?

Yes, you can stuff a dry brined turkey. The stuffing may absorb some saltiness so adjust the seasoning accordingly.

What salt should I use to dry brine?

Use kosher salt for dry brining. Table salt is too fine and dissolves too quickly. Kosher salt’s larger grains are perfect.

Should I dry brine a frozen turkey?

Only dry brine a fully thawed turkey. If partially frozen, rinse under cold water until flexible enough to dry brine.

Can I over dry brine a turkey?

It’s nearly impossible to over-dry brine. Leaving it for 4-5 days can make it extremely seasoned throughout.

Make This Year’s Turkey the Best Ever

If you want your Thanksgiving or holiday turkey to have seasoned, juicy meat and ultra crispy skin with concentrated flavor, dry brining is a must. It’s easier than wet brining and consistently delivers delicious results.

Simply pat the turkey dry, coat with salt, refrigerate for 1-3 days, then roast as desired. No messy buckets required! Use the guide above and make this the best turkey you’ve ever tasted. Your family will be asking for it year after year.

how do i dry brine a turkey

Why dry-brining results in the best turkey:

The wet-brining method involves some complex maneuvers. For one, you’ll need to source a giant bucket or a big bag to let the turkey bathe in. It’s a process prone to nightmarish outcomes (#throwback to when former Epi food editor Rhoda Boone ended up with a fridge flooded with turkey water). You’re far less likely to encounter such problems when making a dry-brined turkey. Sure, you’ll have to make a little room in the fridge, but that’s the nature of Thanksgiving turkey, no matter which route you take.

Dry-brining has more going for it than mere user-friendliness. It also renders the turkey skin extra crispy: As the turkey rests uncovered in the fridge, the skin dries out, allowing it to crisp beautifully in the oven. Additionally, dry-brining ensures the turkey meat is penetrated with seasoning throughout.

When you dry-brine a bird, the salt draws out moisture from the turkey, causing the salt to dissolve. Once dissolved, the salt combines with those turkey juices and gets reabsorbed into the meat. Along the way, the process breaks down muscle proteins, giving way to the most tender, moist, well-seasoned turkey you’ll ever taste, no basting or buckets required.

Dry brining vs. wet brining:

There are two ways to brine your Thanksgiving turkey: a wet brine or a dry brine. Dry brining simply involves rubbing a turkey in a salt-and-herb mixture and letting it sit in the refrigerator for many hours (usually about one hour per pound). Wet brining is slightly more involved: it requires soaking a turkey in a salt-water solution (herbs, spices, and aromatics can be incorporated, and sometimes other liquids like beer or molasses are added to the water) for several hours or overnight.