this dry brine turkey Rosemary, thyme, and sage are an easy way to infuse your Thanksgiving dinner with herby goodness. The longer you marinate, the crispier the outside and juicier the inside.
Why You’ll Love This Dry Brine Turkey Recipe
This classic dry brine turkey is the only way you'll be seasoning your turkey from now on.
- Simple. All you need are dried herbs, kosher salt, and turkey.
- Clean it up a bit. Discard the parchment paper and clean the baking sheet. That's it!
- Perfect for the holidays. Use this dry brine turkey recipe for your Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year's dinner.
- Suitable for beginners. All you need to do is pat the turkey dry, baste it with dry brine, and let it cool.
What is dry curing?
Dry curing is a seasoning technique used to infuse flavor into proteins through a salt rub. The composition of dry brine can contain only salt, or it can include herbs and spices. Rub the mixture into the egg whites and let cool. When salt breaks down fat molecules, it absorbs excess water. This speeds up the process of searing your chicken, pork, turkey, steak or fish to a beautiful golden brown. It also seasons the meat from the inside out, as it has a chance to absorb the flavors in the rub mixture.
Ingredient description
The earthy, herby, and fresh flavors in the recipe come from a combination of herbs in the dry brine. Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities.
- Whole turkey – Turkey breasts, turkey thighs, turkey legs or legs will also work.
- Kosher salt – If available, buy coarse sea salt.
- Herbal medicine – I used dried rosemary, thyme and sage. You can also use fresh herbs.
How to Dry Turkey Brine
You'd never guess that dry-brining turkey only requires 3 simple steps to achieve all the flavor. Scroll to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe card.
- Prepare turkey. Pat turkey dry on all sides with paper towels. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Mix dry brine. Stir salt, rosemary, thyme, and sage in a small bowl. Rub mixture all over turkey.
- Let it cool. Cover turkey with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for up to 2 days before cooking.
What do you do with brined turkey?
After drying the brine turkey, prepare it as usual to enhance its flavor. Think of it as pre-seasoning or basic herb seasoning. Here are some of my favorite recipes:
- Easy, hassle-free Thanksgiving turkey. Reduce the amount of salt in the garlic butter to 1/2 tablespoon since the turkey is already pre-seasoned.
- Maple Smoked Turkey. This is another recipe worth trying. It has a more complex flavor profile, including smoked maple syrup, sweet ancho chili powder, and paprika. Dampen a paper towel with water and rub it over the turkey to remove excess salt, but do not get it wet.
- Garlic Herb Oven Roasted Turkey Breast. This recipe is perfect if you are only using turkey breast. No salt at all in the garlic cream and 4 herbs. You don't want to oversalt turkey breast, which is inherently lean and mild in flavor.
Tips for success
The secret to a dry-brined turkey that's crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside is to avoid excess moisture at all costs.
- Don't overdo it. Never allow the turkey brine to dry out for more than two days as bacteria can develop later. Raw poultry is particularly sensitive to bacteria and can cause food poisoning even when stored in the refrigerator.
- Get creative with friction. Create a new flavor for your Thanksgiving turkey by mixing 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, taco seasoning, or shawarma seasoning into the dry brine.
- Give it a good cleaning. After using baking sheets and any other kitchen items such as knives and cutting boards, clean them thoroughly with soap and water to avoid future cross-contamination.
- Avoid moisture. Do not add any sauce or liquid to the dry brine mixture. Any liquid added to it will counteract the effect of dry brine, which is to absorb excess moisture. Stick to dry spices for best results.
- Pay attention to the temperature If you live in an area with high humidity and very hot temperatures, don't let the turkey come to room temperature on the counter before cooking. Heat and humidity accelerate the growth of bacteria. It's best to roast and/or roast the turkey straight from the refrigerator.
More Thanksgiving Recipes
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This 3-Herb Dry Brine Turkey recipe with dried rosemary, thyme, and sage will add classic herb flavor to your holiday dinner.
- Once the turkey is completely thawed. Pat dry with paper towels and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- In a small bowl, combine salt, rosemary, thyme, and sage. Mix together.
- Spread dry brine evenly over turkey.
- Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for at least 24 hours or up to 2 days.
- According to cooking method These baking instructions.
