Easy Dry Brine Turkey Recipe

While you might enjoy sliced turkey throughout the year, there are only a couple select times each year that you probably enjoy a giant turkey meal. Most commonly, this is during Thanksgiving, partially due to needing a bird big enough to feed a large gathering of people. 

If you’re in charge of cooking the turkey this year, this easy dry brined roasted turkey recipe is one that people will be craving long after the leftovers are gone.  

What is a Dry Brine Turkey?

A dry brine turkey is where I first prep the turkey by dry brining it (rather than wet brining it). Once this has happened, I then roast the turkey in the oven to fully cook it. This results in a flavorful and juicy turkey.

As an important note, if you are planning to dry brine your turkey, you will need to start this process 2-3 days in advance of when you are planning to eat your turkey meal.

When Do You Start Prepping a Turkey for Dry Brining?

A fully thawed turkey or fresh turkey will not last much longer than 3 days in the coolest part of your fridge (<40°F). Since at this point you should know how much turkey you need and how long it will take to thaw the turkey, you need to know how long it is going to take to prepare the turkey for cooking. Use this chart below to help determine when you should start:

Turkey Size (lbs)	Days in advance to start with a fresh turkey (time needed to brine)	Days in advance to start with a frozen turkey (assuming you immediately start thawing it)
10	2	4
11.25	2	4.25
12.5	2	4.5
13.75	2	4.75
15	2	5
16.25	3	6.25
17.5	3	6.5
18.75	3	6.75
20	3	7
21.25	3	7.25
22.5	3	7.5
23.75	3	7.75
25	3	8

For a sub 15 pound turkey you will need about 2 days to dry brine the meat. For a larger turkey I’d recommend 3 days. Worried about bacteria? Bacteria hate salt, which is why salt has been used to preserve food for hundreds of years. Also, since I’ll be right at 3 days before popping it the oven, I am in range for fresh turkey safety anyways.  

What is a Dry Brine?

A dry brine is basically just coating your meat with salt and refrigerating it rather than dunking it in salt solution. Osmosis will still happen like a normal wet brine, but now there is no dilution of flavor or need for a giant bucket.  

Why Do I Dry Brine Turkeys? 

One of the main reasons turkeys get dry is because they have muscle fibers called myosin that constrict and force juice out of the meat before the meat is at a safe temperature to eat. I brine turkeys to relax and dissolve these fibers so they don’t constrict, leaving all that moisture in the bird.

How Does a Dry Brine Work?

In short, you have two processes happening. The first is the physical process of osmosis which moves salt from outside the turkey to inside the turkey. The next is the chemical process of salt acting on the muscle fibers and proteins which denatures them and preventing constriction during cooking. 

My Approach to Dry Brined Roasted Turkey

You have probably heard of brining before. What you probably haven’t heard of is dry brining. I am going to dry brine a turkey because it is easier and results in more concentrated turkey flavor. 

One of the big factors for developing this dry brining recipe was ease. I don’t own a bucket or cooler to do a full wet brine on a 15-20 pound turkey. But, a 15 pound bird in a disposable baking tray fit just fine in my apartment sized side-by-side fridge. 

For a much longer explanation of this process, I dive more into the details in my wet brined turkey breast recipe. 

Developing Flavors in Your Brine

I do a fairly traditional brine of 1 part salt, 1 part sugar (split half white, half brown sugar). The only added thing I do to mine is add a teaspoon of liquid smoke. 

Ratio wise, I did 1 tablespoon of salt per 5 pounds of turkey. I do not recommend adding anything that isn’t water soluble (no spices or herbs since they really just sit on top and absorb moisture which you do not want).   

Tools Required

For dry brining and roasting your turkey you need the following tools:

• Baking tray and can to hold your turkey
• Roasting rack to keep the bottom of the turkey off the tray 
• Aluminium foil to control browning 
• Thermometer (oven or thermapen, ideally both)

As you can see, I am keeping my tools simple!