This Perfect Dry Brined Roasted Turkey recipe will result in a beautifully browned, moist, and delicious turkey every time. Although it takes a few days, it's easy, inexpensive, and full of flavor. You will never have to worry again if your turkey will be moist, flavorful, or brown.
I've made Thanksgiving turkey a few times now and although I continue to get better at the process, I still had not found my favorite way to prepare and cook the bird to get the perfect results. Until now. I will always use this Perfect Dry-Brined Roasted Turkey recipe going forward.
Last year, I brined my turkey in a wet brine for a few days. The turkey turned out fine but here is what I did NOT like:
- We had to find a vessel big enough to hold a whole turkey and a ton of liquid for 3 days.
- I had to find space in my fridge for the said vessel.
- Every time I had to turn the turkey in the brine, I had to wrestle the cold heavy turkey a few times.
- My turkey turned out just ok after roasting it and did not brown as much as I wanted.
Whew. That was exhausting just typing that. So, this year I decided to come up with a dry brine, and let me tell you, it was so much easier. And tastier. And browner... which is what I wanted. I looked through a bunch of recipes and ended up coming up with my own mix using all of the things I like. That's the great thing about a dry brine, you can basically put whatever you want in it.
Ingredients Needed to Make the Perfect Dry Brined Roasted Turkey
Dry Brine
- 1 cup kosher salt
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh sage, finely chopped
- 1 large orange, zested
- 1 large lemon, zested
Roasted Turkey
- 10-12 lb turkey, thawed completely
- 1 large lemon, quartered
- 1 large yellow onion, cut into eighths
- 1 handful fresh herbs: rosemary, thyme, sage
- kosher salt to taste
- fresh ground pepper to taste
- ½ stick unsalted butter, melted
How to Make a Dry Brined Turkey
Dry Brine- (3 days ahead of serving)
- Day 1 (Monday before Thanksgiving)- Mix all of the dry brine ingredients in a large bowl. Rinse and dry the turkey. Place your turkey in a roasting pan and rub all over with the brine mix. Wrap the entire pan with a large roasting bag or cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator.
Day 2 (Tuesday before Thanksgiving)
- Open the bag or uncover and flip the bird over. Rub any mix that fell off over bird, re-wrap and place back in the refrigerator.
Day 3 (Wednesday before Thanksgiving)
- Take the bag or wrap off the turkey, flip one more time and allow the turkey to dry out in the fridge uncovered.
Day 4 (Thursday, Thanksgiving day!)
- Remove the turkey from the fridge and pat dry removing any excess brine. Allow the turkey to warm up at room temp for at least an hour before cooking.
- Preheat your oven to 425°F and move rack all the way to the bottom of the oven. Pat turkey dry one more time and place lemon pieces, onion pieces and fresh herbs inside the cavity. Tie legs together with twine and place on roasting rack breast side up. Make sure legs are all tightly snug next to the turkey. Brush the turkey with melted butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Place roasting pan in the oven and cook for 30 minutes at 425°F. This is how you get crispy skin!
- Lower oven temp to 325°F and continue to cook for 2-2 ½ more hours. Check internal temp at the thickest part of the thigh, it's ready at 165°F.
- Remove the turkey from the oven and place the rack on a baking sheet (you can use drippings from the roasting pan for gravy). Cover the turkey with foil and allow it to rest for at least 20-30 minutes before carving. This is the perfect amount of time to make the delicious gravy!
Tools Needed For Roasting a Turkey
Notes and Tips for Making a Turkey with a Dry Brine
- I strongly suggest using FRESH herbs and kosher salt.
- This mix was enough for a 10 lb. turkey but could probably cover up to about 14 lbs.
- Remember this is a recipe for a few days of brining and drying so plan ahead! For Thanksgiving, I started with a thawed-out turkey on Monday morning and everything was ready to go by Thursday morning.
Don't forget about the leftovers!
After you make this delicious Dry Brined Turkey, you will most likely have leftovers. Some people even think the leftovers from Thanksgiving or a turkey dinner are even better than the meal itself! The last thing you will want to do is think about what to do with your leftovers after cooking such a large meal, but you are in luck...I've done the planning for you! Check out my post for Easy Turkey Leftover Recipes where I walk you through planning for leftovers and give you 3 recipe ideas for what to make with the leftovers so you aren't having the same meal over and over again,
More Thanksgiving Recipes
- Homemade Turkey Gravy From Drippings
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes with Garlic Herb Butter
- No-Knead Rosemary Bread
- Easy All-Butter Pie Crust
- Lemon Cranberry Meringue Pie
Perfect Dry Brined Roasted Turkey
Equipment
- roasting pan with rack
- meat thermometer
- large brining plastic bag
- cooking twine
Ingredients
Dry Brine
- 1 cup kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage, finely chopped
- 1 large orange, zested
- 1 large lemon, zested
Roasted Turkey
- 10-12 pound turkey, thawed completely
- 1 large lemon, quartered
- 1 large yellow onion, cut into eighths
- 1 handful fresh herbs: rosemary, thyme, sage
- kosher salt to taste
- fresh ground pepper to taste
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
Dry Brine- 3 days ahead of serving
Day 1 (Monday before Thanksgiving)
- Place all dry brine ingredients in a large bowl and combine them together.
- Rinse and dry the turkey. Make sure you remove any giblets inside and get any leftover feathers that were missed. I use paper towels to dry the bird. Place your turkey in a roasting pan (you don't need the rack yet), and rub all over with brine mix. Make sure you get all the nooks and crannies and the inside too! Wrap the entire pan with a large roasting bag or cover it with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator. I found a roasting bag at the dollar store and it worked perfectly!
Day 2 (Tuesday before Thanksgiving)
- Open the bag or uncover and flip the bird over. Rub any mix that fell off over the bird, re-wrap it, and place it back in the refrigerator.
Day 3 (Wednesday before Thanksgiving)
- Take the bag or wrap off the turkey, flip it one more time and allow the turkey to dry out in the fridge uncovered.
Day 4 (Thanksgiving day!)
- Remove the turkey from the fridge and pat dry removing any excess brine. Place on the counter and allow it to warm up for at least an hour before cooking.
Roasting the Turkey
- Preheat your oven to 425°F and move the rack all the way to the bottom of the oven. Pat turkey dry one more time and place lemon pieces, onion pieces, and fresh herbs inside the cavity. Tie legs together with twine and place on roasting rack breast side up. Make sure the legs are all tightly snug next to the turkey. Brush the turkey with melted butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Place the roasting pan in the oven and cook for 30 minutes at 425°F. This is how you get crispy skin!
- Lower oven temp to 325°F and continue to cook for 2-2.5 more hours. Check the internal temp at the thickest part of the thigh, it's ready at 165°. My 10 lb. turkey took just 2 more hours to cook.
- Remove the turkey from the oven and place the rack on a baking sheet (you are going to use drippings from the roasting pan for gravy). Cover with foil and allow it to rest for at least 20-30 minutes before carving. This is the perfect amount of time to make the delicious gravy!
Notes
- I strongly suggest using FRESH herbs and kosher salt.
- This mix was enough for a 10 lb. turkey but could probably cover up to about 14 lbs.
- Remember this is a recipe for a few days of brining and drying so plan ahead! For Thanksgiving, I started with a thawed-out turkey on Monday morning and everything was ready to go by Thursday morning.
Nutrition
Any nutrition calculations are only estimates using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
After you eat all that glorious turkey, you might need a warm drink to end the day. Try my Boozy Hot Apple Cider or my Pumpkin Spice Martini. And for a non-alcoholic drink, try a Pumpkin Spice Whipped Coffee. These are the perfect drinks for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any night of the week!
Did you Make this Dry Brined Roasted Turkey Recipe?
If you make this recipe, I'd love for you to leave a comment below and tell me how it turned out. You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook and show me your turkey!
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Julia says
I've never tried this method before. I've always bought a turkey crown (there's just 2 of us) and baked it the same way. This time I'm going to try this, flavouring everything with the herbs sounds lovely.
Emily says
I think you will really enjoy the flavors this brine creates. Enjoy!
Ksenia says
I always wanted to know how to make a good roasted turkey!
Emily says
It definitely takes some practice but this method is perfect for beginners! Good luck!
Kayla DiMaggio says
The skin turned out soooo crispy with this dry brined roasted turkey! I will for sure use this brine this Thanksgiving!
Emily says
Crispy skin is the ultimate!
Katie Youngs says
Cooking a whole turkey can seem intimidating but you made it easy with this recipe.
Emily says
I'm glad you found it easy...or at least easier 😊. Cooking a turkey just takes patience and a little flavoring!
Anaiah says
Wow, this turkey was perfectly cooked and well seasoned. The most flavorful I've had. I'll never make it any other way again!
Emily says
So happy to hear it, Anaiah!
Toni says
This was so good!! I will definitely make it again soon!
Emily says
So glad to hear it, Toni!
Gina Abernathy says
For the past 30 years I have been in charge of roasting the turkey for Thanksgiving. No pressure here! 🙂 I have basically done it the same way. This year, I believe I will try this recipe. I like the idea of a dry brined roasted turkey. I may need to double the recipe for I always cook a 22-24 pound turkey. I have a very large family. Thanks for the recipe.
Emily says
Oh my, you are my hero! If you haven’t tried a dry brine before, I highly recommend it. It’s faster and easier than other methods and the results are amazing! Good luck, although I don’t think you need it with all of that experience 😊
Sue says
I did a "dry run" (LOL) of this method and loved the results. The fresh herbs really deliver a ton of flavor! Now I'm ready for Thanksgiving, and maybe a few other meals as well!
Emily says
I’m so glad you liked it! My mom makes turkey year round…it’s funny how we think we can only eat it in November 🙃
Ramona says
This looks absolutely perfection, I will try this with chicken this weekend. Thank you so much for sharing!
Emily says
That sounds delicious!! Let me know how it goes…😁
Brianna says
Omg, the skin turned out perfectly crispy!
Emily says
Yay! That’s what I want to hear. I’m so glad it worked out for you 😁.
Nisha says
This looks like the perfect roasted turkey with all the wonderful spices!
Emily says
It’s the only way I will make a Turkey!! 😁
Bernice says
Dry brining is the only way to go when it comes to turkey. It's so delicious and stays moist.
Emily says
I totally agree. Bernice!
Erin Gierhart says
Such a flavorful turkey! I love what the brine adds to the meat.
Emily says
A few simple steps add a ton of flavor! Thanks, Erin!
Kyleigh says
The brine is delicious!
Emily says
Thank you!!
Lillian says
What a great recipe, I've never tried dry brining a turkey before so I can't wait to try it.
Emily says
Once you do, you may not go back…good luck!