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.
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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.
Key Ingredients For This Recipe
- fresh rosemary
- fresh thyme
- fresh sage
- fresh orange
- fresh lemon
- 10-12 lb turkey
*See the recipe card for the complete list of ingredients and quantities.
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 it all over with the brine mix. Wrap the entire pan with a large roasting bag or cover it with plastic wrap and place it 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 the 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 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 ½ more hours. Check the 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 Homemade Turkey Gravy From Drippings!
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.
If you get a chance to make this Perfect Dry Brined Roasted Turkey, tag me on Instagram or Facebook and show me, or leave a review below! You can also follow me on Pinterest and sign up for my e-mail list to receive more fun and delicious recipes right in your inbox.
Perfect Dry Brined Roasted Turkey
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.
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!