Dry Brine Turkey

4.57 from 46 votes

This dry brine turkey recipe is possibly the easiest and best way to cook a juicy, tender, and flavorful turkey. Here’s how to do it right.

Prep Time3

Total Time3

Course: Chicken and Turkey Recipes

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 740kcal

15 pound defrosted or fresh turkey see notes for adjustments for different sizes
3 tablespoons coarse kosher salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 tablespoons dried herbs OR ¼ cup fresh minced herbs see notes for suggestions

Remove the giblets from the turkey and set aside for stock or gravy. Pat turkey dry with paper towels, inside and out. Place turkey on a rimmed baking sheet.
Mix together the salt, baking powder, and herbs to make the brine.
Sprinkle the brine all over the inside and outside of the turkey.
Refrigerate for 24-72 hours, uncovered.

Preheat oven to 325°F. In the bottom of a large roasting pan, place ⅔ of the carrots, ⅔ of the celery, all of the onion, 6 of the garlic cloves, a sprig each of sage, rosemary, and thyme, and the bay leaves. Place the roasting rack on top.
Place the turkey on the roasting rack, breast side up. In the cavity of the turkey, place the remaining carrots, celery, garlic, sage, rosemary, and thyme. Add in the apple and orange slices. You'll really have to stuff it all in there with some force. You can choose to bind the legs closed with kitchen twine if that'll keep it all in.
Place the butter pats either between the skin and breast of the turkey (this might be difficult with a dry brined turkey) or on top of the turkey.
Place the turkey in the oven and roast for 45 minutes. Pour half the chicken broth over the turkey, and then roast for an additional 45 minutes. Pour the remaining chicken broth over the turkey, and roast an additional 45 minutes.
Continue roasting, basting with juices regularly, and tenting with foil if the turkey begins to brown. Roast until the turkey reaches ~160°F on an instant-read thermometer in the fleshy part of the thighs.
Remove from oven, tent with foil, and let rest for at least 20 minutes before carving.

While the turkey rests, strain the drippings from the roasting pan into either a large glass measuring cup or a fat separator. Let sit for a few minutes for the fat to separate from the broth. Measure out 3 cups of the broth from the drippings.
In a medium-size saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat until melted. Whisk in the flour, and cook, stirring constantly, until just slightly browned—about 3 minutes.
Whisk in the broth, and cook until smooth and thickened, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
If the gravy doesn't thicken properly, whisk together 2 teaspoons arrowroot or cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water, and then add the slurry to the mixture. Heat until it reaches the desired thickness.
If gravy gets too thick before serving, whisk in additional broth from the turkey drippings until you get the desired thickness.

Fresh herbs will get you the best flavor, but dried or a combination of the two work well. I like to use equal parts sage, thyme, and rosemary.
This recipe works as-is for various size turkeys, except the brine recipe. If using a smaller or larger turkey, use this ratio per 5 pounds of turkey: 1 tablespoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 2 teaspoons dried herbs OR 2 tablespoons fresh minced herbs.
Dry brining works best on a thawed or fresh turkey, but you can also do it on a frozen or partially-defrosted turkey with good results.