Turkey Dry Brine Recipe
A Turkey Dry Brine adds bold flavor to your whole bird, and is so easy to put together for your Thanksgiving menu with a good spice blend right from your kitchen! Skip the store-bought mixes, also try this on a boneless turkey breast for leftovers. With simple ingredients, you can mix a big batch of this spice rub to make a beautiful roast turkey anytime during the holiday season.
Servings: 8
Calories: 928kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 whole zest of lemons
- 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
- 1 tablespoon granulated onion powder
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon crushed dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon paprika not smoked or hot
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 12 pound turkey
- 2 - 32 ounces chicken stock 8 cups homemade or storebought
Instructions
- Make the dry rub, put all the spices and seasonings in a small bowl, and whisk to combine well. You can keep it in a large clamp spice jar or an airtight container if you make it ahead of time.
- Pat the entire whole bird dry with paper towels, this helps the skin turn brown. Season all sides and surface area of the skin with the seasoning. Tuck the wing tips under so they don't overcook.
- Place turkey on the wire roasting rack on a large roasting pan, and pour 32 ounces (4 cups) chicken stock into the bottom of the pan. This helps keep the meat moist and creates pan juices for gravy. Put lemons cut in half in the cavity squeezing the lemon juice inside. You can also add fresh herbs. Place sprigs of rosemary, parsley and sage leaves inside add lots of flavor. Garlic cloves are always good too!
- Preheat oven temperature to 400 degrees. Roast for 1 hour, check the turkey, if browning too fast tent with a piece of aluminum foil. Turn oven down to 375 degrees, and roast for another 90 minutes. Pour another 32 ounces of chicken stock (4 cups) if your liquid is low in the roasting pan. Tent with foil if the skin is browning too fast. I recommend this at the 60 minute cooking time mark.
- Use a good quality meat thermometer or instant-read thermometer. There are also wireless probe thermometers available which are great. You want the breast meat to be 165 degrees f temperature in the thickest part. Be careful to not have the thermometer tip touching the breast bone or that throws off the accuracy of the reading. Also, check the thickest part of the turkey thighs, it needs to reach 175 degrees. Once it reaches a safe temperature, let it rest for 10-15 minutes on a large cutting board. This makes the meat juicy! Don’t cover it so the skin stays crisp. Carve with a sharp knife, and serve warm with side dishes or use in other recipes.
Video
Notes
Seasoning Flavor Variations & Ideas
How To Make A Wet Rub: You can take this dry rub, and turn it into a wet rub by adding a tablespoon of olive oil or avocado oil until it turns into a paste-like consistency. You can also try my Cajun Seasoning to create one of the best cajun turkey rubs, it has a bit of cayenne pepper so it is spicy if you like it hot! Adding Flavor: Put lemons cut in half in the cavity, squeezing the lemon juice inside for more flavor. You can also add fresh herbs! Place fresh rosemary sprigs, parsley and sage leaves inside adds great flavor. Garlic cloves are always good too. What Salt To Use: Kosher sea salt in your rub and not table salt! Table salt is much more dense and saltier due to the size of the salt granules.Nutrition
Calories: 928kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 140g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 464mg | Sodium: 1112mg | Potassium: 1490mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 543IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 87mg | Iron: 6mg