Dry Brined Roast Turkey

4.42 from 91 votes

Dry Brined Roast Turkey

This Dry Brined Roast Turkey is salted the night before, buttered under the skin, and roasted uncovered for juicy, well seasoned meat and crispy golden skin. Easy gravy from the drippings included.

Prep Time30

Cook Time3 15

Dry brine12

Total Time15 45

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: how to roast a turkey, roast turkey, turkey

Servings:

Calories: 779kcal

Author: Joanna Cismaru

Equipment

Ingredients

Turkey:

14 pound turkey thawed
3 tablespoons table salt
1½ teaspoons black pepper
¾ cup unsalted butter softened
1 large lemon zested, then quartered
1½ tablespoons fresh thyme leaves chopped
12 cloves garlic 6 minced, 6 left whole
10 sprigs fresh thyme
1 large onion quartered
1½ cups water

Gravy:

2 cups low sodium chicken broth plus more if needed
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 tablespoons all purpose flour
black pepper to taste
salt only if needed

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Dry brine (the night before):

Remove the neck and giblets. Pat the turkey very dry inside and out with paper towels.
Mix the 3 tablespoons table salt and 1½ teaspoons pepper. Gently loosen the breast skin with your fingers. Sprinkle about a third of the mix under the skin, directly on the breast meat. Sprinkle the rest from about a foot above the bird over the outside, the legs, the back, and a little inside the cavity.
Set the turkey breast side up on a rack in a roasting pan. Refrigerate it uncovered for 12 to 24 hours. Don’t rinse it.

Roast:

Take the turkey out of the fridge 1 hour before roasting. Brush off any salt crystals and pour out any liquid in the pan. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) with a rack in the lower third.
Mix the ¾ cup softened butter, the lemon zest, 1½ tablespoons chopped thyme, and the 6 minced garlic cloves.
Pat the skin dry. Push about two thirds of the butter under the breast skin and spread it over the meat. Rub the rest over the outside of the skin. Don’t add more salt.
Loosely fill the cavity with the onion, lemon quarters, 6 whole garlic cloves, and 10 thyme sprigs. Tuck the wing tips under the body and tie the legs together with kitchen twine.
Pour the 1½ cups water into the roasting pan and set the rack with the turkey on top.
Roast uncovered for about 3 hours and 15 minutes, checking the temperature from 2¾ hours on. If the breast browns too fast, loosely tent just the breast with foil.
Take it out when the breast reads 160°F (71°C) and the thigh reads 175 to 180°F (79 to 82°C). Keep the thermometer off the bone.
Move the turkey to a cutting board, tent it loosely with foil, and rest it for 40 minutes. The breast will rise to 165°F (74°C). Check that it gets there before carving.

Gravy:

Pour about ½ cup of the broth into the hot roasting pan and scrape up the browned bits.
Strain everything from the pan through a fine mesh sieve into a large measuring cup and throw out the solids. Let it sit a few minutes, then spoon off the fat that rises to the top. Add broth to make 3 cups.
Melt the 6 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the 6 tablespoons flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
Slowly whisk in the 3 cups liquid. Bring it to a boil, then simmer for 3 to 5 minutes until thickened. Add more broth if it’s too thick.
Season with pepper. Taste before adding any salt.

Notes

Check the label: if your turkey is self basting, kosher, or “enhanced,” skip the dry brine. It’s already salted.
Kosher salt: use 6 tablespoons Diamond Crystal or 3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons Morton instead of the table salt.
Pan liquid: use water, not broth. The drippings will already be seasoned.
Cook time: a 14 pound turkey took 3 hours and 15 minutes. Always go by the thermometer, not the clock.
Other sizes: see the cooking times chart in the post. Start checking about 30 minutes before the low end of the range.
Gravy: taste before salting. If it’s too salty, thin it with more low sodium broth or water.
Yield: the gravy makes about 3 cups.

Nutrition