Dry or wet brine?

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okiesmokie78

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I never brined anything a day in my life until about 3 years ago when I wet brined our Thanksgiving turkey. It was a huge hit and my family said from here on out I was in charge of the bird for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Well now I have been seeing a lot about dry brining and I'd kinda like to try it, but I dont want to let the family down! Is there a huge difference other than the convenience factor of dry brining? Does the meat stay as juicy? Because that was the main accolade I received about mine. Everybody was saying how the white meat wasnt dry. So whats everyones opinion on dry vs wet brine? any good recipes, or should I just stick with what works?
 
I'm going wet this year. I've done dry previously and loved it, and told several people to try that. I just found out last night that I'm cooking a bird this year, so not a lot of time. I have a mix for wet brine on hand, so I'll switch it up and hope I like it as much as the dry.
 
Heavy salt with kosher salt, then wet brine in buttermilk for at least 24 hours. Wipe as much of the buttermilk as you can off, but don't rinse. Bake/smoke/grill as usual. Skip the stuffing inside the cavity, and instead prepare it with turkey or chicken broth and bake separately. If you want to make things interesting, add some hot sauce like Pete's or Cholula to the buttermilk.
 
I like the idea of doing two smaller birds and try it both ways. We expect you to report back with results! - Please :-D
 
I have wet brine with patio Daddio and smokin Okie both were excellent I have dry brined with the Harvest Brine and that is excellent to. I am heart harvest brining this year as it is really good last mess and takes up less space. Both types of Brian are excellentI just really like the Harvest Brian right now. If you order now you can get it before Thanksgiving
 
keeperofsecrets said:
Heavy salt with kosher salt, then wet brine in buttermilk for at least 24 hours. Wipe as much of the buttermilk as you can off, but don't rinse. Bake/smoke/grill as usual. Skip the stuffing inside the cavity, and instead prepare it with turkey or chicken broth and bake separately. If you want to make things interesting, add some hot sauce like Pete's or Cholula to the buttermilk.
Click to expand...
Much of the reason for putting stuffing into the cavity is to slow the cooking of the white meat surrounding the cavity as there is more mass. This keeps the white meat from drying out while the dark meat cooks to the correct finished temperature.
 
I’ve done both with good results each...but Last year I did the harvest dry brine for the first time and will be doing it again this year. It’s Tough to beat imo
 
noles2g said:
I’ve done both with good results each...but Last year I did the harvest dry brine for the first time and will be doing it again this year. It’s Tough to beat imo
Click to expand...

Please explain "dry brine" to me.

Brine means seasoned, salted water to me. "Dry" sure sounds like rub to me.

I don't get it.
 
Last edited:
I don't think I've done the same recipe two years in a row. We don't have huge gatherings anymore and the family knows to expect a new recipe or four.

I've dry brined, wet brined, injected, butter under the skin, bunch of different ones. Electric smoker pellet smoker, kamado, roto... All good, pick your favorite or try something new. This year trying buttermilk & salt brined and spatchcocked.
 
My best luck has been with injecting Oakridge Game Changer brine mixed with Peach Nectar and Ginger Ale per Mike's recipe on the Oakridge website.
 
Eads Ranch said:
My best luck has been with injecting Oakridge Game Changer brine mixed with Peach Nectar and Ginger Ale per Mike's recipe on the Oakridge website.
Click to expand...

Ginger Ale courses through my veins, mixed with plenty of bourbon. I'm 100% going to try this one. Paired with the bourbon mashed sweet potatoes, I'll be able to eat my cocktail during dinner!
 
Smoking Piney said:
Please explain "dry brine" to me.

Brine means seasoned, salted water to me. "Dry" sure sounds like rub to me.

I don't get it.
Click to expand...


Sure!

Dry brine is another term for the ancient practice of “salting”

In a wet brine, the bird is submerged in a salt water solution.

In a dry brine, a specific amount of salt is added to the exterior of the bird and through the process of diffusion, the salt pulls the natural moisture from the bird, which dissolves the salt making a salt water solution. If you are able to keep the solution close to the skin, it will get pulled back in, brining the bird.

The advantage of a dry brine over a wet brine is you can control the amount of salt going in the bird and you don’t water log the bird, which can happen in a wet brine.

I wrote a blog post detailing it out a few years ago

https://www.naturiffic.com/blog/introduction-to-brine-brining
 
SirPorkaLot said:
Sure!

Dry brine is another term for the ancient practice of “salting”

In a wet brine, the bird is submerged in a salt water solution.

In a dry brine, a specific amount of salt is added to the exterior of the bird and through the process of diffusion, the salt pulls the natural moisture from the bird, which dissolves the salt making a salt water solution. If you are able to keep the solution close to the skin, it will get pulled back in, brining the bird.

The advantage of a dry brine over a wet brine is you can control the amount of salt going in the bird and you don’t water log the bird, which can happen in a wet brine.

I wrote a blog post detailing it out a few years ago

https://www.naturiffic.com/blog/introduction-to-brine-brining
Click to expand...

EXACTLY!! Its not the same as a rub because it is VERY salt heavy in order to allow it to absorb into the meat.
 
For the record, I did the dry brine and injected it and everything was fantastic! I only wish I'd have let it sit for 48 hours instead of 24. I used a recipe for dry brine that called for a tablespoon of kosher salt per 5lbs along with other herbs and pepper. I had a 20# bird so i used 4 tablespoons of salt and added my other seasonings without really measuring, I just eyeballed it until it looked and smelled right! I added garlic powder, basil, poultry seasoning, rosemary, thyme and black pepper. Separated the skin and put about a tablespoon of the mixture under the skin on both legs, and the same on each breat half. Then I massaged it all in and sprinkled the rest around the outside and in the cavity. Then I put in on a baking rack on a cookie sheet for air circulation and placed it in the fridge for 24 hours. about an hour before roasting I brought it out and let it rest for a few, then injected with Tony Chacheres creole butter injection. Turned out damn good!
 
SirPorkaLot said:
Sure!

Dry brine is another term for the ancient practice of “salting”

In a wet brine, the bird is submerged in a salt water solution.

In a dry brine, a specific amount of salt is added to the exterior of the bird and through the process of diffusion, the salt pulls the natural moisture from the bird, which dissolves the salt making a salt water solution. If you are able to keep the solution close to the skin, it will get pulled back in, brining the bird.

The advantage of a dry brine over a wet brine is you can control the amount of salt going in the bird and you don’t water log the bird, which can happen in a wet brine.

I wrote a blog post detailing it out a few years ago

https://www.naturiffic.com/blog/introduction-to-brine-brining
Click to expand...

John, I trust every word you print here and you rock! Thanks for the explanation. :-D
 
Eads Ranch said:
My best luck has been with injecting Oakridge Game Changer brine mixed with Peach Nectar and Ginger Ale per Mike's recipe on the Oakridge website.
Click to expand...

Just wanted to follow up on this. Went onto Oakridge's site and found the ratio (8 ounce Peach Nectar, 8 ounce ginger ale, 1/4 cup Game Changer) and mixed that up. My bird had a solution already, so I used half the amount of injection (per the site recommendations)

I injected around midnight, then wrapped and into the fridge. Dried it the next day at noon and hit it with duck fat spray, and his suggested Santa Maria, fired up the smoker and bird was on an hour later.

She said it was the star of the meal, and that's knowing that Turkey is the protein she's least excited about. Definitely a winning idea that I'll be using again.
 
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