My First Dry-Brined Turkey

tish

tish

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I've dry-brined chickens before, but this will be my first ever dry-brined turkey. It's a free range, fresh 12-1/2 lb bird. I combined 2 Tbsps + 1 tsp of kosher salt with 4-1/2 tsps of chopped rosemary, and 1 Tbsp of lemon zest in a spice grinder. Rubbed the turkey all over with the salted aromatics. Put the bird in a large oven bag, and squeezed out all the air. On a platter, and in the fridge until Thursday. We'll see how it comes out. Wish me luck! :grin:

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What are using on yours, Jim?
 
I've done many a chicken that way, and they always come out incredible. Good luck, brother! :wink:
 
Yep, all this dry brine chatter lately has got me thinking about it too. Picking up my turkey tonight, I think I might just give it a shot. :thumb:
 
fingerlickin' said:
Yep, all this dry brine chatter lately has got me thinking about it too. Picking up my turkey tonight, I think I might just give it a shot. :thumb:
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It's certainly easy enough, Jason. The chickens have always turned out very moist and juicy. Should work the same for turkey. Let us know how it goes. :grin:
 
I've been wanting to dry brine for a while now, yours already looks tasty just sitting in the bag, I can wait to see the finished product.
 
Thanks, Paul. It smelled phenomenal! The theory has it that the rosemary and lemon flavors piggyback on the salt and moisture when it gets sucked back into the bird. Should be well flavored all the way down to the bone. I'll let ya'll know how it comes out. :wink:
 
I bet it will be quite tasty! Are you cooking it on the keg with the professionaly cut tear drop vents?

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I think I got the dry brine bug also. One ? Are u salting under the skin or just the top.
 
Actually, I wanted to try both on the Keg, and on a rotisserie. This year, it's the rotisserie, probably with an aluminum foil packet for smoke. Next year's bird will be spatchcocked on the Keg. Anxious to see which way I'll like the best. The rotisserie is fairly new, so I'm still playing with it. :grin:
 
tyotrain said:
I think I got the dry brine bug also. One ? Are u salting under the skin or just the top.
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I've always done it under the skin in the past. This will be my first time salting on top of the skin. This was Russ Parson's latest discovery in his quest for the perfect dry-brined turkey. He's been improving the method every year, and he says he has found that it tastes just as moist and juicy no matter which way you do it, so why bother going under the skin? This makes it stupid simple, and if it turns out the same as past efforts, it should be amazing.
 
Always wet brine but the new thing this year seems to be dry brining. I'm doing three this year so one might just have to be done this way. Do you rince after it's brined?
 
OK. So my mom has now asked me to smoke the turkey Thursday morning. She has a regular 8% solution turkey and there is no deviating from plan now, so a non-solution turkey is not in the cards.

So, this seems like the dry brine might be the best way to go given the circumstances. No?
 
Skidder said:
Always wet brine but the new thing this year seems to be dry brining. I'm doing three this year so one might just have to be done this way. Do you rince after it's brined?
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Some sites recommend rinsing, and some specifically recommend against rinsing. Personally, I never do, because by the time the salt has finished drawing the water back into the bird, you won't find any salt on the surface anyway. Then it can be smoked or roasted with all the lovely aromatics still in place on the skin.
 
Outnumbered said:
OK. So my mom has now asked me to smoke the turkey Thursday morning. She has a regular 8% solution turkey and there is no deviating from plan now, so a non-solution turkey is not in the cards.

So, this seems like the dry brine might be the best way to go given the circumstances. No?
Click to expand...

I would never recommend dry-brining a bird with an 8% solution. I'd be afraid it would be too salty. That's what the solution is... a brine. Brothers and sisters, correct me here if I've misspoken.

*Correction: It could be a brine. Or it could be just water, or something else. I'd suggest asking someone who knows about enhanced birds. I try to use fresh, unenhanced birds, myself.
 
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I just looked it up in the archives, and the brethren say you should halve the salt in the brine. Then again, that's with a wet brine. Personally, I've never done it, so I can't attest to how it would come out.
 
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