Have you ever wanted to brine a turkey for Thanksgiving but have been intimidated by the process? Let me show you the easiest way you can brine a turkey for delicious, juicy results.
My First Turkey and My Brining Journey
From the very first time that I ever cooked a turkey, I have been brining it. I learned how to make turkey from watching Alton Brown on Good Eats many years ago. Before I watched that episode, I knew nothing about turkeys, except that we ate them at Thanksgiving and the meat was always dry.
In that episode, he introduced me to the concept of brining and why it does wonders for a turkey. I knew I had to try it myself and was eager to cook my first turkey. In fact, I do have a picture of that first turkey I ever cooked:
And it was immediately the best turkey I had. To make this turkey I first had to thaw it in a bucket of ice water. Then I removed the turkey from its packaging and placed it back in the bucket with my brine of water, brown sugar, salt, and other seasonings.
It was a lot of work, especially when I was making that turkey at someone else's house. Needless to say, I was up multiple times throughout the night.
It was so good I would have been ok with doing this method for the rest of my life. Then Alton came out with a new turkey episode, in which he ditched the water. I have done the same thing and have never looked back. Let me share with you why I have switched to a dry brine and why I think it is the easiest way to brine a turkey.
There are two schools of thought when it comes to brining - you have a wet brine and you have a dry brine. Let me share how each one works and then I will show you why one is easier than the other.
How Does a Wet Brine Work?
The original way I learned to brine a turkey was to make a liquid brine with tons of salt and seasoning. Here is how that process works:
- First, you need to get yourself a gallon of stock.
- Then you need to heat up that stock to dissolve a lot of salt in it.
- Next you have to chill that stock down by adding a lot of ice.
- Then you have to put your turkey into a bucket along with all that stock.
- You need to be adding ice and monitoring the bucket so that it always stays below 40 degrees so it stays safe. The turkey needs 8-16 hours.
How Does a Dry Brine Work?
After doing the wet brine method for several Thanksgivings I was introduced to the dry brine method. Here is how that process works:
- Combine salt with other seasonings in a bowl.
- Rub the brine all over the turkey.
- Place the turkey in a pan and place in the fridge for 4 days.
Since this method doesn't involve liquid is it technically a brine? Yes, because what happens is that the salt will draw moisture out of the meat. There is your liquid. Then the salt is dissolved by that liquid and is then absorbed by the meat.
Pros & Cons of Wet Brine vs. Dry Brine
Which method of brining is better? Let's look at the pros and cons:
Wet Brine
👍 Pros - Once the brine is ready, the turkey is fully brined in 8 hours.
👎 Cons - There are a lot of steps involved, you need a lot of broth or stock, you need to watch it closely to make sure the temperature of the brine doesn't get too high, when the turkey is roasted the skin is hard to get crispy
Dry Brine
👍 Pros - It is cheaper to make because you do not need all the stock, when roasted the turkey skin comes out crispy, you can do it in the fridge without the need for ice
👎 Cons - The process is quite a bit slower
Why I Think a Dry Brine is Easier
The process is so much easier with a dry brine. It is a lot more hands-off. You don't need to closely monitor the temperature of the turkey in the brine because you can simply just do it in the fridge.
Yes it does take longer to do, but it is not an issue if you plan things right. I use Alton Brown's Spatchcocked Dry Brine turkey recipe, that has you brining the turkey on the Sunday before Thanksgiving. Then your turkey is ready to put in the oven on Thanksgiving Day. You do all the work of getting ready days ahead of time, so that takes one big task you don't have to deal with the night before or the morning of Thanksgiving Day.
Both methods produce a very flavorful, perfectly seasoned turkey. What the wet brine doesn't do is produce a turkey with crispy skin. The dry brine can, since you aren't soaking the skin in liquid before you cook it.
For example, I have a recipe for a Dry Brined turkey breast that is cooked in the air fryer. People who never like to eat turkey skin before, were fighting over the last piece.
To summarize, the 3 reasons I think a dry brine is better:
- Cheaper because you don't need stock
- You don't have to worry about keeping the turkey cold in a bucket while you do it
- Crispy turkey skin
Why To Still Consider a Wet Brine
Two main reasons I would still consider a wet brine, even if a dry brine is easier
- If you don't have the fridge space and you need to immediately brine the turkey when you bring it home from the grocery store this method would work for that. You have to brine it and then immediately cook it when it is done, but if you buy it the day before Thanksgiving, you can pull that off.
- Also if you just don't have the time as a dry brine is going to take 4 days maximum, although you could get away with just 48 hours.
Recipes That Use a Dry Brine
Here is a summary of all the recipes on my blog that use a dry brine:
Dry Turkey Brine
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp kosher salt
- 4 tbsp any combo of dried rosemary, dried sage, and/or dried thyme
- 2 tbsp any combo of garlic powder and/or onion powder
- 2 tbsp any combo of coriander and/or cured sumac
- 1 tbsp freshly cracked black peppercorns
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients together.
- Remove a completely thawed turkey from its packaging place onto a sheet pan.
- Using some paper towel pat the turkey dry.
- Using your hands rub the dry brine all over the turkey with your hands, getting into every part of the turkey. Discard any leftover dry brine if you touched it with hands that touched raw turkey.
- Place it into the fridge for up to 4 days uncovered and away from all other food. Your turkey is ready to cook.
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