Dry Brined Roasted Turkey Recipes

DRY BRINE TURKEY

Steps:

• Pat turkey dry with paper towels. Season the inside and outside of turkey with kosher salt, focusing on the breast and thighs. Place turkey, breast-side up, in the roasting pan and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate turkey for about 2 days.
• Flip turkey breast-side down, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about 1 more day.
• Remove plastic wrap and place turkey on a rack over a baking sheet the night before you plan to roast. Allow turkey to air-dry in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours.
• Bring turkey to room temperature, 1 to 2 hours; pat dry with paper towels. Season turkey with black pepper and place onion and celery in the cavity.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Place turkey, breast-side down, in a roasting pan.
• Roast in the preheated oven until skin is golden, about 30 minutes. Remove turkey from oven and flip to breast-side up. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C); continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165 degrees F (74 degrees C), about 2 hours.
• Transfer turkey to a large platter and loosely tent with aluminum foil; allow turkey to rest about 30 minutes before carving.

SUMAC DRY BRINED ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• For the turkey: Two days before cooking, combine the salt with the herbes de Provence, sumac and black pepper in a bowl. Rub all over the turkey, inside and out, and under the skin of the breast and legs where accessible, being careful to not tear the skin. Place on a sheet tray fitted with a rack or in a roasting pan fitted with a rack. Place in the refrigerator, uncovered, for 2 days.
• Bring the turkey out of the fridge 1 to 2 hours before cooking to temper.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Combine the butter, minced thyme and lemon zest in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Place the turkey on a work surface. Spread the butter under the skin of the turkey around the legs and breasts, as evenly as possible. Stuff the cavity with the quartered lemons, apple, shallots and sprigs of thyme. Tie the legs closed with kitchen twine. Place the onions, carrots, celery and garlic at the bottom of a roasting pan fitted with a rack. Place the turkey on the rack. Roast, basting every 30 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the leg (do not touch bone) reads 155 to 160 degrees F, 12 to 14 minutes per pound, or 2 to 3 hours. Allow the turkey to rest for 90 minutes.
• For the gravy: Meanwhile, strain the drippings and juices from the roasting pan into a bowl. Discard the vegetables. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until the raw flavor is cooked off, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the cider vinegar and soy sauce for depth. Slowly whisk the strained drippings into the flour to avoid clumps. Simmer until the gravy just coats the back of a spoon, 5 to 7 minutes. (The gravy will not be a heavy thick gravy, but rather a light gravy.) Season to taste. Carve the turkey and serve with the gravy.

DRY-BRINED TURKEY

Steps:

• Two days before serving, rinse turkey and pat dry. Rub all over with kosher salt, slipping salt under skin where possible and rubbing some into cavities. Use about 1 tablespoon per 4 pounds of bird.
• Wrap bird in a large plastic bag and place in refrigerator. On second night, turn turkey over. A couple of hours before cooking, remove turkey from bag and pat dry. (There is no need to rinse it first.) Place in roasting pan and allow to come to room temperature.
• Heat oven to 450 degrees. Sprinkle half the pepper into main cavity of turkey; add thyme, parsley, half the onions and half the apples. Truss legs with kitchen twine. Put remaining apples and onions in neck opening and tuck neck skin under bird.
• Rub butter under breast skin and onto thigh meat. Sprinkle bird with remaining pepper.
• Roast for 30 minutes. Remove turkey from oven, reduce heat to 350 degrees and cover breast of bird and wing tips with foil. Add 1 1/2 cups white wine (or use water) to bottom of roasting pan and roast bird for another two hours, depending on size; figure 12 minutes a pound for an unstuffed bird. Remove foil in last half-hour so breast browns.
• When turkey has roasted for 2 hours, begin to test for doneness by inserting a meat thermometer (digital is best) into two places in thigh, making sure not to touch bone. It should be at about 160 degrees.
• When roasting is done, tip turkey so interior juices run back into pan. Remove turkey to a separate baking sheet or serving platter, cover with foil and then a damp kitchen towel and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes.
• Pour fat and drippings from pan into a measuring cup. Deglaze pan with 1/2 cup white wine (or use broth) and pour that into same measuring cup. Fat and drippings can then be used to make gravy.

VERY CLASSIC DRY-BRINED ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Place salt and brown sugar in a medium bowl and work together with your fingers to incorporate. Place turkey on a flat or V-shape roasting rack set inside a large roasting pan. Pack dry brine all over turkey, inside and out, nudging some into areas where the skin naturally separates from the bird, such as around the neck and top of the breast and between the legs and breast. Chill, uncovered, at least 12 hours and up to 2 days.
• Place oven rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 425°F. Rinse turkey and pat dry. Rinse roasting pan and rack if needed. Place turkey, breast side up, on rack in roasting pan and pour 1 cup water into pan. This will prevent drippings from burning. Roast turkey, rotating pan back to front halfway through and adding more water by 1/2-cupfuls as needed to maintain some liquid in the pan, until skin is browned all over, 35-45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook rosemary, garlic, butter, and soy sauce in a small saucepan over medium heat until bubbling and fragrant, about 5 minutes; keep warm.
• Reduce oven temperature to 350°F and continue to roast turkey, basting with butter mixture every 10-15 minutes and rotating pan every 30 minutes or so if bird is browning unevenly, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of breast registers 150°F (temperature will continue to climb as the bird rests), 40-70 minutes longer. Transfer turkey to a cutting board and let rest at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour before carving.

DRY-BRINED ROASTED TURKEY

Steps:

• The day before, remove the giblets from the turkey cavity and pat dry with paper towels.
• Combine the salt, sugar and pepper in a medium bowl. Sprinkle the mixture inside the turkey cavity and all over the outside skin, using all of it. Put the turkey on a large baking sheet or platter and refrigerate uncovered overnight.
• The next day, adjust a rack in the oven to the lowest position and remove the other racks. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Set a roasting rack in a roasting pan.
• Rinse the turkey very well and pat dry thoroughly. Stuff the cavity with the herbs, bay leaves, garlic and onion. Put the turkey on the roasting rack, breast-side up, and brush with half of the butter. Tent with aluminum foil.
• Roast the turkey for 2 hours, then remove the foil and brush with the remaining butter. Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees F and continue to roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thigh registers 165 degrees F, about 45 minutes more. Let the turkey rest for 20 minutes, then remove and discard the herbs, bay leaves, garlic and onion before carving.

BRINED AND ROASTED WHOLE TURKEY

Steps:

• Overnight Brine: Combine Morton®Kosher Salt and sugar in cool water in a large, clean stockpot until completely dissolved. Place the whole turkey in the brine until completely submerged. Cover and refrigerate overnight, up to 14 hours. Remove the turkey from the brine, rinse inside and out under cool running water for several minutes to remove all traces of salt; pat dry with paper towel.
• 4-5 hour Brine: To brine your turkey in less time (4-5 hours), use 2 cups of Morton®Coarse Kosher Salt and two cups of sugar. Cover and refrigerate for 4 to 5 hours.
• To Roast: Mix the softened butter with the pepper. Place turkey on rack in roasting pan. Rub the seasoned butter under the skin. Brush the skin with the melted butter. Pour the 1 cup liquid (wine, broth or water) over the pan bottom to prevent drippings from burning. Roast turkey at 450 degrees F for 25 minutes, baste and then rotate the roasting pan. Continue roasting until the skin turns golden brown, an additional 25 minutes; baste again. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F; continue to roast, basting and rotating the pan once about halfway through cooking, until the minimum internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. Remove the turkey from the oven. Let stand 20 minutes before carving.

EASY ROASTED DRY-BRINED TURKEY

Steps:

• Pat turkey dry with paper towels. Combine salt and pepper. Rub 2 tablespoons salt mixture evenly inside body cavity, then rub remainder all over outside of bird. Tuck wings under turkey and wrap in plastic wrap, or place in an oven bag, pressing out all air. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet; refrigerate 24 hours.
• Remove plastic from turkey; let stand at room temperature 1 hour. Preheat oven to 425 degrees with rack in lower third. Rinse turkey inside and out; pat dry with paper towels. Place turkey, breast side up, on a rack set in a roasting pan. Tie drumsticks together with kitchen twine. Pour 1 cup water into pan and roast turkey 1 hour.
• Remove turkey from oven and check temperature. A thermometer inserted in breast should read 165 degrees. If it doesn't, continue to roast turkey up to 30 minutes more, checking temperature every 10 minutes. Transfer to a carving board and let rest at least 45 minutes and up to 1 hour before carving. If making turkey gravy, use only 2 tablespoons of defatted drippings (they're much saltier from a brined bird).

ROASTED DRY-BRINED TURKEY

Steps:

• Make the turkey: Combine 2/3 cup salt and crushed bay leaves in a small bowl. Rinse inside and outside of turkey, and pat dry with paper towels. Rub 2 tablespoons salt mixture evenly inside turkey cavity, 2 tablespoons on each leg portion, 1 1/2 teaspoons on each wing, and 2 tablespoons on each breast. Place turkey in a large oven bag and seal tightly, removing any trapped air. Place on a rimmed baking sheet, and refrigerate for 48 hours.
• Remove turkey from bag, and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Combine 1 stick butter, the wine, and whole bay leaves in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, then remove from heat.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees with rack in lowest position. Rinse inside and outside of turkey, and pat dry with paper towels. Place turkey, breast side up, on a rack in a roasting pan. Tuck wings under turkey. Season cavity with salt and pepper, and loosely fill it with 4 cups stuffing. (To bake remaining stuffing, see Leek-Celery Root Stuffing). Tie legs together with kitchen string. Rub remaining 1/2 stick butter on turkey, and season with salt and pepper. Pour water into roasting pan.
• Place turkey, legs first, into oven. Roast for 30 minutes, then baste with butter-wine mixture. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees, and roast, basting with butter-wine mixture every 30 minutes, for 2 1/2 hours. (Add more water to roasting pan if necessary to prevent pan drippings from burning.) Rotate pan, and roast until skin is golden brown and thickest part of thigh (avoiding bone) and center of stuffing register 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer 30 to 45 minutes more. (If turkey is done before the stuffing, remove turkey from oven, and spoon stuffing into a buttered baking dish, and continue to roast until golden and center registers 165 degrees.) Transfer turkey to a rimmed baking sheet, reserving pan juices and roasting pan, and let rest for 30 minutes before carving.
• Make the pan gravy: Pour reserved pan juices into a glass measuring cup or a gravy separator, and let stand until fat rises to the surface, about 10 minutes. Pour or spoon off fat.
• Place reserved roasting pan on 2 burners over medium heat. Add wine, and bring to a gentle simmer, scraping browned bits with a wooden spoon. Whisk flour and giblet stock in a large bowl until combined. Add defatted pan juices, whisking to combine, then pour into roasting pan. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half and thickened, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Remove pan from heat, and whisk in butter. Strain through a sieve, and discard solids. Stir in parsley. Season with salt and pepper if desired.
• To carve the turkey: Place the turkey in front of you, breast side up, and use your hand to hold it steady. Cut through kitchen string, and discard. Remove drumsticks first by placing a knife against the thigh, cutting alongside body, and slicing through the skin to expose the joint. Apply pressure at the joint with the tip of the knife, then twist the knife, and cut through the joint to release the drumstick. Repeat on the other side. (For a video how-to, see How to Carve Turkey Like a Pro.)
• Use a long-handled spoon to scoop out the stuffing, and transfer it to a serving bowl. Slice the thigh meat from the bone.
• Place the knife horizontally at the bottom curve of the breast, and slice in toward the rib cage along the length of the breast to create a "guide cut." Then make a vertical slice from the top down alongside the rib cage to loosen the breast meat. Cut the breast vertically into 1/4-inch-thick slices, being careful to preserve some skin. Repeat on the other side. Insert the knife tip at wing joint closest to the turkey, and twist to release wing. Repeat on the other side.