Thanksgiving Turkey Dry Brine Recipes

HOW TO DRY BRINE A TURKEY FOR THANKSGIVING

Steps:

• Remove the neck and giblets from the turkey and save for gravy. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels and put on a rimmed baking sheet.
• Combine 1/4 cup salt, the sugar, rosemary, sage, thyme, celery seeds, and 2 teaspoons pepper in a spice grinder. Pulse until the herbs are finely chopped and the salt is pale green.
• Rub the turkey inside and out with the salt mixture, rubbing some under the skin of the breasts. Refrigerate, uncovered, at least 8 hours or overnight.
• When ready to roast the turkey, rinse it well and pat dry with paper towels. Stuff the cavity of the turkey with desired flavors and ingredients. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine. Put the turkey breast-side up on a rack set in a large roasting pan and tuck the wings under the body. Add desired seasonings and flavor to the outside of the turkey. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Position an oven rack in the lowest position (remove the other racks) and preheat the oven to 350˚. Roast the turkey 1 hour, then baste with the pan drippings, adding up to 1/2 cup water to the pan if the drippings are getting too dark. Continue to roast the turkey, basting every 30 minutes and adding more water to the pan if needed, until the skin is golden brown and a thermometer inserted into the thigh registers 160˚, 1 1/2 to 2 more hours. Transfer the turkey to a cutting board and let rest 30 minutes before carving.

DRY-BRINED TURKEY WITH CLASSIC HERB BUTTER

Steps:

• Unwrap the turkey and remove the neck and giblets (reserve for gravy). Rinse the turkey under cold water and pat dry. Combine 1/3 cup salt, the sugar and 1 teaspoon pepper in a bowl. Rub all over the turkey and inside the cavity. Put on a rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate, uncovered, at least 8 hours or overnight. Rinse well and pat dry. (A dry brine is a good choice if you're short on fridge space.)
• Mix the butter, parsley, sage, thyme, 1 teaspoon pepper, the paprika and cloves until combined. Reserve 4 tablespoons of the butter, then rub the rest under the turkey skin on the breasts and legs. Rub 2 tablespoons of the reserved butter on the skin; chill and save the rest for your gravy. Let the turkey stand 30 minutes at room temperature before roasting.
• Put the oven rack in the lowest position; preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put the turkey breast-side up on a rack in a large roasting pan, tucking the wing tips under. Tie the drumsticks together with twine. Roast until the skin is golden brown and a thermometer inserted into the thigh registers 165 degrees F, about 15 minutes per pound. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 30 minutes before carving. Whisk the reserved 2 tablespoons flavored butter into your gravy just before serving, if desired.

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.

DRY BRINE TURKEY

Steps:

• Mix all the ingredients together.
• *Use 1 tablespoon of dry brine for every 5 pounds of meat* Pat dry the outside and inside of the turkey. Then season the entire outside and inside cavity using the dry brine. Don't forget to loosen some of the skin and season directly on the meat, too, especially on the breasts.
• Refrigerate, loosely covered, for at least 12 hours up to 72 hours (the more time it sits in the fridge, the more flavorful it will be, but you'll still get a really great tasting bird even if you do the minimum time). *Important step for the best, crispy skin: Take OFF the covering during the final 12 hours in the refrigerator and refrigerate UNCOVERED for 12 hours*
• When you're ready to cook the turkey, pat the outside dry (no need to rinse or wipe anything off) and cook using any method you prefer. I like the long and slow oven roasting method: 325 degrees F for approximately 15 minutes per pound.

THANKSGIVING TURKEY DRY BRINE

Steps:

• 1. PREP/PREPARE
• 2. Wet Brine: Wet brining has been around for hundreds of years, and moved from Europe to the United States about 75 years ago. The brining process helps the turkey (or whatever you're brining) retain moisture. The process dissolves muscle proteins, and when this happens, the fibers lose their ability to contract during the cooking process. If they can't contract, they can't squeeze out any moisture, which means a juicer bird. In addition, brining helps to season the meat before cooking. Wet brining will increase the water content of your bird, and decrease the amount of moisture due to the cooking process. However, that additional moisture is really nothing but water.
• 3. Adding Additional Spices to a wet brine: Well, in two words... Don't bother. Cell walls are semi permeable. If the pressure on one side of the wall is greater than the other, liquid will pass through to equalize the pressure... that's called osmosis. So, the higher concentration of salt solution in the brine interacts with the liquid on the other side of the cell wall, and since it's of higher concentration, it allows the liquid to pass through. In addition, because salt is a very small molecule some of the salt will also pass through the cell wall (membrane). But most spices are too big to pass through, so they wind up on the outside of the bird. Many brining recipes call for bringing in a number of aromatics-carrots, celery, onions, spices, and herbs. This makes the brine smell really good, but doesn't do much much beyond the skin.
• 4. The Bottom Line: Wet brining will increase the overall moisture of the bird, and will minimize the loss of moisture during the cooking process. It's a win-win situation, right? Well, not exactly. The additional moisture will be in the form of water; which dilutes the flavor of the turkey's original juices, and the breakdown of the fiber structure give the turkey a different mouth feel... almost like ham. If done correctly with exactly the right amount of salt, and the right temperature and time, wet brining can produce wonderful results. But, can we do better...
• 5. The Dry Brine: I will admit that it took me a bit of time to mentally work through the process of dry brining a bird. I was skeptical about the whole process... until I got into the science of the whole thing. Brining is not about a bunch of liquid; it's about concentration of elements, and in this case the primary element is salt... good old salt.
• 6. How Dry Brining Works: When you sprinkle salt on a body of a turkey, it will eventually draw moisture out and will mix with the salt solution. Then, over time the salt causes the muscle proteins to break down, and the moisture will be reabsorbed into the muscle fibers. As opposed to an 8-hour wet brine, dry brining takes up to 3 days. The brine will penetrate deeper, into the bird, and (if you're using them) bring some spices along for the ride. The Bottom Line: So, if you're not adding any additional liquid, how does this help... Good question. The dry brine will do several things: • It will flavor the natural juices of the bird without watering the whole thing down. • Because of the long process (3 days), it will penetrate deeper into the bird, and bring a few well-selected spices along for the ride. • The dry brine will not add more liquid; however, it will prevent most of the natural juices from escaping. I'm doing two birds this Thanksgiving: One with a traditional wet brine, and one with a dry brine... We'll see which one wins on Thursday.
• 7. THE DRY BRINE RECIPE
• 8. 1 tablespoon of kosher salt per 5 pounds turkey, and dry spices; ground up in a spice grinder until fine.
• 9. Chef's Note: The only additional spice that I use is dried oregano; however, you could use smoked paprika, ground bay leaf, some thyme, or rosemary... whatever suits your fancy.
• 10. Sprinkle the salt and spice mixture evenly over the bird.
• 11. Place the turkey in a sealable bag, and squeeze most of the air out, and wait 3 days.
• 12. Twice a day, open the bag and massage the salt mixture into the bird.
• 13. On the third day, remove from the bag and allow to air dry in the refrigerator for 8 hours.
• 14. Cook according to your best traditions, and baste with a bit of butter.
• 15. Chef's Note: A brined bird will cook faster than a non-brined bird by 20 percent or more.
• 16. Keep the faith, and keep cooking.