Dry Brine Turkey

If you've never brined a turkey before you're about to have the most flavourful, juicy & tender bird of your freaking LIFE!

I prefer a dry brine over a wet brine for 3 reasons:

1. It's less messy

2. Takes less time to prepare

3. Less space/equipment required

You want to brine at least 24 hours before you plan to cook the bird. Personally I prefer a 48-72 hour brine time. This means if I'm starting with a 15lb frozen turkey I'm starting to thaw that sucker at least 3-4 days PRIOR TO BRINING. If you're turkey is still a bit frozen when you brine that is okay, just make sure to remove the neck & giblets from inside.

Dry Brine Turkey

What you'll need:

1 turkey, thawed, neck & giblets removed

1/2 cup kosher salt (not table or iodized salt)

1/4 cup fresh cracked peppercorns (I used my smoothie blender to crack these)

1/4 cup dried parsley

1/4 cup garlic powder

3 tbsp dried sage

2 tbsp dried thyme

Steps:

Set the turkey on a wire rack inside a roasting pan and pat it dry with paper towel.

In a medium bowl combine 1/2 cup kosher salt, 1/4 cup cracked black peppercorns, 1/4 dried parsley, 1/4 cup garlic powder, 3 tbsp dried sage and 2 tbsp dried thyme.

Starting with the back of the turkey facing up, rub the dry brine mixture all over the back of the turkey, followed by the wings, then legs and finally the breasts. Make sure you get the brine in all the nooks and crannies! Be sure to use all of the brine mixture.

Place the turkey uncovered in the fridge for 24-48 hours.

When you're ready to cook remove the turkey from the fridge and pat any wet areas of the turkey try with paper towel, but try not to remove the brining mixture. Remove any dry brine mixture from the bottom of the roasting pan. Then follow my Best Roasted Turkey recipe!

Happy brining!