How To Dry Brine And Roast A Turkey

The secret to a juicy, well-seasoned and beautifully bronzed bird? A dry brine! It’s so simple. Find step-by-step instructions below for dry brining and roasting your holiday turkey!

Let’s get straight to it!

This simple method for dry brining calls for salt alone — 1 teaspoon of kosher salt per pound — as opposed to salt and sugar or salt, sugar, and additional spices. And the roasted method is similarly simple: brush the bird with melted butter, season lightly with salt and pepper; then roast until done.

This method consistently produces a juicy and delicious turkey with a crisp, burnished skin!

What You Need for Brining the Turkey:

• kosher salt (I prefer Diamond Crystal brand)
• A giant plastic turkey bag or a parchment bag (though I prefer the plastic bag for the protection it offers).

In short you’ll: Set your turkey in the bag and sprinkle it evenly with the salt. For the small 12-pound turkeys I’ve been buying this is about 1/4 cup. Close the bag, then transfer it to the fridge for 48 hours.

What You Need for Roasting the Turkey:

• roasting pan with a rack
• brush
• butter, salt, and pepper
• white wine
• instant-read thermometer : This one is reasonably priced and very accurate: Javelin Ultra Fast Digital Thermometer

In short: On Thanksgiving morning, pat the turkey dry, set it on a rack in a roasting pan, brush it with butter, season all over with salt (lightly), and pepper; then transfer the pan to the oven. You start the cooking at a higher temperature, then lower after 30 minutes. Consistently, my 12 lb. birds are done in under 2 hours.

Find the process outlined in more details below 🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃

How to Brine a Turkey, Step by Step

For the past three years for Thanksgiving, I’ve bought organic turkeys in the 12-14 lb range from Whole Foods, and they’ve been so, so tasty. They are frozen, and I’d recommend removing it from the freezer and transferring it to the fridge 1 week before Thanksgiving. This will give it ample time to thaw before you plan on brining it.

Open the bag and remove the giblets:

Place the liver in a bag and cook or freeze. Save the other giblets for making turkey stock or freeze.

Place the turkey in a large bag: I actually prefer the large plastic turkey bags for this, but a parchment bag works fine, too:

Calculate how much salt you’ll need per pound: for a 12-lb bird, that’s roughly 1/4 cup. Sprinkle the salt over the bird: on all sides inside and out:

Wrap it up; then transfer it to the fridge for 48 hours:

On Thanksgiving morning or whatever morning you plan on roasting, remove the bird from the fridge a few hours before you plan on roasting.

Transfer the turkey to a rack in a large roasting pan and pat dry. Let sit at room temperature until you plan on roasting:

Melt some butter…

Then brush the butter all over the turkey:

Season with salt and pepper:

Transfer to the oven @450ºF for 30 minutes; then add 1 cup of water and 1 cup of white wine.

Lower the temperature to 350ºF and continue roasting until the turkey is done. (See the recipe box for help calculating how much time you’ll need.) My 12-lb birds consistently cook in less than 1 hour. Often it’s more like 1 hour 40 minutes.

An instant-read thermometer should register 160ºF:

Let the turkey rest for at least 30 minutes, but ideally more like an hour before carving and serving:

Such juicy meat!

Description

For this recipe, you’ll need:

• a turkey bag (for brining)
• brush
• a roasting pan with a rack — this is very similar to the one I have, which is 18×14 inches.
• a thermometer — can’t recommend investing in a good instant-read thermometer enough

Notes:

• Timing: If you are using a frozen turkey, remove it from the freezer one week before Thanksgiving. This will give it ample time to thaw before brining it on Tuesday. As noted in the post, I’ve had great success with the frozen organic turkeys from Whole Foods. Delicious! And I prefer buying small birds: 12-14 pounds.

For the brine:

• kosher salt, I prefer Diamond Crystal
• turkey bag
• 12 – 14 lb. turkey

For roasting:

• Roasting pan with a rack
• salt and pepper
• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter
• 1 cup white wine, plus more as needed

For finishing:

• make-ahead gravy

1. Calculate how much salt you need: for a 12-lb. bird you’ll need about a quarter cup of salt. Place the turkey into the large plastic bag. Sprinkle the salt evenly all over the bird, rubbing it into the skin and sprinkling it into the cavity as well. Tie the bag, and transfer to the fridge for 24-48 hours.
2. When you are ready to roast, remove the turkey from the bag and set it on a rack in a roasting pan. Pat dry. Let sit at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours before roasting.
3. Heat the oven to 450ºF. Calculate how many hours your bird should roast: a good rule of thumb is 12 minutes per pound, so for a 12-lb. bird that’s about 2 hours and 25 minutes.
4. Melt the butter and brush it evenly over the bird. Season lightly with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Transfer pan to the oven and roast for 30 minutes. Open the oven, pour the 1 cup of wine along with 1 cup of water into the roasting pan, and close the oven. Lower the oven temperature to 350ºF.
6. Continue roasting until the bird is done. In my experience, dry-brined birds cook more quickly, so I would start checking as soon as an hour and a half later, especially if your bird is 12 lbs. It may need another 30 minutes or even longer, but best to check early. An instant-read thermometer (or other) should register 160ºF.
7. Transfer turkey to a board to rest. If there is liquid in the bottom of the turkey pan, pour it into a quart container or 4-cup liquid measure. Allow the fat to rise to the surface. If there is no liquid, pour some white wine into the pan and use a wooden pan to scrape up the drippings. Transfer them to a bowl.
8. To finish: bring the make-ahead gravy to a very gentle simmer. Skim the fat off the turkey drippings and reserve for another use or discard. If you wish, fortify the make-ahead gravy with the fresh drippings to taste: Simply add as much of the drippings as you wish to the make-ahead gravy to taste.
9. Once the turkey has rested for 30 to 60 minutes, carve it. Serve gravy alongside the turkey.

• Prep Time: 48 hours
• Cook Time: 3 to 4 hours
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Oven
• Cuisine: American

Bye for now! Good luck! Gobble Gobble!

Description

For this recipe, you’ll need:

• a turkey bag (for brining)
• brush
• a roasting pan with a rack — this is very similar to the one I have, which is 18×14 inches.
• a thermometer — can’t recommend investing in a good instant-read thermometer enough

Notes:

• Timing: If you are using a frozen turkey, remove it from the freezer one week before Thanksgiving. This will give it ample time to thaw before brining it on Tuesday. As noted in the post, I’ve had great success with the frozen organic turkeys from Whole Foods. Delicious! And I prefer buying small birds: 12-14 pounds.

For the brine:

• kosher salt, I prefer Diamond Crystal
• turkey bag
• 12 - 14 lb. turkey

For roasting:

• Roasting pan with a rack
• salt and pepper
• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter
• 1 cup white wine, plus more as needed

For finishing:

• make-ahead gravy

1. Calculate how much salt you need: for a 12-lb. bird you’ll need about a quarter cup of salt. Place the turkey into the large plastic bag. Sprinkle the salt evenly all over the bird, rubbing it into the skin and sprinkling it into the cavity as well. Tie the bag, and transfer to the fridge for 24-48 hours.
2. When you are ready to roast, remove the turkey from the bag and set it on a rack in a roasting pan. Pat dry. Let sit at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours before roasting.
3. Heat the oven to 450ºF. Calculate how many hours your bird should roast: a good rule of thumb is 12 minutes per pound, so for a 12-lb. bird that’s about 2 hours and 25 minutes.
4. Melt the butter and brush it evenly over the bird. Season lightly with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Transfer pan to the oven and roast for 30 minutes. Open the oven, pour the 1 cup of wine along with 1 cup of water into the roasting pan, and close the oven. Lower the oven temperature to 350ºF.
6. Continue roasting until the bird is done. In my experience, dry-brined birds cook more quickly, so I would start checking as soon as an hour and a half later, especially if your bird is 12 lbs. It may need another 30 minutes or even longer, but best to check early. An instant-read thermometer (or other) should register 160ºF.
7. Transfer turkey to a board to rest. If there is liquid in the bottom of the turkey pan, pour it into a quart container or 4-cup liquid measure. Allow the fat to rise to the surface. If there is no liquid, pour some white wine into the pan and use a wooden pan to scrape up the drippings. Transfer them to a bowl.
8. To finish: bring the make-ahead gravy to a very gentle simmer. Skim the fat off the turkey drippings and reserve for another use or discard. If you wish, fortify the make-ahead gravy with the fresh drippings to taste: Simply add as much of the drippings as you wish to the make-ahead gravy to taste.
9. Once the turkey has rested for 30 to 60 minutes, carve it. Serve gravy alongside the turkey.

• Prep Time: 48 hours
• Cook Time: 3 to 4 hours
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Oven
• Cuisine: American

Find it online : https://alexandracooks.com/2020/10/30/how-to-dry-brine-and-roast-a-turkey/

Below you will find a recipe for a no-frills stuffing: olive oil-toasted bread tossed with sautéed onions and celery, Bell’s seasonings, and copious amounts of butter. Hands down, it is my favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal every year.

Below you will find a recipe for a very classic bread stuffing from my cookbook, Bread Toast Crumbs . It’s seasoned with Bell’s Seasoning, which, if you are unfamiliar, is a finely ground mix of rosemary, oregano, sage, ginger, marjoram, thyme, and pepper. Just pulling out the box every year makes me happy, filling me with nostalgia for Thanksgivings past, occasions attended without fail by all of my favorite people.

Know you can customize the seasonings and add-ins of this recipe to your liking. Also: you can make it ahead and freeze it. This stuffing, along with the kale version , hands down every year is my favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal.

PS: 25+ Thanksgiving Sides

Description

Below you will find a recipe for a no-frills stuffing: olive oil-toasted bread tossed with sautéed onions and celery, Bell’s seasonings, and copious amounts of butter. Hands down, it is my favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal every year.

Notes:

• If you’re using my mother’s peasant bread for the stuffing, you don’t need to remove the crust. And 1.5 lbs of bread is roughly 1.5 loaves of peasant bread. If you are using crusty bread, remove the crust.

• Making Ahead/Freezing/Baking Instructions: You can make this recipe through the covering-the-pan-with-foil step in step 4; then transfer to the fridge for 24 hours. To Freeze: After you transfer the stuffing to the 9×13-inch pan, cover it with foil, then transfer to the freezer for up to 3 months. To bake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake stuffing covered directly from the freezer for 1 hour. Increase the temperature to 400°F and bake uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes.

• Bell’s Seasoning is readily available at most grocery stores. It’s a mix of finely ground rosemary, oregano, sage, ginger, marjoram, thyme, and pepper. If you can’t find it, I would imagine using some combination of the noted dried herbs would work. A smaller amount of chopped fresh thyme, rosemary, sage, and oregano would also be nice.

• 1½ pounds peasant bread or other French/Italian bread, torn into 1 – to 2-inch pieces (about 12 cups ), see notes above

• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided

• Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

• 4 tablespoons ( ½ stick) unsalted butter

• 2 cups finely diced onions ( 1 to 2 onions)

• 1 cup finely diced celery

• 1 tablespoon Bell’s Seasoning , see notes above

• 1½ cups homemade chicken stock or vegetable stock

• 1 egg

• Softened unsalted butter, for greasing

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, toss the bread with ¼ cup oil; it will feel saturated. Season the bread with salt and pepper to taste. Spread it onto a sheet pan in a single layer, reserving the bowl. Transfer the pan to the oven and toast the bread for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden. Set it aside to cool briefly.
2. Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan, melt the butter with the remaining ¼ cup oil over medium heat. Add the onions and celery, season with a pinch of salt, and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring, until soft and beginning to color.
3. Return the toasted bread to the reserved bowl. When the onions and celery have finished cooking, scrape them into the bowl over the bread. Sprinkle with the Bell’s. Add 1 cup stock, ½ teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Toss. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding salt and pepper as needed — this is your chance to get the seasoning right before you add the egg. In a small bowl, whisk the remaining ½ cup stock with the egg and add it to the bowl. Toss them to combine.
4. Grease a 9 × 13-inch baking pan with the softened butter and spread the mixture into it. Cover the pan with foil (see notes above for making in advance and freezing), transfer it to the center rack of the oven, and bake the stuffing for 30 minutes. Uncover the pan and bake the stuffing for 10 to 15 minutes more, until the bread is golden. Remove the stuffing and let it stand for 10 minutes before serving it.

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 hour
• Category: Side Dish
• Method: Stovetop, Oven
• Cuisine: American