Dry Brined Turkey with Garlic Sage Butter

Dry brined turkey with garlic sage butter is juicy and delicious! Using a dry brine is so much easier than a wet brine, and gives this turkey so much flavor.

After celebrating Canadian Thanksgiving last month, I started thinking that it was about time I share my favorite turkey recipe with you guys!

I LOVE experimenting with different turkey recipes, and once I discovered the amazingness of brining a turkey, I could not go back. But. Using a wet brine is labor intensive and kind of stressful (if you’ve ever tried to get a huge turkey into a brining bag you know what I mean).

Then I discovered dry brined turkey, which eliminates the need for a giant pot/brining bag/extra cooler. All you do is rub a salt mixture over your turkey! So much simpler, and to my surprise, just as flavorful, and the skin ends up much nicer.

How to dry brine a turkey

Dry brined turkey helps lock in moisture by loosening up muscle fibres, helping them absorb more moisture. It also gives the turkey meat a delicious seasoned flavor.

Here’s how to do it:

1. thaw turkey & pat dry
2. the day before serving: prepare dry brine: kosher salt, pepper and brown sugar
3. rub dry brine all over the turkey, let turkey sit uncovered overnight in the fridge
4. the day you’re serving: rinse off the brine, pat turkey dry
5. rub the turkey skin with butter or oil (I used a garlic sage butter). Avoid a salty rub as your turkey will already be plenty seasoned!
6. bake it up!

Recipe tips

1. use kosher salt, not table salt
2. don’t stuff your bird- brining can make your stuffing extra salty
3. be careful with salt- if you are seasoning the skin of your turkey after rinsing off the brine, make sure you don’t use salt. If preparing gravy from the juices, taste before you add any salt.
4. pick a turkey that has not been pre-seasoned or injected with anything. Kosher turkeys have already been brined so they are not suitable for this recipe.

How long to cook a turkey

A brined turkey cooks faster, so make sure to check your turkey’s temperature early!

• How long to cook a turkey entirely depends on the size and weight of your turkey, so make sure you take a photograph of the tag with the weight of the turkey before you discard the packaging!
• The general rule is to roast turkey for 10-15 minutes per lb HOWEVER since a dry brined turkey can cook quicker, I recommend checking your turkey’s temperature early, at around 2 hours.
• To tell if your turkey is done, take the temperature of the thickest part of the thigh. Once it reaches a temperature of 165°F, it’s ready to come out of the oven. I found this video helpful in finding the thickest part of the turkey thigh.

For the record, my 17 lb and my 14 lb roast turkeys were both done between 2 1/2 -3 hours, hence my recommendation to check your bird’s temperature early.

If your turkey is done early, tent it in foil to keep it moist. It will hold the heat for several hours!