The simple secret to a truly juicy roast turkey is to season the turkey with a rub a couple of days before roasting. This is called dry brining and it makes the flesh beautifully moist, and you can even do it while the turkey is still FROZEN!
It cooks faster, has crispy golden buttery skin, and your turkey is going to be so amazing it’s going to be remembered for years to come!!!
🍁 2020 Thanksgiving timeline🍁
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Start Thaw Fridge Thaw turkey 24 hrs per 2 kg / 4 lb (or quick thaw in water)
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Tuesday 24th Nov: Rub turkey with seasoning, wrap and refrigerate upside down
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Wednesday 25th Nov: Turn so turkey is right side up
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Thursday 26th Nov: THANKSGIVING! Roast for lunch or dinner
What you need to know
10 years ago, dry brining was still relatively unknown but these days it’s a pretty broadly known fact that dry brining yields superior results to wet brining as well as being far more practical.
Because I want to arm you with everything you need to make the ultimate perfect roast turkey, this is a fairly long post, covering off on (hopefully!) all your questions. So starting off with a summary:
Summary:
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Brining is the path to moist turkey flesh
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Dry brining is far more practical and easier than wet brining
- Partially thawed turkey can be dry brined – handy!
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Brine time:
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1 (bare minimum)
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2 – 3 days (ideal)
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4 days (extra day adds nothing)
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Works with turkey breast (2 days)
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Start turkey roast upside down for extra juicy breast
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Roast turkey cook time 12 minutes per 500g / 1 lb (brined turkey cooks faster)
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75°C / 165°F using a meat thermometer inserted between leg and thigh
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30 minutes resting essential!
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Served with turkey gravy or Cranberry Sauce
Juicy Roast Turkey Guide!
This is a long post, to arm those who are new to roasting turkey with all the information they need. For the experienced, you can skip straight to the recipe or the section you are interested in!
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Internal temperature of cooked turkey (and how to do it)
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Jump to Recipe
Brining = JUICY Roast Turkey
I think we can all agree that there is nothing more devastating than labouring for hours over the Thanksgiving or Christmas table centrepiece only to find that it’s dry – especially the breast meat. Even drowning it in gravy can’t completely compensate.
And in this day and age, there’s pretty much full consensus amongst all the greatest food authorities of the world that brining is the path to Juicy Roast Turkey. It doesn’t matter how much butter you use, whether you roast upside down, spin it around, baste 50 times – if you don’t brine, your turkey won’t be as moist.
Full stop. End of story!!
Take a close look at the turkey slice below – look how juicy it is!!!
What is brining?
Brining is the method whereby meat (turkey, in this case) is soaked in a salty water mixed with aromatics like bay leaves, peppercorns and garlic for a couple of days. This has the effect of trapping moisture in the flesh while it roasts, yielding super juicy turkey.
The method of soaking turkey in a giant bucket of salty water is called wet brining. Dry brining has the same effect, but is done by rubbing the turkey with a seasoned salt then left to “marinate” for a couple of days before roasting.
Dry brining is easier, more effective and tastier than wet brining!
Why dry brining is best
Wet Brining is more well known than Dry Brining. While both methods will yield a juicy roast turkey, there are a number of very important advantages of dry brining:
1. No mopping – I guarantee if you’re manhandling a bucket large enough for a 6 kg / 12 lb turkey AND bringing solution, there will be mopping involved at some stage…. Not to mention the question of whether your fridge has space for said bucket!! (Note: If you’re determined to wet brine, use your vegetable crisper! Genius idea from TheKitchn.)
2. The turkey tastes like turkey. Not water. One of the grievances of wet brining is that while the turkey is moist, the moisture tastes bland – not like turkey. Which makes sense, right? The turkey sucks in the brine and unless it is heavily flavoured with broth, the turkey is sucking in largely flavourless liquid. Whereas with dry brining, the turkey releases its own juices then sucks its own juices back in. Turkey on turkey flavour!
3. The roasting juices aren’t too salty to use for gravy. Another problem many people have with wet brined turkey is that the roasting juices can be too salty to use for gravy. You can compensate by plonking in raw potatoes into the gravy to suck out the salt, but….it’s just one more thing you can avoid by using dry brining!
4. You can start brining while the turkey is still partially frozen. It takes 3 days – yes, 3 WHOLE days – to defrost a 10 pound / 5kg turkey in the fridge. Whereas with this recipe I’m sharing, I accelerate the partial defrosting of the turkey in cold water then it finishes defrosting WHILE it is brining.
5. It roasts faster. It takes 1 hour 45 minutes to roast a 5.5 kg / 10 lb turkey. Compared to 2 1/2 hours for un-brined turkey.
Before we roast, we brine. And before we brine, we must thaw!
Turkey THAWING
A frozen turkey is a formidable block of ice that takes days to thaw. So you must factor this into your turkey-feasting timeline!
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Thaw in fridge (long thaw) – allow 24 hours for every 1.5 – 2 kg / 3 – 4 lb of turkey (my 5.5 kg/11 lb turkey took 3 days)
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Fast thaw in water – 30 minutes per 500g / 1 lb. Turkey needs to be in a leak proof bag / wrapping. Submerge in large sink of water, keep it submerged. Change water every 30 minutes.
Partially frozen turkey can be brined!
DRY BRINE CAN BE APPLIED WITH PARTIALLY THAWED TURKEY. You just need the turkey skin to be thawed enough to rub the salt in. Then brining + thawing will occur at the same time.
Cook times for turkey in the oven
How long to cook turkey in the oven:
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5kg / 10 lb: 1 hr 45 min – 2 hrs
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6 kg / 12 lb: 2 hrs 15 min
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7kg / 14 lb: 2 hrs 30 min
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8 kg / 16 lb: 2 hrs 45min
These are the cook times for a dry brined turkey (loosely stuffed with herbs and garlic) which cooks faster than un-brined turkey. Add an extra 15 – 20 minutes if your turkey is stuffed.
This is the total roasting time, including initial 30 minutes at high temperature. It works out at around 12 minutes per 500g / 1 lb.
Internal temperature of cooked turkey
75C / 165F using a meat thermometer inserted between the leg and the breast (see photo below for point to insert). This is the USDA recommended internal cooked temperature of turkey.
How to take the internal temperature?
Take the temperature of the turkey straight out of the oven. Insert the thermometer between the leg and the breast. Insert straight down until you hit bone, then pull back a bit. Hold still until the temperature registers on your thermometer and stays at the internal temperatures specified above.
How to make juicy roast turkey
I promised you easy, and easy you shall have! Here’s a rundown on the recipe:
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Rub with a simple seasoned salt mixture – salt, thyme, paprika, garlic powder and pepper;
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Wrap like a mummy in cling wrap (holds in all those juices!) and refrigerate for 2 days;
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Stuff with herbs, garlic and pour in a good slosh of butter;
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Slather with butter then roast upside down for 30 minutes (get those juices pooling in the breast);
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Roast right side up for 45 minutes;
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Baste with Garlic Herb Butter then roast for a further 30 minutes. (I do this at this stage to avoid burnt garlic-herb bits on the turkey)
When the internal temperature is reached (see section above), the most important thing to do is to rest the turkey for 30 minutes. This gives the turkey a chance to relax the fibres (ie more tender meat) and even more importantly, the juices get sucked back into the flesh (equals even juicier meat!).
Styling the turkey platter
Even if the turkey is only on the platter for a fleeting moment before being whisked away to be carved, I still feel like it’s worth making a wee bit of an effort so the turkey can have it’s moment spotlight.
While many opt for herb garnishes, I have a thing about making everything on a platter edible. So I create a bed of green leafage – watercress in this case (cheap, right shape, nice to “fan out” around edges) – with pops of colour from orange wedges (also for those creatures who like fruit with meat) and cranberries (thawed frozen ones).
How to Carve Turkey
I had ambitions to include a video of how to carve turkey, but doing such a video by yourself proved to be somewhat of a challenge. Turkey juice squirting everywhere, greasy hands, the challenge of new cameras and most frustrating, the hot breath of a fur ball under the table panting with excitement at the mere experience of being so close to such a giant hunk of meat.
Said video was a total fail. Will attempt again next year. In the meantime – this video is a good tutorial. 🙂
To Stuff or Not to Stuff?
This turkey is not stuffed with stuffing, just with garlic, herbs and a good slosh of melted butter (which does all sorts of good things to the breast when roasted upside down).
I do not stuff turkey because in order for the stuffing to be safe to eat, it needs to reach 75C / 165F – the same internal temperature of the turkey. The stuffing cooks last, so that means in order for the stuffing to be cooked enough to be safe enough to eat, the turkey is overcooked.
No thanks! Besides, stuffing baked separately SO much more delicious – here’s my all time favourite Stuffing recipe!
Cranberry Sauce or Gravy?
Why choose? Serve BOTH! Cranberry Sauce keeps for ages – make it well in advance.
As for gravy…. it’s not an option around these parts. My view is that it’s criminal to to waste those pan juices and NOT make a gravy!
What to serve with Turkey
A classic centrepiece for holiday occasions like Thanksgiving and Christmas, here are my favourite sides to serve with turkey!
Thanksgiving sides for Turkey
Christmas sides for Turkey
So here’s my recipe for the Juicy Roast Turkey made by dry brining. It is based on this recipe from the LA Times which has a cult following – with good reason! I’ve added extra tips and tricks to help make this a breeze for you.
I have a feeling this Thanksgiving is going to be your BEST EVER!!! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
Here’s the recipe video for the Juicy Roast Turkey. See below for gravy!
And here’s the video for the turkey gravy:
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Juicy Roast Turkey
Ingredients
- 10 lb / 5kg whole turkey , thawed (plain not pre brined) (Note 1)
Dry Brine Rub:
- 2.5 tbsp salt (Note 2)
- 2 tsp dried thyme , or other herb of choice
- 1 tsp paprika , sweet or ordinary
- 1 tsp garlic powder (optional)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
For Roasting
- 150g / 10 tbsp unsalted butter , melted
- 1 tbsp (in total) sage, rosemary and thyme , finely chopped (Note 3)
- 3 garlic cloves , minced
- 2 heads of garlic , halved horizontally
- 1 onion , halved (brown, yellow, white)
- 2 small bunch mixed herbs , sage, rosemary, thyme, parsley (optional, Note 3)
- 1.5 cups / 375 ml dry white wine , or water (Note 4)
- Salt & pepper
Gravy (~ 4 cups/1L)
- 4 cups (1 litre) chicken broth / stock , low sodium
- 5 tbsp (60g) flour , plain / all purpose
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
Dry Brining Preparation.
- Rub: Mix together the Rub.
- Prep Turkey: Pat the turkey dry with paper towels., inside and out. Remove giblets or anything else inside the turkey. (Note 5)
- Sprinkle: Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of salt inside and use you hand to spread it (roughly is fine). Turn the turkey upside down, then rub 1 teaspoon of the salt mixture on the underside.
- Turn the turkey upright and rub the remaining salt on the turkey, using most on the breast - even some under the skin if you can.
- Wrap turkey mummy-like in lots of cling wrap or place the turkey in a sealable plastic bag (Note 6).
Brining (Note 7):
- Place turkey upside down in baking pan. Refrigerate.
- 24 hours later: Flip turkey so it's right side up.
- 24 (to 48 hours) later: unwrap turkey. The skin should be moist but not wet. If wet, pat dry. Leave out for 30 min before roasting.
Prepare for roasting:
- Preheat oven to 220C/425F (standard) or 200C/390F (fan).
- Place the onions and garlic in a roasting pan. Place a roasting rack on top - if you have one (Note 8 for sub).
- Stuff bunch of herbs + 2 garlic halves + 3 tbsp butter (45g) inside the turkey. Tie drumsticks together with kitchen twine (optional).
- Place turkey UPSIDE DOWN on the rack. Twist the wings so they are on top - see video. Brush with a bit of melted butter. Sprinkle with a tiny bit of salt and pepper.
- Pour wine in roasting pan.
Roasting:
- Roast for 30 minutes.
- Use a tea towel to turn the turkey over. Brush with butter, sprinkle with a tiny bit of salt and pepper.
- Turn oven down to 165C/325F (standard) or 150C/300F (fan). Roast turkey 45 minutes.
- Mix remaining butter with garlic and herbs. Brush turkey generously with butter.
- Roast turkey for a further 30 minutes or until a) the thermometer that comes with the turkey pops up (America) b) a thermometer inserted between the breast and leg reads 165F/75C. (Notes 9, 10). Cover loosely with foil if browning too much.
- Remove turkey onto serving plate, cover loosely with foil and rest for 30 minutes before transferring to platter for presentation and carving (see in post for styling idea).
- Serve turkey with gravy and/or Cranberry Sauce.
Turkey Gravy
- Place roasting pan (with garlic, onion etc still in it) on the stove over medium high heat. Add flour and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add broth and use a potato masher to mash the onion and garlic into the mixture. Use a wooden spoon to scrap the bottom of the pan. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until thickened.
- Strain into a bowl, pressing down to extract all the flavour out of the onion and garlic. Transfer to gravy boat.
Recipe Notes:
* Fast thaw in water – 30 minutes per 500g / 1 lb. Turkey needs to be in a leak proof bag / wrapping. Submerge in large sink of water, keep it submerged. Change water every 30 minutes. Rub can be applied to partially thawed turkey as long as skin is pliable enough to rub salt in. Add 1 tsp extra salt. Expect lots of juices from the thaw/brining process - ensure turkey is patted dry before roasting. As it brines, liquid may be red from blood from the inside of the turkey thawing - do not worry. Won't affect end result at all. Do not rinse, just pat dry with paper towels. DO NOT:
* Use this recipe for "self basting" or pre marinated turkeys, will be too salty. Check ingredients or nutrition - if there's salt or flavourings, the turkey has already been brined. Typically these include boxed and frozen turkeys at the supermarkets in Australia. **See HOW TO COOK PRE-BRINED TURKEY box below recipe.** 2. SALT - Use 1 tbsp salt for every 2 kg / 4 lb turkey. Use kosher / cooking salt. If using fine grain table salt, reduce by 1/4 tsp PER 1 tbsp of salt called for in the recipe. Do not use salt flakes (too hard to measure equivalent). 3. HERBS - I used an equal mix of sage, rosemary and thyme to make up 1 tbsp in total for basting partway through cooking. Can also use dried herbs of choice - use 2 tsp. Doesn't sound like much but we don't want to put herbs on the skin until partway though cooking otherwise it just burns. So by the time we baste with the herb butter, there's not much butter left. Just imparts a subtle fragrance more than anything, could even be skipped. Need one bunch to stuff inside the turkey, the other for the pan. 4. WINE - I use sauvignon blanc, pinot gris (I get discount wine for cooking). Any white wine is fine as long as it's not too sweet or woody / oaky. 5. Giblets are a parcel of turkey offcuts that are usually stuffed inside the turkey and are used to make the gravy. It usually comprises of: neck, heart and liver. Use the neck and heart for turkey gravy. 6. BAG - you can get resealable bags in America that are big enough for turkey. But I've found that cling wrap is the most effective - keeps the brine right up against the turkey skin. 7. BRINE TIME: 48 hours (2 days) is my base recipe, 3 days also great (a bit more seasoned). Even overnight is better than not brining at all! I even did 4 days last year and it not any different to 3 days, from what I could tell. 8. RACK SUB: Need to keep turkey skin elevated out of liquid in pan. Get a long strip of foil, scrunch to make a thick "rope". Loop to make a circle and secure. Place on top of onion, place turkey on top. Just need something to keep turkey a bit elevated off base of pan and the onion. If skin is in contact with onion when upside down, the skin will brown unevenly once you flip. 9. ROASTING TIME:
- 5kg / 10 lb: 1 hr 45 min – 2 hrs
- 6 kg / 12 lb: 2 hrs 15 min
- 7kg / 14 lb: 2 hrs 30 min
- 8 kg / 16 lb: 2 hrs 45min
How to cook pre-brined turkey
If you went to use this recipe only to realise you have a pre-brined turkey (see Note 1 in recipe), do not use this recipe as the brining will make your turkey too salty. Instead, make this recipe as follows:
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Add better flavour – Make the Herb Garlic Butter in this Roasted Turkey Breast but only use 1/4 of the salt. Scale the recipe to your turkey weight – click on servings and slide until the turkey weight changes to the weight of your turkey. (Yeah, it’ll be a lot of butter! You can scale down if you want 🙂 ). Watch the video to see how I loosen the skin, then slather about 2/3 of the butter under the skin.
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Flip turkey then rub just a bit of butter on the underside sprinkle with salt and pepper,. Roast per this recipe for 30 minutes on higher temp.
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Flip turkey right side up then slather skin with 1/2 of the remaining butter sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast per this recipe for 45 min, then slather with remaining butter. Roast to finish cooking per this recipe. ,Voila!
Life of Dozer
That turkey leg is the size of his head!
Donna says
Hi, Nagi,
Do you use table salt or kosher salt?
Thanks!
Donna
Nagi says
Hi Donna! Kosher 🙂 Thanks for the question, just updated! N x
Ron says
A very impressive turkey tutorial. I was amazed how much you covered in your 1:51 minute video, nice one. Now, about brining, I’m with you dry is the only way to go and is exactly what we’ll be doing with our holiday goose.
Man you’d have to be really fast to get that image with our Chloe dog. Dozer looks like, “What’s that Mom?”.
Nagi says
Oh! You just answered a question a reader had about dry brining goose! Do you have a recipe on your site I can share with him??
Ron says
No I don’t, but perhaps a post on cooking the Swedish goose is in order. I’ll be using the “prick, dip and dry brine method”, using salt and baking powder. Not my genius, it comes from the guys at Serious Eats.
Nagi says
I would LOVE to read that!
Noorah says
Also is this kosher salt or regular table salt
Noorah says
Hi Nagi
I can’t wait to try this for thanksgiving. Do you ever cover with aluminum foil at any point while cooking in the oven?
Thanks
Nagi says
Hi Noorah! I don’t for anything up to 14lb/7kg, but larger turkey’s probably need to be covered if they go too brown. Thanks for the tip, will update the recipe! N c
Christa says
Sounds great. I will try, but REALLY want to slow roast it for longer at 225. What do you think. It will probably still cook faster instead of the usual 12 hours
Nagi says
Hi Christa! I’m afraid I haven’t tried slow roasting this in an oven but I am 99% confident it will work and in fact, it should yield an ultra juicy turkey. I have slow roasted wet brined turkey breast and it was fantastic so that’s why I’m sure this will work too 🙂
Kelly Hayes says
Hi Nagi,
I’m new to your site (thanks to a friend) but I have been loving it. I’m going to do the dry brined Turkey for our Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday. I have always wet brined (a pain, as you’ve stated) and I’m excited to try this new technique. My question is what type of salt do you use? For wet brine I’ve always used Kosher salt, but is table salt fine for the dry brine? I’m really excited to try this.
Chantelle says
Hello Nagi!
I made this turkey recipe for one of my family gatherings and we all agreed that this was the best turkey I have made to date. I have been trying to make a moist tasty turkey and always felt like I never got there. I think I had tried an ove bag at the start, then for the past couple of year I have been using a wet brine. I deccided to try your dry brine since I have many other things to make and do and needed the fridge space!
This is the best turkey result I have had ever! The turkey was moist and tasty. I did add finely sliced orange peel to the butter and really loved that added dimension.bmaking the tasty gravy was just so easy as well!
Thank you Nagi for sharing so many of your delicious and straight forward recipes! So many of them have become keepers.
Carol says
This was our first time ever having and making roast turkey for our Christmas lunch. I followed this recipe and dry brined it. My sister was making turkey for her in laws so she didn’t brine it as we wanted to see if we could notice a difference. The dry brined turkey was more tender, cooked quicker and evenly and looked like yours. We used your herb butter recipe and made gravy from pan juice. I’m not a turkey fan but this was so good. Thank you
Jen says
Hi Nagi!
I just wanted to stop by and thank you for this awesome and easy recipe that I found through Pinterest!
I had to cook a turkey for the FIRST time for Friendsgiving and since I was hosting it at my home, it was only right that I cooked a turkey (that’s our tradition). I asked my friends their honest options and they thought the turkey was so good! They commented on how it wasn’t dry, and how moist and juicy it was! That made me happy to hear because I was really nervous about my first turkey and I didn’t want to over cook it.
I couldn’t find a frozen turkey that was 10lbs, so I was only able to get a 16lb turkey (in the US 😅) and later found out that my turkey was already seasoned. I read in the recipe to get a turkey that was not already brined. That made me worry more, but I took a risk and I still went ahead and followed the recipe. The only thing I did different was I rinsed the turkey a few times and I added less salt hoping the turkey won’t come out salty. It had just the right amount of salt and the gravy was delicious too!
I will be saving and using this recipe again and again in the future! Thanks again! 🙂
Nagi says
SO HAPPY TO HEAR THAT JEN!!! Thank you so much for letting me know! N xx
Desi says
I followed your recipe above with my 10 lb. Diestel turkey and IT WAS THE BEST, MOST FLAVORFUL, JUICY turkey I have EVER made!! Usually, the turkey is “okay”, and I don’t really look forward to it because of that – but this year – DIFFERENT STORY! EVERYONE loved it and was raving about it!! Thanks so much for such a great recipe! Oh – i didn’t put mine in a plastic bag or flip it, and it still turned out GREAT!
Nagi says
That’s so terrific to hear Desi!!!! Thank you were sharing your feedback – N x ❤️
Sasha says
I really want to try this recipe! But my family bought a butterball turkey that contains an 8% solution of water salt and spicees, can I still make it can I just cut down on the salt?
Nagi says
Hi Sasha, if there’s salt in the ingredients then it’s already been brined i.e. it’s already done what this recipe does with the salt rub!! So you can skip the salt brining and go straight to the Prepare For Roasting section 🙂
Jen Se says
I’m about to attemt this on two, yes.. Two.. 13lb turkeys. This is my first thanksgiving dinner- EVER, and I’m terrified. I’ve never hosted thanksgiving before, and I’m about to cook for 40 people on my first attempt at hosting a holiday. Wish me luck!!
Any sage advice for a first-time Holiday host?
I’ve decided to go with your dry-brine turkeys, cranberries, pork sausage and apple stuffing and make-ahead mashed potatoes. (Thank you for making these things sooo much easier on me!)
Thanks!
This year, I’m thankful for Nagi!! 🙂
Nagi says
Don’t stress Jen! OK so here’s my advice – if you have 2 turkeys, I assume you have 2 ovens to cook them in. In which case there’e no major adjustments to make. They key is to CHECK THE INTERNAL TEMP! Check every 30 minutes if it’s quite different to the required temp then more frequently as it gets closer. That’s the only tip I have, because honestly, if you have a meat thermometer, it will be a breeze. The turkey will stay juicy and warm for a long while after you take them out of the oven so don’t stress about that. 🙂 Just make sure you take them out when the internal temp is right! N xx
Jen Se says
It turned out amazing and you are my hero! Sooooo yummy and moist- and i failed at estimating time for 2-13lb birds to thaw, and brined only 2 and 1/2 days: it was amazeballs!
Nagi says
That’s so terrific to hear Jen Se!!!! Thanks for taking the time to let me know – N x ❤️
Jen Se says
FYI, 1/4 of the recipe works great for roast chicken lol! Did that last week.
Definitely doing this again but only buying one turkey!
Nagi says
Great tip Jen, thank you!! N x
Karen says
Can I use this recipe for a 8lb Turkey Breast?
Nagi says
Yes! Just hover your cursor over the servings and slide the scaler until the weight of the turkey becomes the breast you are using. Then start checking the internal temperature at 1 hr 15 minutes 🙂 N x
Karen says
Thanks
Nagi says
Hi Karen – yes you absolutely can! Start checking the internal temperature at around 1.5 hours, which is probably when you’ll need to cover with foil to stop growing too much. 🙂
Jane says
Hi Nagi – I’m going to try your recipe this year for Thanksgiving. Does the salt need to be wiped off before you brush the butter on? I’m planning on having a 25 lb turkey and it seems like a lot of salt that will be used. Should I use less?
Nagi says
Hi Jane! I think for a 25 lb turkey, I would reduce it down to 4 tablespoons. Thanks for the question – we don’t get turkey that large here in Australia, I’ll add a note. My logic is that the surface area and meat thickness of turkey doesn’t increase proportionally to the weight 🙂 The salt melts and excess salt will drip off, then there should not be any visible salt on the turkey skin. If the skin is wet, pat dry and in doing this excess salt will come off. Hope that helps!
Jane says
Thank you Nagi for your quick response. I can’t wait to try it!!
Beck says
Hi Nagi! Just wondering if you have any words of wisdom – I find that both this recipe and your beautiful brined roast chicken smoke like crazy in my oven. I’m guessing that it’s probably due to the butter? Is there anyway to fix this that you know of? I love the results of this process, but not the bit where all my guests think I’ve burned dinner! Thanks in advance, Beck
Nagi says
Hi Beck! It sounds like there is fat on the heating element 🙂 I’d do a bit of a google about that. I had the same problem when I had fat splatters on the grill / broiler heating elements. Crazy smoke everywhere!!
Beck says
Thanks heaps, I’ll look into that!
Judy says
I tried this recipe and it was the BEST turkey EV-ER!! We use to eat turkey once in a blue moon (due to dryness), but now that might change because of this recipe!
Nagi says
Fantastic to hear you enjoyed it Judy, thanks for letting me know! N xx
Beck says
Best turkey I have ever eaten! I followed your incredibly helpful timeline to serve for Christmas lunch and ate an alarming amount of it. I probably could have taken mine out of the oven 20-30 minutes earlier (I have a crazy hot oven), but it was still juicy and tender and tasted amazing. Served with your cranberry sauce and your quickly reheated mini potato gratin stacks, sweet potato and rocket salad and a couple of other sides. The only thing I didn’t make was the gravy, as I decided to do Jamie Oliver’s Get Ahead Gravy so that I didn’t have to worry about actually cooking anything else on the day! This was the most relaxed Christmas cooking period I’ve ever had thanks to your wonderful blog – thank you so much and I wish you all the best and happy cooking in 2017! x
Nagi says
WOO HOO!!! HIGH FIVE Beck! I’m so thrilled to hear that!! Oooh, and thank you for the tip for a Get Ahead Gravy, I will do one next year! 😉 N xx
Lisa says
P.S. I clicked 5 stars, not 4!!!!!! Sorry. I’d give it 6 if I could.
Lisa says
Hi Nagi,
I cooked this recipe today and it was perfection!! I have tried several different ways of cooking turkey over the years, but this was hands down the best method I have ever come across. I have to be honest, I was scared that it wouldn’t be cooked all the way through, however, I decided to be brave and follow the recipe exactly. It was utterly delicious. I will only ever use this method. Thank you for such clear and concise directions and especially for providing cooking inspiration!! What a wonderful site this is and what a giving person you are.
Nagi says
YES YES YES!!! I am SO THRILLED that you enjoyed this Lisa! It’s definitely my favourite way of making whole roast turkey 🙂 Thank you so much for letting me know 🙂 I’m honoured to have been a small part of your Christmas! N xx
Justine says
Hi Nagi,
Oh my! I cooked my first ever roast turkey using your recipe for Xmas eve family lunch yesterday and it was amazing. So easy, delicious and looked spectacular too. We all loved it. Thank you so much and have a wonderful Xmas and new year.
Nagi says
WOO HOO!!!! I’m SO HAPPY to hear that Justine! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and let me know. 🙂 Merry Christmas to you too!! N xx