HomeEc@Home
  • The Home Economist
  • About
  • Recipes
    • What's for Dinner?
    • Slow Cooker Simplicity
    • Simple Food
    • Desserts and Decadence
    • Baking Bread
  • Homesteading
  • Contact
    • Ask a Home Ec Teacher
  • Cake Designs
  • Simply Homemade
  • My Favorite Blogs
  • Work with me
  • Learning and Play
  • House Love
  • Shop
  • Blogging Tips
  • Family

The Best Dry Brined Turkey with Citrus and Fresh Herbs

11/18/2022

0 Comments

 
A classic Thanksgiving turkey is the centerpiece of the Thanksgiving meal.  Make a delicious juicy turkey with crisp skin by rubbing it down with a dry brine and letting it brine overnight in the fridge.  Dry brining or salting the bird helps to draw moisture out creating juicy meat and crispy skin.  I have been dry brining turkey for several years now and think the results are so much better than when I used to soak the bird in a wet brine.  
Turkey on platter with oranges, lemons, and herbs
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
​

What is the best salt for dry brining a turkey?

Coarse kosher salt is the best salt for a dry brine.  I have used fresh ground salt to make the brine for this turkey when I was out of coarse kosher salt and it was fine, but not as good. I used a lot less when using fresh ground salt.  They both help to create a moist and delicious turkey, but the best results come from using coarse kosher salt.  It gives the turkey the best juicy flavor and texture.  

Can you make dry brine ahead of time?

Yes, you can make the dry brine up to three days in advance. Cover and refrigerate until use. 
Turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, and glazed carrots

How long do you need to thaw a turkey? 

If buying a frozen turkey, it will need to be thawed before cooking.  A 12-14 pound turkey will need to thaw for 3-4 days in the fridge.  This thaw time guide has the recommended thawing time for various turkey weights.  You can thaw a turkey faster in water, but I always thaw in the fridge because it is so easy.  You may be able to find a fresh turkey in larger grocery stores that would not need to be thawed before preparation.
Onion, garlic, fresh rosemary, thyme, and sage and lemon and orange chunks for stuffing the turkey
I stuff the turkey with onion, garlic, rosemary, thyme, sage, and some lemon and orange chunks which adds so much flavor to the meat as is roasts. 

Serves 8-10
Dry Brine Ingredients:
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 Tbsp. fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup kosher salt 
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
Zest of two lemons
Zest of an orange

Other Ingredients:
12-14 lb. turkey
1 onion, quartered
1 head of garlic, halved
Poultry blend of fresh herbs (Rosemary, Thyme, Sage)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, at room temperature*
1 quart  or more chicken broth* (I ususally need about 6 cups broth to baste and refill pan)
Lemon and orange chunks (you can save the lemon and orange from the dry brine for stuffing in the turkey)

Day before:
​1.  Rinse thawed turkey, remove neck and giblets. Pat dry. 
2. Mix the dry brine ingredients together. Rub all over turkey. Put the turkey in a large pan or brining bag and refrigerate overnight. 
​
Roasting day:
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. 
2. Rinse the brine off of the turkey. Pat dry. Place the turkey breast side up on a rack in roasting pan. 
3. Stuff the bird with onion, garlic, lemon and orange chunks, and fresh herbs.
​4. Loosen skin over breast meat and rub 3-4 T. butter under skin and allover the outside of the bird. You can tuck any remaining butter in the bird and under the wings and legs. 
5. Pour 2-3 cups broth into roasting pan. Roast turkey 30 minutes. 
6. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F. 
7. Continue to roast, basting with pan juices every 30-40 minutes, adding more broth to the pan as needed to keep liquid in the pan. Keep an eye on the skin to make sure it doesn't over-brown, tenting with foil as needed. 
8. Roast for another 2 1/2 -3 hours (for 12-14 lb. turkey) until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees F. 
9. Tranfer the turkey to a platter. Tent with foil and let rest 30 minutes before carving.
10. For a pretty presentation, surround turkey with orange and lemon wedges and fresh herbs. 

If you need a turkey platter, I suggest Bed, Bath, and Beyond. I bought mine there several years ago for a very good price and love it. It is huge so I kept the original box and store it on shelves in the garage. 

*When it comes to broth and butter, you can use unsalted butter or regular butter and low sodium broth or regular broth. I have used both and did not find the meat to be too salty when using regular butter and regular broth. Make sure to rinse all of the brine off of the bird before preparing it to roast. A nice balance would be unsalted butter with regular broth or salted butter with low sodium broth. 

Some of our other Thanksgiving favorites:
​

Turkey Gravy from Pan Drippings
Turkey gravy from pan drippings
Brown Butter Pumpkin Pie
brown butter pumpkin pie
The Best Pecan Pie
The best pecan pie
The best pecan pie


Pin on Pinterest
Picture
Picture

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Enter your e-mail address:

    Powered by FeedPress

    Picture

    Welcome to Home Ec @ Home

    ​Hi, I'm Faith, a former Family and Consumer Science teacher turned food blogger.  I love God, my family, and food.  You can usually find me in the kitchen preparing family friendly, homemade recipes and taking lots of pictures. 


    Golden Doodle Puppies
    Mini Golden Doodle Puppies born January 13th, 2023, Still Goldens, Southern, IL (Available mid-March 2023)

     
    Quick Recipe Links
    ​Dinner Recipes
    ​
    Slow Cooker Recipes
    ​
    Easy Recipes
    ​
    Desserts

    Bread

    Tasty Food Photography

    This website uses marketing and tracking technologies. Opting out of this will opt you out of all cookies, except for those needed to run the website. Note that some products may not work as well without tracking cookies.

    Opt Out of Cookies


    Fan Favorites
    Picture
    Balsamic Roasted Chicken with Brussels Sprouts and BaconBalsamic Roasted Chicken with Brussels Sprouts and Bacon

    Dehydrating Pears and Apples in the Instant Pot Duo CrispDehydrating Pears and Apples in the Instant Pot Duo Crisp

    RSS Feed

    HomeEc@Home - The Home Economist
    Get Sponsored by Big Brands
    Tweet
    Sweepstakes
    myTaste.com

    Archives

    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    June 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • The Home Economist
  • About
  • Recipes
    • What's for Dinner?
    • Slow Cooker Simplicity
    • Simple Food
    • Desserts and Decadence
    • Baking Bread
  • Homesteading
  • Contact
    • Ask a Home Ec Teacher
  • Cake Designs
  • Simply Homemade
  • My Favorite Blogs
  • Work with me
  • Learning and Play
  • House Love
  • Shop
  • Blogging Tips
  • Family