This Dry-Brine Roast Turkey uses our Garlic Herb Dry Brine and is prepared the same method as our How to Roast a Turkey guide. It’s a savory, flavorful, and delicious way to have Roast Turkey. Enjoy this prepared turkey for Thanksgiving, another holiday, or dinner alike.

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Dry-Brine Roast Turkey

Dry-Brine Roast Turkey

Hi Everyone, almost every year since we moved to our home, we have celebrated Thanksgiving here.

Using a dry brine to prepare a turkey for roasting makes one of the most flavorful turkeys.

It’s so simple and all you need is time to let the salt-herb mixture work its way into the meat of the turkey.

This turkey recipe (and photos) was the turkey recipe I made in 2017 and every year since I have done some variation of it for Thanksgiving.

The Dry Brine

This recipe uses 1 recipe Garlic Herb Dry Brine and that makes enough for a small, medium, or large turkey.

You might not use it all and can save some for another recipe (perhaps a roast or chicken would be great to use it on).

Turkey

This turkey, in the photos, is from a local, family-owned farm.

I’m not against getting a turkey from a grocery store but being able to access a locally, farm-raised turkey is so great.

It tasted wonderful along with the dry brine.

HELPFUL KITCHEN TOOLS FOR ROASTED TURKEY

roasting pan
large chef’s knife
meat carving knife
turkey baster
large meat thermometer
pepper grinder
wet measure
measuring spoons and cups
large cutting board
paper towels

Web Story

Carving Turkey

It’s a good idea to carve up the turkey after it’s rested from being out of the oven (about 20 minutes).

It’s easier to carve it when it’s warm versus when it’s cold. It’s also easier to pack up any leftovers.

Serving

I usually have two platters for serving turkey.

I put the light meat on one and the dark meat on the other so that people can quickly choose what they want and don’t pick through all the pieces.

What’s your favorite part of the turkey? I love all the parts but I always grab for a turkey leg first 🙂

If you make this Dry-Brine Roast Turkey recipe and like it, please give it a rating on the recipe card at the end of the post.

Let us know in the comments at the end of the post.

Thank you for reading and following along!

Dry-Brine Roast Turkey

Name: Dry-Brine Roast Turkey
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 3 h
Total time: 3 h 35 min
Yield: 1
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 Recipe Garlic Herb Dry Brine; 1 14-pound whole turkey thawed or fresh; 2 cups chicken stock or substitute the same amount of water or vegetable stock; 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 stick, softened to room temperature, you can use regular olive oil in place of the butter if you prefer; 1-2 tablespoons Kosher salt or amount to taste; 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper or peppercorn medley or amount to taste, you can add more at serving; OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS; 1 lemon, sliced; 2-4 sprigs rosemary, fresh; 4 sprigs thyme, fresh; 2-4 cloves garlic, minced

Yield: 1 14-POUND TURKEY

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours

Resting Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 3 hours 35 minutes

Ingredients

1 Recipe Garlic Herb Dry Brine
1 14-pound whole turkey thawed or fresh
2 cups chicken stock or substitute the same amount of water or vegetable stock
1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 stick, softened to room temperature, you can use regular olive oil in place of the butter if you prefer
1-2 tablespoons Kosher salt or amount to taste
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper or peppercorn medley or amount to taste, you can add more at serving
OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS
1 lemon, sliced
2-4 sprigs rosemary, fresh
4 sprigs thyme, fresh
2-4 cloves garlic, minced

Instructions

1-2 Days Ahead of Roasting Turkey

Prepare the Garlic Herb Dry-Brine according to the instructions in the recipe post. Tip: You can make this brine ahead of time before you need it (up to 3 days); just keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for storage.
Pat the turkey dry with paper towels. Discard paper towels.
Place the turkey in the roasting pan. Remove the giblets and neck, either save for use or discard. Tuck the wings behind the turkey's shoulders. Sprinkle the prepared Garlic Herb Dry Brine all over the turkey and rub it into the surface of the skin. Cover the turkey well with foil (with the turkey in the pan) and let it sit in the refrigerator for up to 2 days to dry brine.

Cook the Prepared Turkey

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
If you want to add the optional ingredients, you can add them to the turkey's cavity.
Add the softened butter to the top of the turkey.
Add 2 cups of chicken broth (or vegetable broth or water) to the bottom of the pan.
Place the roasting pan with the prepared turkey in the center rack of the preheated oven. Close the door. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F. Bake for 13 minutes per pound, so a 13-14 pound turkey should be done in just under 3 hours.
Using a turkey baster, you can baste the liquids over the top of the turkey every 45 minutes. As the turkey get's close to being done, keep an eye on it, if the top looks too brown, you can use a foil tent to protect the top from over-browning.
When you think the turkey is done, using a meat thermometer, check the thickest part of the breast and thigh. It should be at 165 degrees F when done.
Allow the turkey to rest for 15-20 minutes before carving.
Carve the turkey into pieces and enjoy

Notes

I suggest not truss the turkey legs to allow the air to circulate in the cavity and cook at the meat.

This recipe is based and works best for a 13-14 (max 16) pound turkey but it also works for 18-20 pound turkeys. Generally, you want to roast the turkey 13 minutes per pound, you can use this metric to calculate how long to roast your turkey based on its weight. The turkey in this recipe took just under 3 hours to roast.
The serving/nutritional information is based on a 14-pound turkey.
Make sure to measure the temperature of the turkey in the thickest part of the thigh and breast before you consider it done. The temperature for poultry should be 165 degrees F when done.
Make sure you let the turkey rest for at least 15 minutes before carving.
Fresh turkeys generally cook faster than frozen, thawed turkeys, so be sure to keep an eye on the turkey as it gets close to being done and you might want to check on it with the meat thermometer earlier.
If you have any leftovers, be sure to wrap them up in an air-tight container(s). It's important not to leave out food to avoid food-borne illness.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1661Total Fat: 74gSaturated Fat: 26gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 44gCholesterol: 901mgSodium: 2588mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 229g

Please note that the Calculated Nutrition is an estimate at best.

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Sara Maniez

Owner at Life's Little Sweets

Sara is an architectural designer turned work-at-home Mom. She lives in New Jersey by way of New England and New York, with her husband and 3 kids under 8. She loves design, being creative, and spending time with family and friends. She loves checking out local businesses and eats and being apart of the local farm to table community.

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Dry-Brine Roast Turkey

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