Garlic Herb Dry Turkey Brine Recipe (How to Dry Brine a Turkey)

This recipe for Garlic Herb Dry Turkey Brine Recipe is full of flavor and will make your turkey shine on Thanksgiving! Dry brining a turkey is really simple and produces juicy, seasoned turkey meat.

Dry Brine Turkey vs Wet Brine Turkey

I have heard people say that dry brining is better than wet brining. I thought WHY? There is no need to change what already works. But, I finally decided that for research purposes I should at least do some testing and report back.

We’ve tried this dry brine turkey recipe on a few different types of meat, and we’ve had turkey a few times in the last few weeks as a part of our testing. Everyone in our house agreed that it was definitely a winner!

Unlike other turkey brine recipes that I’ve posted in the past, you absolutely do not add any water or ice to the Garlic Herb Dry Brine for Turkey.

Don’t forget to thaw your turkey! Thawing a turkey correctly is crucial in the Thanksgiving preparation process. Before you get started, head over to my How to Thaw a Turkey tutorial where I share the safest (and easiest!) ways to thaw a whole turkey, turkey breast, turkey wings, or turkey legs as well as one way you should NEVER thaw a turkey. 

Benefits of Dry Brining

In my testing, I found a few reasons why you should try dry brining this year.

• It is definitely easier to dry brine.
• Preparing a dry brine is less messy.
• Dry brines don’t take as long as a traditional wet brine — in my testing, I could aim for brining times on the lower end of the brine time guidelines.
• You get some pretty tasty results with the benefits of the above conveniences.

How Dry Brining Works

When you dry brine, you rub the salt, and any additional herbs and seasonings, directly on the meat and skin of the bird. As the turkey rests in the refrigerator before you plan to cook it, the salt draws out the juices.

The juices then dissolve the salt, and turn into a natural brine (without having to add liquid).

Once the salt is dissolved in the juices, the juices — along with the salt and any extra flavors you’ve added — are reabsorbed by the turkey and the tough muscle portions begin to break down.

Why Dry Brine Turkey Instead of Wet Brine

In dry brining, you ARE NOT:

• dealing with salt to water ratios or worrying about under/overdiluting the mixture.
• bagging massive amounts of salt water, and then trying to keep it all cold.

I really only found 1 negative to dry brining and that was dry-brined meat can’t be infused with flavors that come from liquids.

That means, you can’t make an apple cider brine or a beer brine when you prepare a dry brine. You need a liquid brine to be able to infuse a turkey with flavors that come from liquids.

Tools Needed for this Dry Brine Turkey Recipe

You’ll need a few different tools to prepare your dry-brined turkey. Here’s what I recommend having on hand before beginning this recipe:

• Measuring Cup and Spoons – to measure the ingredients for the brine.
• Food Processor – to chop the ingredients for the dry brine mixture.
• Paper Towels – to dry the exterior and cavity of the turkey.
• Rimmed Baking Sheet – to place turkey on while it brines. It is a good idea to use a large rimmed pan so it holds any of the liquid in as the salt dissolves.
• Plastic Wrap – to cover the turkey during the dry brining process.

Turkey Dry Brine Ingredients

For this dry brine recipe, you’ll need the following herbs and seasonings:

• Rosemary
• Thyme
• Sage
• Garlic cloves
• Whole Black Pepper
• Kosher Salt

For the complete ingredient list and detailed instructions to make this easy dry brine turkey recipe, scroll to the bottom of this post for the FREE printable recipe card.

Flavor Variations

Even though no additional liquid is used in this turkey dry brine recipe, you can still infuse your turkey with other flavors besides salt, garlic, and herbs.

• If you want a Citrus Brine and you want it to be a dry brine, what I would do is add a bunch of citrus zest to the salt mixture. Tangerine, orange, or lemon zest are all great choices to add to a dry brine to give the turkey citrus flavors.
• You can also add other fresh, ground spices such as allspice berries or whole grated nutmeg.

Dry Brining Do’s and Don’ts

Dry brining might sound complicated and lengthy, but once you get the hang of it the process is really not difficult. There are a few rules you should know about before you attempt brining a turkey. best dry brine for turkey

Dry Brine Using a Fresh, Unsalted Turkey

Many frozen turkeys that are available in today’s markets come pre-brined in a plain salt water solution. Additionally, a turkey labeled as “kosher” will already be salted as they’ve been farmed, slaughtered and prepared according to Jewish customs.

Brining a frozen turkey that has been injected with a salt solution using this dry brine recipe can result in an incredibly salty turkey, which is not ideal.

You’ll want to look at the label before purchasing your turkey and avoid anything labeled as kosher, pre-salted, or salt injected. I usually have the best luck at natural food grocery stores, or ordering a “fresh” turkey from my grocery store.

If your turkey is pre-salted, then you can prepare this recipe with half the salt, creating a garlic herb paste, to season your turkey without risking over salting it. Or, leave the salt out all together.

Keep the Proportions of the Dry Brine Recipe

The amount of brine you need can vary depending on the size of your bird, but you do not want to only decrease the amount of salt.

If you need a larger or smaller amount of this Garlic Herb Dry Turkey Brine Recipe, you will need adjust all of the ingredient amounts in the recipe.

For example, all of the ingredients in this dry brine turkey recipe would need to be cut in half if you needed half the amount – not just the salt.

Dry Brine Over and Under the Skin

For the best flavor and most tender turkey meat, place this dry brine inside the turkey, on top of the skin, and under the skin over the breast meat.

If you are only going to brine the skin, you will need to add extra time to the process, about a day for an average sized whole bird.

Store Safely & at the Proper Temperature

When dry brining a turkey, after I’ve coated my turkey with the Garlic Herb Dry Turkey Brine, I prefer to place it on a disposable turkey roasting pan. Then, store in the refrigerator.

Dry Brine Turkey FAQ

Got questions about the process of dry brining? Here are a few commonly asked questions. Feel free to leave any other questions in the comments on this post and I’ll respond with answers.

How much salt for a dry brine turkey?

You should use approximately 1 – 2 tablespoons of salt per 4 pounds of turkey, or depending on your personal salt preferences.

For this brine mixture, I used 2 tablespoons per 4 pounds of turkey because there are a lot of herbs and black pepper mixed in with the salt. You will most likely not need all of the dry brine unless you are using a very large bird.

How long do you dry brine a turkey?

How long you will brine your meat for largely depends on how big the piece of meat is.

A simple boneless, skinless chicken breast or a couple of pork chops don’t need more than an hour. In contrast, a large 18+ pound turkey will need an entire day (or even longer) to fully benefit from the process.

Here is a quick run down of the timing:

Dry Brining Time Guide

• Whole Turkey: 12-48 hours, depending on the size of the turkey
• Turkey Breast: 4-8 hours
• Large Whole Chicken: 3-5 hours
• Cornish Game Hens: 1-2 hours

Anything brining for less than 6 hours should be kept uncovered during the entire process. If you are brining longer than 6 hours, allow the meat to brine uncovered for the last 4 – 6 hours of the brine time.

Storing the dry salt brine turkey uncovered for half of the brining time allows the skin to dry out. The result: a crispy, golden-brown skin on your finished turkey.

What do you do if you need to dry brine your turkey ahead of time?

Brining a turkey ahead of time is totally fine!

1. Follow the instructions and the recommended brining time.
2. Then, after it has finished the length of time for the brining, rinse the turkey inside and out.
3. Pat dry, and let sit completely covered on a baking or roasting pan in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook the turkey.

A dry brined turkey will be fine stored in the refrigerator for an extra 1 – 2 days after brining as long as you rinse it, pat it dry, cover it, and keep it stored at the proper refrigerator temperature.

If you left the turkey brining without rinsing it for extra days then you would risk the result of a very salty turkey.

What size turkey is this recipe used for?

I use the most of the dry brine recipe on a 16-pound turkey.

You want to use about 1 – 2 tablespoons of the prepared dry brine per 3 pounds of turkey, or depending on your personal salt preferences.

Can I use dried herbs instead of fresh?

No, fresh herbs are a must when making this dry salt brine turkey recipe.

Try this Dry-Brined Turkey!

Next time you’re looking for a new way to cook your Thanksgiving turkey, give this Garlic Herb Dry Turkey Brine a try!

Did you think the dry brining process created super flavorful meat? Leave a comment below and give it a review for others to see what you thought of this dry rub for turkey.

On Instagram? Share your photo and tag me with @goodlifeeats and #goodlifeeatsrecipes. I’d love to see your photo of this delicious dry brined turkey recipe!

Planning to make an old-fashioned stuffed turkey for Thanksgiving? The end results will be delicious so long as you take the proper precautions to cook the stuffing properly! Check out my How to Roast a Stuffed Turkey tutorial so your bird turns out moist and juicy and the stuffing gets fully cooked through. 

More Thanksgiving Turkey Recipes

If you’re looking for additional turkey brining inspiration for your Thanksgiving Menu this year, here are a few other favorite recipes. Be sure to check out the whole Thanksgiving Recipes Archive right here if you need help building the rest of your menu.

Fresh Herb Citrus Brined Turkey combines lots of fresh herbs with a subtle hint of citrus for flavorful, juicy meat.

Brining your turkey with this Apple Cider Sage Brined Turkey before roasting will not only infuses the meat with the delicious flavors of fresh apple cider and sage, but it will help keep the meat moist and tender.

Brining a turkey in this Rosemary Beer Brine will tenderize the meat and infuse it with a TON of flavor for Turkey Day.

The turkey is the center piece of the Thanksgiving meal and is arguably the trickiest part of the meal. Here are some of my Best Turkey Roasting Tips for a turkey that is full of flavor.

If you prefer to smoke your turkey, come check out my tried and true method along with my 8 pro tips for the best smoked turkey!

And don’t forget to check out my tips How to Make Gravy with No Lumps to go with your turkey.

After Thanksgiving, come figure out What To Do With Leftover Turkey so you don’t get sick of leftovers!

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