epicurious5.0
Roast Turkey With Easy Dry Brine
Our best turkey recipe, with its easy dry brine and citrusy glaze, produces a Thanksgiving centerpiece that is excellent in ways other roast turkeys fall short.
👥 8 Servings⏱️ Prep & Cook: 4h 45m🔥 Cook: 20 min👤 Andy Baraghani📖 epicurious
🥘 Ingredients
Check off ingredients as you prepare them:
🍳 Cookware
- ●pan
- ●baking sheet
- ●bowl
- ●oven
- ●saucepan
- ●cutting board
📝 Preparation Steps
1
Place salt and brown sugar in a medium bowl and work together with your fingers until incorporated. Place turkey on a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. (If you don’t have this setup, place your turkey on a V-shape rack set inside a large roasting pan.) Sprinkle dry brine all over outside and inside of turkey, patting to adhere and nudging some into crevices. You won’t need all of the dry brine, but it’s good to have extra since some of it will end up on the baking sheet as you season the turkey. Chill bird, uncovered, at least ⏱️ 12 hours and up to 2 days.
2
Remove turkey from wire rack and rinse baking sheet and rack if needed (turkey will most likely release some liquid onto pan). Line baking sheet with 3 layers of foil and set rack back inside. Place turkey, breast side up, on rack and tuck wings underneath. Let turkey sit at room temperature 2–⏱️ 3 hours.
3
Place an oven rack in middle of oven; preheat to 450°. Using your fingers, loosen skin on breast. Work 4 Tbsp. butter under skin, spreading evenly over both breasts. Smear outside of turkey with another 4 Tbsp. butter.
4
Tie legs together with kitchen twine and pour 1 cup water into baking sheet.
5
Roast turkey, rotating pan halfway through, until skin is mostly golden brown all over, about ⏱️ 30 minutes.
6
Meanwhile, cook vinegar, honey, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, garlic, orange zest, and remaining 4 Tbsp. butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until bubbling and slightly thickened, about ⏱️ 5 minutes. Reduce heat to lowest setting and keep glaze warm.
7
Reduce oven temperature to 300° and continue to roast turkey, brushing with glaze every ⏱️ 30 minutes and adding more water by ½-cupfuls as needed to maintain some liquid in baking sheet, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of breast near the neck registers 155° (don’t worry; the temperature will continue to climb while the bird rests), 65–⏱️ 85 minutes longer. Skin should be deep golden brown, shiny, and crisp. Transfer turkey to a cutting board and let rest at least ⏱️ 30 minutes and up to ⏱️ 1 hour before carving. Editor's note: The recipe was originally printed in our November 2018 issue as “Dry-Rubbed Roast Turkey.” Head this way for more of our best Thanksgiving recipes →
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