Roasted Dry Brine Turkey With Gravy

A dry brine turkey, roasted whole and garnished with fresh herbs and orange slices, sits in a large roasting pan on a wooden board with a striped kitchen towel underneath.

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Roasted Dry Brine Turkey With Gravy

Learn how to make the perfect Dry Brine Turkey with this easy recipe. Get crispy skin, juicy meat, and incredible flavor with my step-by-step guide for Thanksgiving or any holiday feast.

Prep Time1

Cook Time4

Servings:

Author: Melissa Griffiths

Ingredients

For the Dry Brine:

1 15-pound fresh or thawed turkey (See notes for other sizes.)
3 tablespoons coarse kosher salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 tablespoons fresh minced herbs (See notes for suggestions.)

For Roasting the Turkey:

3 large carrots roughly chopped, divided
3 large stalks celery roughly chopped, divided
1 onion roughly chopped
8 cloves garlic peeled, divided
3 large sprigs each fresh sage, rosemary, and thyme
3 bay leaves
1 large apple sliced into wedges
1 large orange sliced into wedges
½ cup unsalted butter, cut into pats (1 stick)
5 cups chicken stock or bone broth divided

For the Gravy:

3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

5-7 Days Before Serving: Thaw the Turkey

If you are working with a frozen turkey it needs to be thawed or partially thawed before you are going to dry brine it. Plan accordingly and see my notes for lots more tips.

1-3 Days Before Serving: Dry Brine the Turkey

Start the dry brine 1–3 days before you plan to cook your turkey. The full 72 hours is best, 24 hours is minimum; do what you can with your schedule—it's all delicious!
Remove the giblets and neck from the turkey and store covered in the fridge to make stock or gravy.
Pat the turkey dry with paper towels inside and out, then place it on a rimmed baking sheet or in a roasting pan with a rack set in the bottom.
In a small bowl, mix together the salt, baking powder, and herbs. Rub this mixture all over the turkey, getting under the wings and inside the cavity too.
Pop the turkey into the fridge, uncovered, for at least 24 hours and up to 72 hours. This time in the fridge helps season the meat all the way through and dries out the skin so it roasts up perfectly crisp.

To Cook the Turkey:

When you’re ready to roast, preheat the oven to 325°F. In the bottom of a large roasting pan, layer two-thirds of the carrots, two-thirds of the celery, all the onion, six of the garlic cloves, a sprig each of sage, rosemary, and thyme, and the bay leaves. Set the roasting rack on top of the vegetables.
Place the turkey breast-side up on the rack. Stuff the cavity with the remaining carrots, celery, and garlic, along with the rest of the sage, rosemary, and thyme. Add in the apple and orange wedges, tucking them in wherever you can — it’ll be a tight fit, but that’s okay. If you want, tie the legs together with kitchen twine to help hold everything in.
Arrange the butter pats over the turkey skin. Roast for 45 minutes, then pour half the chicken stock over the top. Roast another 45 minutes, pour the remaining stock over the turkey, and roast 45 minutes more.
Continue roasting. If the skin starts to get too dark, tent foil over it. The turkey is done when it reaches about 165°F in the thickest part of the thigh. The turkey will take around 4 hours to cook through.
Once it’s done, take it out of the oven, tent it loosely with foil, and let it rest for at least 20 minutes before carving.

To Make Turkey Gravy:

While the turkey rests, make the gravy. Pour the drippings from the roasting pan into a large glass measuring cup or fat separator and let them sit a few minutes so the fat rises to the top. Measure out 3 cups of the broth portion for your gravy.
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until it’s lightly golden — about 3 minutes.
Slowly whisk in the 3 cups of broth and cook until the gravy is smooth and thickened, about 5 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
If it needs to thicken more, mix 2 teaspoons of cornstarch to 2 tablespoons of cold water, then whisk that into the gravy and simmer until it’s just right. If it ever gets too thick, whisk in a splash of the extra turkey broth until it’s perfect for pouring.

Notes

Dry Brine Tips:

The general ratio for this is: 1 tablespoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 2 teaspoons dried herbs OR 2 tablespoons fresh minced herbs PER 5 pounds of turkey. This way you can scale the dry brine to the size of turkey you have.
Do not wash off the dry brine before baking.
I like to use a combination or oregano, rosemary, and sage for my turkey. You can also use a little parsley too if you have it. It's worth getting fresh herbs for this if you can but dry will work too if that's what you have on hand.
You don't want to cover this bird tightly but if you have a lid for your roasting pan you can put it over it in the fridge, just no right covers.

How to Know When Your Turkey is Cooked Through: Use all three as your guide!

Time: As a general rule, plan on about 13 to 15 minutes per pound in a 325°F oven. This will give you a rough idea of when your turkey should be done. I like to set a timer when I first put it in so I have a ballpark estimate, but don’t rely on time alone — every turkey cooks a little differently.
Temperature: The most reliable method is checking the internal temperature with a thermometer. You want the meat in the thickest part of the thigh to reach 165°F. And be sure your thermometer tip is not touch the bone when checking the temperature.
Leg wiggle: This is my final check. Grab one of the legs firmly and give it a wiggle — if the joint moves easily and feels loose, like it could almost come off, that’s a sure sign the dark meat is cooked through.

Make Your Own Broth: Save the bones from your turkey to make broth! I promise it's worth the effort!

Nutrition

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