Is the idea of baking a holiday turkey stressful? Last year, our turkey was perfectly moist, juicy, and flavorful. I received rave reviews. My family said it was the best turkey they had ever had. I made sure to write down all the steps used so they can be repeated every year.
In the past, I’ve been told that our turkey was moist. I usually buy the turkeys with the pop-up timer. The year before last, we didn’t have a bird with a pop-up timer. Using the suggested baking times, even though I checked the turkey a half hour before it should have been done, it had already passed its 165° perfect temperature. Dang!
This past year, I instructed Dave to be sure to bring home a turkey with a pop-up timer. Well, he didn’t. He brought home a frozen 22-pound turkey with no timer.
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So, I figure Amazon has pop-up timers. Having plenty of time before Thanksgiving, I’ll just order one. Then I realized, yes, they do but these are disposable, and you’ll have to buy them over and over. A digital meat thermometer popped up on the screen and that caught my attention. This has to be better than a pop-up timer and you can use it over and over. After reading some reviews, I thought this particular one was exactly what I needed.
Dry Salt Brine?
Most of us have probably wet salt-brined some type of meat at some time. I remember salt brining a turkey one time. Our refrigerator is not big enough for a big pot of water, turkey, herbs, citrus, and vegetables. Brining it in a cooler was my alternative and I won’t do that again. But this year I was intent on having a very moist turkey. Sara Moulton has a cooking show and I just happened to watch how she dry salt brines a turkey.
This method is much easier and less of a mess. I wrote down her directions as I watched her show. She said the bird will be moist and flavorful. My goal is a foolproof way to bake a moist and flavorful bird! Using her method with some of my own is what I did.
Dry Brine Turkey
You’ll need:
- *3 Tablespoons of Kosher or Sea salt
- 12 -15 pound Butterball Turkey (I had a 22-pounder and added salt. See below.)
*If you have a larger bird, add an additional 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt per pound of meat. Don't skimp on the salt!
If you are planning to use a salty rub on the outside, you should knock back a little on the salt.
Directions:
The Day Before
Washing the bird is no longer advised by the US Department of Agriculture. Cooking meat is the only way to get rid of bacteria.
You need to start with a fresh turkey or a completely thawed frozen turkey. You can click here ► to see how to safely thaw a turkey.
First, remove the neck from the cavity and the giblets from the neck cavity! You can use these to make a broth for gravy or to add to your favorite dressing. Remember, you will also have the drippings from the roasted bird.
Use paper towels to pat dry the outside and inside of the bird.
Next, separate the skin from the meat by pulling up the skin and running your fingers and hands underneath the skin being careful not to tear it. Separate the skin from the breast and both legs and thighs.
Rub a tablespoon of salt inside the cavity. Rub 1-1/2 teaspoons of salt under the skin of each breast, and 1-1/2 teaspoons under both legs and thighs. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, place the bird in a pan, and refrigerate for 24 – 36 hours.
More on this method ► Guide to Dry Brining Meat.
Turkey Day
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You’ll need:
- 1 stick of room-temperature butter
- 1 Large Onion (or 2 medium Onions)
- Celery
- Herbs – Fresh Thyme, Rosemary, and Parsley sprigs
- *Kosher salt
- Freshly grated Pepper
- Reynold’s Oven Turkey Bag
Remove the turkey from the refrigerator and remove the plastic wrap. Then, pat the outside dry with paper towels. Rub half of the butter under the skin and the other half over the top of the skin.
Season the outside of the turkey by sprinkling freshly grated black pepper and Kosher salt all over the outside of the turkey. Don’t overdo it with the salt remember you brined the bird!
Cut the onion in half or quarters and place it inside the cavity. Add a couple of stalks of celery. Then, place thyme, rosemary, and parsley inside the cavity.
*Table salt is finer than Kosher or Sea Salt. You will have to pull back on the amount for table salt. My advice, use Kosher or Sea salt!
Use The Reynold’s Oven Turkey Bag
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Follow the directions with Reynold’s Oven Turkey Bag
. Preheat the oven to 325°. Toss some flour into the bag as directed. Place the turkey inside the bag. Make six 1/2″ slits in the bag, one near the thigh where the thermometer is to be inserted.
Insert the digital meat thermometer. ►Click here for a video of how to easily use the Thermo Pro Digital Thermometer. I love this thermometer!
It was key to baking the perfect turkey!
Use the tie provided with the turkey bag, following the instructions.
When
the oven is ready, place the prepared bird in the oven. When programmed with the preset USDA guidelines, the thermometer will beep when the bird is ready! No guessing! Get ready for the best turkey ever!
The skin browns because of the butter rub. After taking it out of the oven, I used a turkey baster to remove the juices for use in dressing and gravy. Then, I cut open the bag revealing the breast, and tented it with Reynold’s Wrap. Be sure to allow the bird to rest for an hour before cutting and serving.
Five Steps To A Foolproof Moist Flavorful Turkey
#1. Use a dry salt brine.
#2 Rub butter underneath the skin and all over the outside of the turkey. Fill with onion, celery, and herbs.
#3 Place the turkey in a Reynolds Oven bag for turkeys.
#4 Place a digital meat thermometer in the thigh through one of the slits in the bag.
#5 Remove the turkey from the oven and let it rest for an hour before carving and serving.
Tips
Buy a good Turkey Roaster!
You might not think that having a sturdy pan is that important unless you have had the experience I have. A couple of years after Dave and I married, his parents came to our house for Thanksgiving. It was the first time I had cooked a large turkey for a crowd.
We didn’t have a roasting pan, so, I bought one of those disposable aluminum baking pans. I followed the directions and had the oven set at 325°. Everything was fine, or so I thought. My mother arrives and tells me that the turkey isn’t going to finish on time. She turns the heat up.
Soon, billows of smoke filled the house! It seems the aluminum pan had a pinhole leak in it and had been leaking juices! When the heat was increased, those fatty juices began to burn on the oven floor.
Often, the weather is not very cold on Thanksgiving Day here in Northern Kentucky. That year, it was cold. We opened all the windows and tried to fan the smoke away. Lol! What a way to greet my in-laws!
Needless to say, after that debacle, I bought a proper roasting pan.
My daughter told me that she usually has to add salt to the turkey meat, but it was perfectly seasoned. There were so many compliments on the turkey, that I realized this is the perfect way to bake a juicy well-seasoned turkey!
Click here ► for my favorite side dishes for Thanksgiving!
Favorite Thanksgiving Sides
Side Dishes
Creole Green Beans One of the Best Holiday Dishes
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Thank you Debra. It looks and sounds delicious and not to messy or complicated steps in preparation.
Thanks, Margie! Can’t believe it took this long to finally figure out how to roast the perfect turkey! Happy Thanksgiving to you guys!