Should You Rinse a Dry Brined Turkey?

There are a lot of opinions out in the world about how best to prep a turkey for Thanksgiving. Should you make a dry-brine turkey? Wet-brine? Skip brining altogether? We’ll just cut right to the chase: The official Epi opinion is that dry-brining is the only brine method you should consider when prepping a holiday bird. The process is literally just coating the raw turkey in salt (and maybe a few other flavorings) and letting it hang out in the fridge for a couple of days. It’s exponentially easier to pull off than a wet brine and it imbues the meat with so much flavor, your guests will never complain about dry, tasteless meat again. But let’s back up:

As Thanksgiving approaches, many home cooks are preparing to make the centerpiece of the holiday meal – a perfectly roasted turkey. For most, achieving moist, flavorful turkey can be a challenge. That’s why brining has become such a popular technique. By soaking the turkey in a saltwater solution (wet brining) or rubbing it with salt (dry brining), you can ensure a juicy and seasoned bird. But once you’ve brined your turkey, should you rinse off the salt before roasting? Let’s take a closer look at whether rinsing is recommended for a dry brined turkey.

What is Dry Brining?

Dry brining, sometimes called dry salting, involves rubbing salt directly onto the turkey’s skin and letting it sit for 12-48 hours. Kosher salt is typically used, as the large grains are able to penetrate deep into the meat. As the salt draws moisture out, it dissolves into the juices. It then gets reabsorbed into the turkey, breaking down proteins for super tender and moist meat.

Unlike wet brining where the bird soaks in a saltwater solution, the dry brine mixture contains no added liquid It’s simply a salt rub that distributes seasoning evenly both on the surface and throughout the meat. Herbs, spices, sugar, and citrus zest are often incorporated into dry brines as well for extra flavor

Should You Rinse Off a Dry Brine?

When it’s time to roast your masterfully dry brined turkey, should you rinse off the salt mixture first? The short answer is no

Washing a dry brined turkey is completely unnecessary and generally not recommended Here’s why

The salt penetrates the meat – Unlike wet brining where salt sits on the exterior, dry brining allows the salt to fully penetrate into the turkey. Rinsing will not remove the internal seasoning.
No salty residue – While a wet brine leaves a surface coating of saltwater, a dry brine does not. There won’t be any significant salty residue left on the skin.
Better skin – Rinsing will rewet the skin and ruin the drying effect that helps achieve super crispy skin.
Food safety – Washing raw poultry spreads bacteria around your sink and kitchen. It’s safer to just pat dry.
Flavor – Any chopped herbs or spices rubbed into the turkey will get washed away if rinsed.

Instead of rinsing, simply pat the turkey dry with paper towels to remove any residual moisture or brine mixture on the skin. Proceed straight to roasting for a beautifully burnished and delicious dry brined turkey!

Should You Rinse a Wet Brined Turkey?

While rinsing isn’t necessary for dry brined poultry, what about birds that have been wet brined? With the turkey fully submerged and soaked in saltwater, it makes sense you would want to rinse it off before cooking. However, many experts actually advise against rinsing wet brined turkeys as well!

Washing a wet brined turkey can spread germs and bacteria around your sink and kitchen since you are dealing with raw poultry. Any seasoning added to the brine will also get washed away. Most importantly, research shows rinsing does not actually reduce the sodium content of wet brined turkeys.

That said, a quick rinse under cold water is still recommended by some when wet brining to remove any lingering brine solution and for food safety. Just be extremely careful.

If you do opt to rinse a wet brined turkey, follow these tips:

Do it quickly under a thin stream of cold water. Avoid excessive splashing.
Use a designated plastic or glass container to catch the rinse water, not your kitchen sink. Properly dispose of the water.
Immediately scrub down any surfaces the raw turkey or water touched with hot, soapy water or disinfecting wipes.
Pat the turkey completely dry with paper towels before roasting.

Key Takeaways

Rinsing a dry brined turkey is completely unnecessary and even detrimental for achieving crispy skin, food safety, and full seasoning. Simply pat dry.
Most experts advise skipping the rinse for wet brined turkeys as well since it doesn’t reduce salt content. If rinsing a wet bird, be extremely careful.
Never wash raw poultry directly in your kitchen sink. Use a designated container to catch water and immediately disinfect surfaces.

should you rinse a dry brined turkey

Dry brining vs. wet brining:

There are two ways to brine your Thanksgiving turkey: a wet brine or a dry brine. Dry brining simply involves rubbing a turkey in a salt-and-herb mixture and letting it sit in the refrigerator for many hours (usually about one hour per pound). Wet brining is slightly more involved: it requires soaking a turkey in a salt-water solution (herbs, spices, and aromatics can be incorporated, and sometimes other liquids like beer or molasses are added to the water) for several hours or overnight.

Why dry-brining results in the best turkey:

The wet-brining method involves some complex maneuvers. For one, you’ll need to source a giant bucket or a big bag to let the turkey bathe in. It’s a process prone to nightmarish outcomes (#throwback to when former Epi food editor Rhoda Boone ended up with a fridge flooded with turkey water). You’re far less likely to encounter such problems when making a dry-brined turkey. Sure, you’ll have to make a little room in the fridge, but that’s the nature of Thanksgiving turkey, no matter which route you take.

Dry-brining has more going for it than mere user-friendliness. It also renders the turkey skin extra crispy: As the turkey rests uncovered in the fridge, the skin dries out, allowing it to crisp beautifully in the oven. Additionally, dry-brining ensures the turkey meat is penetrated with seasoning throughout.

When you dry-brine a bird, the salt draws out moisture from the turkey, causing the salt to dissolve. Once dissolved, the salt combines with those turkey juices and gets reabsorbed into the meat. Along the way, the process breaks down muscle proteins, giving way to the most tender, moist, well-seasoned turkey you’ll ever taste, no basting or buckets required.

Do you rinse off dry brine on turkey?

FAQ

Do you rinse off turkey dry brine?

For the crispiest skin, though, you’ll want to make sure you uncover it for at least the last 6 hours before cooking. 4. Don’t rinse it. After a few days, the salt will have done its job.

What happens if you don’t rinse a brined turkey?

But a brined turkey that is not rinsed would be too salty to eat. Brining slows down the growth of bacteria but does not kill it, said Linda Harris, a microbiologist at the University of California, Davis. She and other food scientists have been trying to get Americans to stop rinsing poultry since the late 1990’s.

Do you have to rinse off brine?

What to Do After the Meat Is Brined. After waiting the appropriate amount of time, remove the meat from the brine and pat it dry with a paper towel. You won’t need to rinse it with fresh water unless you accidentally brined it for too long. From here, cook the meat according to your favorite recipe.