Easy No Brine Turkey Recipe – juicy and perfectly seasoned and cooked whole turkey, that does not need to be wet or dry brined. Easy to prepare, perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas and NYE.
For over 15 years, since I made my first turkey, I’ve been either wet or dry brining every single turkey I cooked. I’ve always known, that cooking a whole turkey is no joke, so I never took the chance to skip the brine.
But as we all know, wet brining requited a large water filled container, where you store the turkey in the brine. You do need extra space in the fridge, which may become a problem, especially, if you are hosting a holiday party.
With dry brining, (see my Dry Brined Herb Roasted Turkey), you still need to refrigerate the salt covered raw turkey, which is not fun. While both situations are “doable”, this time I decided to bake a turkey without brining it. And it turned out amazing! Just make sure you follow the directions and pay attention to the extra tips I’m sharing below.
Brining a turkey before roasting is a common technique that many cooks swear by for producing a moist and flavorful bird. However brining requires time and space in the refrigerator. So it’s understandable if you’re wondering, can I cook a turkey without brining it?
The short answer is yes, absolutely! With the right techniques, you can roast a tender, juicy turkey without brining. In this article, I’ll explain why brining became popular, alternatives to brining, and tips for ensuring a delicious turkey.
Why Did Brining Turkey Become Popular?
Brining involves soaking the raw turkey in a saltwater solution for hours or days before cooking. This draws moisture into the meat through osmosis, ensuring the turkey stays juicy as it roasts. Brining gained popularity because it reliably prevents dried-out turkey, which is a common complaint about roast turkey.
While effective, brining has some downsides. It takes a lot of counter space in the fridge. The turkey absorbs a lot of saltwater, increasing its weight and diluting its natural turkey flavor. And dealing with a 10+ pound raw brined turkey can get messy.
So over the years, many cooks have developed great techniques for roasting flavorful and moist turkey without brining. I haven’t brined a turkey in years thanks to these alternative methods.
How To Cook Moist Turkey Without Brining
Here are 6 tips for cooking the most delicious roast turkey without brining:
1. Start with a high-quality turkey
The quality of your raw turkey makes a big difference. Pasture-raised and organic turkey have more fat and flavor. The higher fat content keeps the meat moist and prevents drying out. A broad-breasted turkey from a local farm will be far superior to a conventional supermarket turkey.
2. Dry brine instead of wet brining
Dry brining, or salting the turkey and letting it rest uncovered in the fridge, is a great alternative to wet brining that doesn’t require dealing with gallons of liquid. Dry brining improves flavor and moisture just like wet brining but without diluting the turkey’s flavor.
3. Loosen the skin and rub fat underneath
Loosening the skin from the breast meat and rubbing butter or oil underneath is key for basting the meat from inside. As the fat melts during roasting, it bastes the breast meat under the skin to prevent drying out.
4. Roast at high heat to start
Starting the turkey at an initial high temperature of 425°F jumpstarts the browning process for beautifully crispy skin. Then reduce to 350°F for the remainder for gentle, even cooking.
5. Baste frequently
Basting the turkey with pan juices every 30 minutes moisturizes the skin and promotes even browning. Using a turkey baster, suck up juices from the bottom of the pan and distribute them over the top.
6. Let rest before carving
Letting the turkey rest for 30-45 minutes after roasting allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat. Carving too soon will cause juice to spill out and the meat to dry.
Sample Roast Turkey Timeline Without Brining
Here is a timeline of how I prepare my roast turkey without brining:
- 4 days before: Thaw turkey in fridge
- 3 days before: Remove giblets and neck, dry outside with paper towels. Combine salt, pepper, and herb rub. Loosen skin from breast and rub butter underneath skin. Rub herb mix evenly all over outside. Place in a roasting pan in the fridge.
- 2 days before: Roast turkey uncovered in the fridge (dry brine).
- 1 hour before cooking: Remove turkey from fridge and let sit at room temperature. Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Roasting time: Roast turkey at 425°F for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F and roast approximately 15 minutes per pound of turkey. Baste every 30 minutes.
- After roasting: Let rest 30-45 minutes before carving.
Follow those simple steps, and you’ll have a tender and delicious roast turkey without dealing with messy brining. While brining does make it foolproof, with the right techniques you absolutely can cook turkey without brining.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the best way to thaw a turkey?
The safest way is in the refrigerator. Whole turkeys need 24 hours of defrost time per 4-5 lbs. A 12 lb turkey would need 3 days in the fridge.
How high should I set the oven temperature?
Start at 425°F for the first 30 minutes to brown the skin, then reduce to 350°F for the remainder of cooking.
Should I tent foil over the turkey?
Tenting foil helps prevent over-browning. But basting and rotating periodically can also prevent this.
How long should I let the turkey rest before carving?
Let it rest at least 30 minutes, up to 45 minutes. This allows juices to re-distribute so they don’t spill out when carved.
What’s the best way to store leftovers?
Store carved turkey meat separately from stuffing and gravy. Refrigerate within 2 hours. Turkey keeps 3-4 days refrigerated.
Enjoy Your Brine-Free Roast Turkey!
While brining does guarantee a moist turkey, it’s absolutely possible to cook delicious turkey without brining. A quality bird, dry brining, butter under the skin, and frequent basting will ensure a tender and juicy feast. Follow these tips for your next holiday meal.
Important tips, when baking a whole turkey in the oven:
- Make sure the turkey is extra dry, so the compound butter sticks to the outer skin and the inside of the turkey.
- Good roasting pan – either stainless steel of non stick, make sure the pan has a roasting rack. Choose the smallest roasting pan that fits the turkey—too big and the juices can burn; too small and constricted airflow won’t allow for even cooking.
- Compound Butter – mix softened butter with salt, pepper, garlic, lemon juice and fresh or dried herbs.
- Covering – this recipe calls for covering the turkey, while roasting with butter soaked two layer cheesecloth. Covering is essential, especially, if the turkey is not brined. It prevents the skin from burning and the meat from over drying. This way the final result is perfectly golden brown turkey.
- Injecting – even though I use compound butter, to make the turkey juicy, flavorful and delicious, I often also inject melted butter into the turkey legs (and breast) to make sure it stays moist and to enhance the flavors.
- Checking the temperature – for best results use a probe thermometer.
- Tie the turkey legs with Baker’s twine or dental floss. We tie the legs, because
Whole turkey roasting time:
For this particular recipe:
This 12 pound turkey is roasted at 425 F for 30 minutes.
Then it is covered with butter soaked cheesecloth (or aluminum foil), the oven temperature is reduced to 350 F and you bake it for another 2-3 hours, until a thermometer inserted into the legs reads 165 F.
In this case it took about 2 hours and 15 minutes. The size of the oven, type of pan also are factors, that may speed up or slow down the cooking process.
If you roast the turkey at a constant temperature of 350 F (177 C):
Roast for 13 minutes per pound at 350°F for an unstuffed turkey, or 15 minutes per pound for a stuffed turkey.