Ready for the easy way to cook moist turkey? Make Dry Brine Turkey! It’s the best, most foolproof way to cook Thanksgiving Turkey that’s perfectly juicy and will wow at the holidays.
As Thanksgiving approaches, turkey takes center stage. For many home cooks, brining is a key step to ensuring a juicy, flavorful bird. But should you cover or uncover your turkey while it dry brines in the fridge? This is a surprisingly contentious topic among amateur chefs and culinary pros alike. In this article, we’ll break down the pros and cons so you can decide for yourself.
What is Dry Brining?
Dry brining involves rubbing a turkey with a salt-based mixture and letting it rest, uncovered, in the fridge for 1-3 days. The salt penetrates deep into the meat, dissolving some proteins, allowing it to retain more moisture when cooked The uncovered resting also helps dry out and tighten the skin so it gets ultra crispy in the oven
Wet brining requires submerging the bird in a saltwater solution for hours. It adds moisture but can make the skin soggy. Many cooks feel dry brining delivers superior flavor and texture. It’s certainly easier since you don’t need a giant container or fridge space for brining liquid!
The Case for Uncovered Dry Brining
Most recipes call for uncovered dry brining Why is this the standard approach? There are a few key reasons
Maximizes Crispiness
Leaving the turkey uncovered in the fridge helps dehydrate the skin so it gets super crispy and golden brown during roasting. Covering it can make the skin moist and soft.
Intensifies Flavor
Uncovered brining concentrates the flavor as moisture evaporates from the skin. Covering retains moisture, diluting the seasoned taste.
Reduces Mess
An uncovered turkey won’t drip any liquid as it brines. Covering can cause condensation, creating a mess in your fridge.
Prevents Sogginess
Any moisture trapped under the cover can make the skin soggy. An uncovered bird ensures the skin dries out.
It’s Traditional
Most experienced cooks brine turkeys uncovered. For many, that’s reason enough to carry on the tradition. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!
Reasons to Brine Covered
However, some cooks buck tradition and advocate brining under cover. Why would you brine covered? Here are some of the reasons:
Prevents Drying Out
While uncovered brining crisps the skin, some feel it overly dries the meat. Covering regulates moisture loss.
Increases Juiciness
Related to the above point, retaining more moisture during brining may make the meat more succulent and juicy.
Adds Tenderness
Covering may allow salt to more thoroughly penetrate and tenderize the meat.
Avoids Fridge Odors
Brining raw poultry uncovered may make your fridge smell. Covering contains odors.
Reduces Waste
Covering prevents the meat from drying excessively and shrinking in size. Trimming is minimized.
Extends Shelf Life
An uncovered bird may simply dry out too much if left for longer brining times, shortening its shelf life.
Enhances Security
Covering reduces exposure, preventing contamination and accidents. It also hides it from hungry guests!
You Prefer It
If you’ve brined covered and love the results, why change? Cooking comes down to personal preference.
Testing Covered vs. Uncovered Brining
To settle this debate, I tested turkeys prepared both ways. I brined two 12 lb Broad Breasted White turkeys for 48 hours, leaving one uncovered and tightly covering the other with plastic wrap. After roasting them using the same method, here’s how they compared:
Skin Crispiness – The uncovered turkey skin was audibly crackly when sliced and had a deep golden brown color. The covered skin was paler and softer.
Skin Moisture – The uncovered skin was dry to the touch while the covered skin was tacky.
Meat Texture – The meat seemed equally moist and tender between both samples.
Meat Juiciness – No noticeable difference in juiciness was detected. Both turkeys were very moist.
Flavor – If anything, the uncovered turkey was slightly more seasoned tasting to me, as predicted.
Waste – The uncovered turkey was a bit smaller, having shrunk more. But the difference was under a half pound.
The Verdict: Uncovered is Best
Based on my test, an uncovered turkey produced crisper skin with no downside. The meat didn’t seem to dry out or lose juiciness when brined uncovered. Any slight size reduction from moisture loss was negligible.
However, if you strongly prefer your technique and results with a covered turkey, there’s no reason not to continue covering during brining. In the end, it comes down to personal preference. There’s more than one way to brine a turkey!
Hopefully this breakdown of the covered vs. uncovered debate provides some guidance on which way to go this Thanksgiving. Let us know if you try both and have a strong preference either way! Wishing you and yours a very happy and delicious holiday.
Why Brine at All?
During brining, the structure of the meat transforms.
- Salt draws out the meat’s juices, dissolves into them, and then is reabsorbed.
- Once reabsorbed, it breaks down the meat, making it more tender.
- Brining seasons the meat from within so it has flavor all the way through, not just on the outside.
- Brined meat can better retain moisture.
Result: an ultra juicy, tender turkey with succulent flavor throughout.
If your turkey has dried out in the past, likely you did not brine it (or did not brine it for long enough or did not use enough salt)—or you overcooked the turkey (155 to 160 degrees F is the number; see How Long to Cook Turkey for details).
Now that I’ve (hopefully) convinced you to brine, let’s talk.
The Best Thanksgiving Turkey Starts with Brining
Brining is the process of salting meat prior to cooking.
It is the key to the juiciest meat, and it is EASY and foolproof!
For turkey, plan on 24 hours of dry brining.
Have less than 24 hours or prefer a traditional wet brine? Check out our wet Turkey Brine recipe.
Dry Brined Turkey on a Pellet Grill
FAQ
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