A turkey brine is salt, and time. You either soak the bird in salty water (wet brine) or rub salt straight onto it and let it sit in the fridge (dry brine). Both get salt deep into the meat, so the breast stays juicy and seasoned all the way through. For most Thanksgiving cooks, a dry brine is the better pick: it takes less fridge space, the skin comes out crisper, and the meat tastes like turkey, not salty water. A wet brine still has its place, though, and both recipes are below. You’ll also get salt amounts by brand and a day-by-day plan for Thanksgiving 2026.
The 30-second answer
Dry brine: rub a thawed turkey with about ½% of its weight in salt (3¾ tablespoons Diamond Crystal or 2 tablespoons Morton kosher salt for a 14-lb bird). Refrigerate it uncovered on a rack for 1 to 3 days, then roast without rinsing. Wet brine: dissolve 2 cups Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or 1 cup + 2 tablespoons Morton) in 2 gallons of water with aromatics. Chill it below 40°F, submerge the turkey, and refrigerate 12 to 24 hours. Never go past 2 days. Either way, pat dry and roast to 165°F.
Jump to
Should you wet brine or dry brine a turkey?
Dry brine if you want crisp skin, concentrated turkey flavor and a free fridge shelf. Wet brine if you want the most forgiving, juiciest breast meat and don’t mind hauling a 2-gallon bucket around. Both work. They just work in slightly different ways.
Dry brine
Salt rubbed on and under the skin. It pulls out a little moisture, dissolves in it, and slowly gets reabsorbed. No added water, so the meat tastes meatier and the skin dries out and roasts up crisp. Needs 1 to 3 days and a rack in the fridge.
Wet brine
The turkey soaks in salted water. The meat takes on extra water along with the salt, which gives you a cushion against overcooking. The trade-off: softer skin, slightly diluted flavor, saltier drippings, and a big container to keep cold.
Why does salt do any of this? The USDA’s guide to basting, brining and marinating poultry puts it simply: salt dissolves some of the protein in muscle, and the salt and protein together cut moisture loss during cooking. The result is juicier, more tender meat with better flavor.
So which one should you pick this year? If you’ve never brined before, start with the dry brine. It’s less mess and harder to get wrong. Go wet if your bird is very lean (heritage or pasture-raised turkeys can be), or if you tend to overcook the breast.
Which turkeys should you not brine?
Don’t brine a turkey labeled “enhanced,” “self-basting,” “pre-brined,” “kosher,” or one that lists a “solution” on the label. These birds already contain salt. Many frozen supermarket turkeys, Butterball included, carry up to 8% of a salt-and-water solution. Brine one of those again and you’ll get turkey that tastes like deli ham.
Read the fine print on the front of the package and the ingredient line. A plain turkey lists only “turkey.” If you see “contains up to X% of a solution of water, salt…” it’s already been seasoned for you. Kosher-certified turkeys are salted during processing, so treat them the same way.
What if you already bought an enhanced bird? Skip the brine and season it lightly with pepper, herbs and unsalted butter. Our herb butter roast turkey is built for exactly that situation. It gets its flavor from butter under the skin, not from salt.
How much salt for a turkey brine? (It depends on the brand)
Weigh your salt if you can, because a cup of one kosher salt is not a cup of another. One cup of Diamond Crystal kosher salt weighs about 137 grams, while a cup of Morton kosher salt weighs about 241 grams. That’s nearly double, which is how so many “too salty” turkeys happen. Table salt is denser still, at roughly 290 grams per cup.
For a wet brine, we aim for about 3.5% salt by weight of the water. That’s 137 grams per gallon, or 1 cup of Diamond Crystal. It’s on the gentle side, so you can leave a whole turkey in for a full 24 hours without it turning salty. For reference, the USDA’s basic poultry brine is stronger, at ¾ cup salt per gallon, and is meant for an overnight soak.
For a dry brine, use about 0.5% of the turkey’s weight in salt. That lands between the classic LA Times “Judy Bird” ratio of 1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal per 5 pounds and the 1 teaspoon per pound that ThermoWorks recommends in its dry-brining guide. The table in the dry brine section does the math for you.
Wet turkey brine recipe
Dissolve the salt and sugar in a little hot water with aromatics, top it up with cold water and ice, and soak the turkey 12 to 24 hours in the fridge. This makes 2 gallons, which covers a 12- to 20-pound turkey in a brining bag. The citrus and herbs add a light perfume. The salt does the real work.
Classic Wet Turkey Brine
Brine (makes 2 gallons / 7.6 L)
- 2 gallons (7.6 L) cold water, divided (part of it can be ice)
- 274 g kosher salt: 2 cups Diamond Crystal, or 1 cup + 2 tbsp Morton kosher, or 1 cup minus 1 tbsp table salt
- 1 cup (200 g) packed light brown sugar (optional, helps browning)
Aromatics
- 1 orange and 1 lemon, quartered and squeezed into the pot
- 1 head garlic, halved crosswise
- 1 yellow onion, quartered
- 2 tbsp black peppercorns
- 6 bay leaves
- 1 small bunch fresh thyme, plus 3 sprigs rosemary and a few sage leaves
- 1 tbsp allspice berries (optional)
You’ll also need
- A turkey brining bag set inside a roasting pan, or a food-grade 5-gallon bucket or cooler
- A fully thawed 12–20 lb (5.4–9 kg) turkey, giblets and neck removed
- A fridge or probe thermometer
Method
- Make the concentrate. In a large pot, bring ½ gallon (2 L) of the water to a simmer with the salt, sugar and all the aromatics. Stir for about 5 minutes until the salt and sugar dissolve. Turn off the heat and let it steep 10 minutes.
- Cool it completely. Add the remaining 1½ gallons of cold water (swap up to 3 lb of it for ice to speed things up). The brine must be at 40°F (4°C) or colder before the turkey goes in. Check with a thermometer.
- Submerge the turkey. Set the bird breast-side down in the brining bag or bucket and pour in the brine. If it isn’t fully covered, add more cold water, plus 137 g of salt for every extra gallon so the strength stays the same.
- Refrigerate 12 to 24 hours. Seal the bag, pressing out the air, and keep the container covered in the fridge. Flip the turkey once halfway if any part sits above the brine.
- Drain and dry. Lift the turkey out, let it drain, and throw away the brine. Pat the turkey very dry inside and out with paper towels. For crisp skin, set it on a rack over a sheet pan and refrigerate uncovered for 8 to 24 hours before roasting.
Watch it done (video)
Preppy Kitchen walks through a classic wet brine with citrus and herbs. Watch how the hot concentrate gets cooled before the turkey goes in.
Dry brine turkey recipe
Mix salt with a little sugar, pepper and dried herbs, rub it over and under the skin, and leave the turkey uncovered in the fridge for 1 to 3 days. It takes 10 minutes of work. The salt draws out some juice at first, the juice dissolves the salt, and the meat slowly takes that seasoned liquid back in. Meanwhile the cold, dry fridge air dries out the skin.
Herb Dry Brine for Turkey (for a 14-lb bird)
Dry brine rub
- 32 g kosher salt: 3¾ tbsp Diamond Crystal or 2 tbsp Morton kosher (see the table to scale)
- 2 tsp light brown sugar (optional, for color)
- 2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 tsp dried sage, rubbed
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried rosemary, crumbled
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- Finely grated zest of 1 orange or lemon (optional)
Method
- Dry the bird. Remove the giblets and neck from a fully thawed turkey. Pat it completely dry with paper towels, including the cavity.
- Mix the rub. Stir the salt, sugar, pepper, herbs, garlic powder and zest together in a small bowl.
- Loosen the skin. Slide your fingers under the skin of the breast and thighs to make pockets, without tearing it.
- Salt it all over. Rub about a third of the mix directly onto the meat under the skin. Sprinkle the rest over the outside and a little in the cavity. Put a bit more on the thick breast and thighs, less on the wings and drumsticks.
- Refrigerate uncovered. Set the turkey breast-up on a rack over a sheet pan. Refrigerate 24 to 72 hours, uncovered. If your fridge is crowded, loosely cover it for the first day, then uncover it for the last 24 hours so the skin dries.
- Roast as is. Don’t rinse. Blot off any beads of moisture, then roast.
How much salt to dry brine a turkey, by weight
| Turkey weight | Salt (grams) | Diamond Crystal | Morton kosher | Table salt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6–8 lb bone-in breast | 16 g | 2 tbsp | 1 tbsp | 2½ tsp |
| 12 lb (5.4 kg) | 27 g | 3¼ tbsp | 1¾ tbsp | 1½ tbsp |
| 14 lb (6.4 kg) | 32 g | 3¾ tbsp | 2 tbsp | 1¾ tbsp |
| 16 lb (7.3 kg) | 36 g | 4¼ tbsp | 2⅓ tbsp | 2 tbsp |
| 18 lb (8.2 kg) | 41 g | 4¾ tbsp | 2¾ tbsp | 2¼ tbsp |
| 20 lb (9.1 kg) | 45 g | 5¼ tbsp | 3 tbsp | 2½ tbsp |
These amounts work out to about 0.5% of the turkey’s weight, which seasons the meat clearly without tasting salty. Table salt is fine by weight, but its fine grains clump and are hard to spread evenly, so kosher salt is easier to use here.
Want to go further? Butterfly the turkey before you dry brine it, like the one in the photo. A flat bird brines more evenly and roasts in about half the time. It’s the same idea as our spatchcock chicken, just bigger. You’ll need sturdy poultry shears.
Food52’s Genius Recipes series makes the Judy Bird, the dry-brined turkey that won the LA Times staff taste test in 2006. It’s a good look at how little salt you actually need.
How long should you brine a turkey?
Wet brine a whole turkey for 12 to 24 hours. Dry brine it for 24 to 72 hours. The USDA’s limit for a wet brine is 2 days, always refrigerated at 40°F or below. Past that, the texture starts to turn spongy and ham-like, even in a gentle brine.
- Wet brine, whole turkey (12–20 lb): 12 to 24 hours. Under 12 hours, the salt won’t reach the center of the breast.
- Wet brine, bone-in turkey breast: 6 to 12 hours.
- Wet brine, turkey parts (legs, thighs, wings): 4 to 8 hours.
- Dry brine, whole turkey: 24 hours minimum, 48 hours is ideal, 72 hours at most.
- Dry brine, bone-in breast: 12 to 24 hours.
Why can a dry brine go longer? There’s no extra water, and you’ve only used as much salt as the meat should hold. Once that salt spreads evenly through the bird, it stops working. A wet brine keeps pushing salt and water in for as long as the bird sits in it.
Thanksgiving 2026 turkey brining timeline
Thanksgiving 2026 falls on Thursday, November 26, so a frozen 16-pound turkey needs to move to the fridge by Friday, November 20. The USDA’s guide to safe thawing allows about 24 hours in the fridge for every 4 to 5 pounds of turkey. You can’t brine a bird that’s still frozen in the middle, so thawing sets the whole schedule.
- Friday, Nov 20: Move the frozen 16-lb turkey from the freezer to the fridge, in a pan to catch drips. A 12-lb bird can wait until Saturday, Nov 21. A 20-lb bird should go in on Thursday, Nov 19.
- Tuesday, Nov 24, morning: Turkey should be thawed. Dry brine: salt it now and set it uncovered on a rack in the fridge.
- Tuesday, Nov 24, evening: Wet brine: make the brine, chill it, and submerge the turkey.
- Wednesday, Nov 25, evening: Wet brine: take the turkey out, pat it dry and leave it uncovered on a rack in the fridge overnight. Dry brine: nothing to do. Make your pies.
- Thursday, Nov 26, around 11 a.m.: Turkey into a 325°F (163°C) oven. The USDA’s Let’s Talk Turkey roasting chart gives 3¾ to 4¼ hours for an unstuffed 14- to 18-lb bird.
- Around 3 p.m.: Check the temperature. Rest the turkey 30 to 45 minutes under loose foil while you make the gravy. Dinner at 4.
Running late on thawing? The cold-water method takes about 30 minutes per pound, in a leak-proof bag with the water changed every 30 minutes. A turkey thawed this way should be cooked right away, though, so it’s too late for a dry brine at that point. A quick 12-hour wet brine still fits if you start early Wednesday.
Do you rinse a turkey after brining?
No. Pat it dry instead. A dry-brined turkey should never be rinsed, and the 3.5% wet brine above is mild enough that rinsing isn’t needed either. The USDA also advises against washing raw poultry because water splashes bacteria around your sink and counters. Paper towels and an uncovered rest in the fridge do a better job.
Once it’s dry, cook the brined turkey the way you normally would. Just keep these four things in mind:
- Don’t add more salt. Season the outside with pepper and herbs only. If you rub on butter, use unsalted. A dry brine on Tuesday plus the herb butter from our herb butter roast turkey on Thursday is a great combination. Just leave the salt out of the butter.
- Watch the browning. Sugar in the brine browns faster. If the breast is dark brown before it’s done, tent it loosely with foil.
- Cook to temperature, not time. The thickest part of the breast and the innermost thigh should read 165°F (74°C), per the FoodSafety.gov safe minimum temperature chart. Brined meat stays juicy even if you run a few degrees over.
- Bake the stuffing separately. Stuffing inside a brined bird soaks up salty juices. The USDA recommends baking it in a dish anyway, for even, safe cooking.
What are the most common turkey brining mistakes?
The big three are using the wrong salt by volume, brining a turkey that was already pre-brined, and letting the brine get warm. The first two give you salty meat. The third is a food-safety problem. Most of the rest come down to rushing the drying step.
What goes wrong, and the fix
- Salty turkey: Morton or table salt measured as if it were Diamond Crystal, or an “enhanced” bird brined again. Weigh the salt, and read the label before you start.
- Brine still warm: the turkey went into brine that hadn’t cooled. Bacteria grow fast above 40°F. Use ice to cool it and check with a thermometer.
- Rubbery, pale skin: a wet-brined turkey roasted straight from the bag. Pat it dry and give it at least 8 hours uncovered in the fridge.
- Spongy, ham-like texture: wet brined too long, or the brine was too strong. Stick to 24 hours with the 3.5% brine above.
- Unevenly seasoned meat: the turkey was still partly frozen. Salt can’t get into ice. Make sure it’s fully thawed, and check the cavity for ice crystals.
- Burnt herbs or sugar on the skin: high oven heat with a sugary rub. Roast at 325°F, or brush off loose herbs before the turkey goes in.
Questions people ask about turkey brine
Can I brine a frozen turkey?
No. The turkey has to be fully thawed first. Salt can’t get through ice, so a partly frozen bird brines unevenly and the center stays bland. Thaw it in the fridge, about 24 hours for every 4 to 5 pounds, then start the brine.
Is a dry brine or a wet brine better for a smoked turkey?
Either works, but a dry brine is usually better for smoking. Smokers run at low temperatures, so skin can easily go rubbery, and a dry-brined bird starts with drier skin. Smoke also sticks better to a dry surface. Use the same salt amounts from the table.
Can I use table salt instead of kosher salt?
Yes, but go by weight, not volume. Table salt is about twice as dense as Diamond Crystal, so a cup of it is far saltier. For the wet brine, use 274 g (1 cup minus 1 tablespoon). If your table salt is iodized, it can leave a faint metallic taste in long brines, so use plain salt if you have it.
Do I need sugar in a turkey brine?
No. Sugar is only there for color and a little roundness. Salt does all the brining. If you leave it out, the skin will still brown, just a bit less deeply. Maple syrup or honey can stand in for brown sugar in the wet brine.
Can I brine a turkey in a cooler?
Yes, as long as everything stays at 40°F (4°C) or below the whole time. Use ice packs or ice sealed in bags so the brine doesn’t get diluted. Keep a thermometer in the cooler, check it every few hours, and add ice whenever it creeps up.
Does brining work for turkey breast and chicken?
Yes. Dry brine a bone-in turkey breast with 16 g of salt for 12 to 24 hours. The same 0.5% rule works for chicken. A 4-lb bird needs about 9 g, or 1 tablespoon of Diamond Crystal, overnight. Try it on our lemon herb roasted whole chicken.
Did You Try Our Recipe ?
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