Every week, Food52's Senior Editor Kristen Miglore is unearthing recipes that are nothing short of genius.
Today: The simplest possible technique for a succulent turkey. It will forgive you if you overcook it. You can do it while you're defrosting the bird, if you so choose. And best of all, it tastes like turkey.
- Kristen
Five years ago, the L.A. Times Food Section held a turkey taste test that changed the way they (and a lot of others) talk about Thanksgiving.
Under the vigilant eye of Russ Parsons -- longtime Food Editor at the paper and author of How to Read a French Fry -- four birds came to the table, and a simple new technique had the panel smitten.
The bird had been dry-brined (though the term "dry-brining" wasn't being tossed around much yet). In less-fancy words, a few tablespoons of salt had been sprinkled on it a few days ahead.
Because of this, the turkey was well-seasoned through and through, and had all the juiciness of your average wet-brined turkey, without its sometimes off-putting texture (we'll come back to that later). It tasted like turkey, but turkey having a very good day.
Parsons has written about the salting technique every Thanksgiving since, testing new variations each year and slashing steps he decides aren't important. The response has been glowing. By his count, he's received over 1,000 emails from happy cooks, and some of the most genius hacks have come from their suggestions.
So where had this turkey been all our lives? To find out, I had to get the story from the two clever cooks we have to thank for the recipe: one an editor, the other a chef. Without both parties, the world might never have known the wonder that is the Judy Bird.
Here's how it all went down:
Since the late 1980s, Judy Rodgers (you remember Judy) has dry-brined the famous roast chicken -- and just about everything else -- at Zuni Café in San Francisco. She learned the technique while cooking in Southwestern France and perfected it back in the States, meticulously trying it on everything from fish fillets to hamburgers to roasts, even some vegetables -- but never a turkey.
Salting early doesn't dry these things out -- if timed and measured right, moisture is pulled out and back in again, and the process magically realigns the proteins so that they'll hold on tighter next time. For a much more scientific explanation, see Rodgers or McGee. But I can tell you what this means to your mouth: juicy, tender food. As a bonus, it's salted all the way to its middle, not just on the surface.
This juice-retaining action is the same as with a wet brine, with one big difference: the wet version also draws in some of the surrounding water and makes everything vaguely ham-like. Juicy yes, and flavorful, but springy and tight in a way that doesn't smack of fresh meat. Not to mention the space concerns: wet brines are greedy things. Not only are you storing something in your fridge for several days, you're storing it in a vat of liquid.
Enter Parsons, circa 2006, who had quizzed Rodgers on her relationship with salt for various stories over the years. "I was casting about for Thanksgiving ideas and I wondered if something that worked for chicken might work for turkey." Parsons wrote to me in an email, "I called her and asked if she’s ever tried it and she said no."
In fact, Rodgers had recommended a wet brine for turkey in the Zuni Café Cookbook in 2002, a recipe she's been using on pork chops since her days at Chez Panisse in the 1980s and had scaled up successfully for the big unwieldy bird. Though she has dry-brined plenty of geese and ducks (and more chickens than probably anyone on earth), the reason she never pursued turkey is simple.
"I'm just not a big turkey, Thanksgiving girl," Rodgers says. "A lot of chefs feel this way. At Zuni we still change the menu every day, and sometimes I taste 75 things in the course of a day, from oysters to desserts. So for me, Thanksgiving is a holiday from cooking and eating. If I don't have to plan a menu, I think, 'It would be really nice to just scramble some eggs'."
So Rodgers consulted and Parsons (a serious turkey fan) got testing. "I tried it first with a 12-pounder and it worked great. Then I worked my way up," Parsons wrote. "When I talked to Judy, I think she was a little surprised … and maybe a little amused that I was so excited about it. I can get a little geeky."
Geeky like a fox. Since then, he's figured out grilling the brined turkey, and the right herbs and spices to add to the salt -- but his most amazing discovery is that you can brine a frozen bird as it defrosts in your refrigerator. And why wouldn't you?
Once you taste your very own Judy Bird, you can thank them both: the chef who'd rather not think about Thanksgiving at all, and the food editor whose job depends on it.
Russ Parsons' Dry-Brined Turkey (a.k.a. The Judy Bird)
Adapted slightly from The L.A. Times Food Section
Serves 11 to 15
One 12- to 16-pound turkey (frozen is fine)
Kosher salt
Herbs and/or spices to flavor the salt (optional -- see suggestions in step 1)
Melted butter for basting (optional)
See a slideshow and the full recipe (and save and print it) here.
Want more genius? Try Judy Rodgers' Roasted Applesauce
Got a genius recipe to share -- from a classic cookbook, an online source, or anywhere, really? Please send it my way (and tell me what's so smart about it) at kristen@food52.com.
Get more of the genius of Russ Parsons, in book form: How to Pick a Peach and How to Read a French Fry
Photos by Nicole Franzen
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kristen miglore
I'm an ex-economist, ex-Californian who moved to New York to work in food media in 2007. Dodgy career choices aside, I can't help but apply the rational tendencies of my former life to things like: recipe tweaking, digging up obscure facts about pizza, and deciding how many pastries to put in my purse for "later."
Some past articles from this author you'll love:
Anne Dimock's Straight-Up Rhubarb Pie
Daniel Patterson's Poached Scrambled Eggs
Rick Bayless' Chilied Tortilla Soup with Shredded Chard
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36 Comments on Russ Parsons' Dry-Brined Turkey (a.k.a. The Judy Bird):
Best. Turkey. Ever! Will never do it any other way.
I used this dry brine for our thanksgiving Turkey this year and my husband then grilled the turkey on the Webber grill. It was delicious and so much easier than the typical wet brine. I will use it again and try it for chicken too. Grilling the turkey makes a delicious bird but no drippings for gravy. Still a good deal to have the oven free for all the pies and side dishes!
My first turkey in my new home of only 2 weeks...first time cooking with a gas stove, too. Totally easy, totally yummy. The only heads up I'd give other newbies...it's SO moist, that even when the temperature read 165 degrees, the juice (oh, so moist!) ran a bit pink at first, which made us think is was under cooked, but we trusted the thermometer, and boy, am I glad we did.
One question for next year...it dripped very little juice while roasting, and we didn't think we'd have enough drippings for gravy so we added a little broth to the bottom of the pan maybe half way through...is there something I could/should do differently next year...now that this is my new tradition? :)
I did my first turkey ever this year, and this recipe worked great! Could not have been easier or less intimidating. Some people who'd never heard of a dry brine were dubious, but it made for a beautiful, delicious, juicy bird ... and great gravy, too!
Hi there,
After preparing a turkey using this dry-brine method, is it possible to make a nice gravy from the pan juices?
The pan juices have a nice Unami so go easy on any additional salt but they are great and make a great gravy.
Thank you for the help! I have a 19.5 pound turkey, so how long should I roast it using this recipe's method? Hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Supertaster - Cook it for same amount of time as a regular turkey, but keep an eye on it in case it gets done sooner. Here are the roasting times from the USDA website:
Timetables for Turkey Roasting
(325 °F oven temperature)
Use the timetables below to determine how long to cook your turkey. These times are approximate. Always use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature of your turkey and stuffing.
Unstuffed
4 to 8 pounds (breast) 1½ to 3¼ hours
8 to 12 pounds 2¾ to 3 hours
12 to 14 pounds 3 to 3¾ hours
14 to 18 pounds 3¾ to 4¼ hours
18 to 20 pounds 4¼ to 4½ hours
20 to 24 pounds 4½ to 5 hours
Thanks, Springmom, for your help! Happy Cooking!
Katelynvt, I have already roasted 4 birds using this method. All were around 19lbs. I was worried too so I started them at 400 and roasted them following the directions exactly except for that one change. I did not baste and had a crispy golden skin. All birds are diff though so if I were you I would keep an eye on it towards the end of cooking and maybe foil the breasts if it is getting to dark. Try keeping the oven rack low too so the turkey isn't super close to the top of the oven.
Should I baste the turkey during roasting? Or is this a more "leave it alone" type recipe? Also, do you recommend covering with foil? If so, do you cover at the beginning or end of roasting. I have a 21 lb turkey so I'm worried with the long cooking time it will get too dark.
Thanks for your help! This is my first Thanksgiving (and turkey for that matter) and I'm a little nervous! :)
Kristen is the Senior Editor of food52.
added 5 months agoYou don't need to baste at all, and you should only cover or tent with foil if the skin (or parts of it, like the wings) are getting dark before the internal temperature is getting close to 165 in the thighs. You can stick on little foil sleeves for the wings if needed, for example, while the rest of the skin keeps browning. Have fun on your first Thanksgiving!
Thank you so much for your reply! I am definitely excited for tomorrow and know it will be fun...and based on all the reviews we're going to have some amazing turkey!!
Can you use sea salt for dry brine or does it have to be kosher salt. Aslo I was going to slow smoke it on a barrel charcoal grill over in direct heat, I did it last year for the first time and to my surprise it turned out wonderful. This year i wanted to inject it with apple cider is that a good idea! Any suggestions?
Kristen is the Senior Editor of food52.
added 5 months agoYou can definitely use sea salt (in fact, that's what Judy Rodgers uses on chickens, etc.) You may want to look up a conversion from Diamond Crystal kosher salt (which is a medium flake size -- not as fine as table or fine sea salt, not as coarse as coarse sea salt). Not sure about injecting the cider -- I think that would turn it into more of a wet brine, which a lot of people like, but might have those ham-like texture issues I mentioned above. For smoking advice, check out aargersi's comment on the recipe's comment thread -- she reported great success. http://www.food52.com/recipes/15069_russ_parsons_drybrined_turkey_aka_the_judy_bird
We always wet brine overnight & then smoke the turkey for a few hours & then finish it in the oven. So my question is, can we do the dry brine & then smoke it? Would love to try this (less mess)...
Kristen is the Senior Editor of food52.
added 5 months agoCheck out aargersi's response on the recipe's comment thread -- she just tried a couple versions that were dry-brined-then-smoked with great success! http://www.food52.com/recipes/15069_russ_parsons_drybrined_turkey_aka_the_judy_bird
This is very similar to a Puerto Rican turkey recipe I've been using for many years. 2-3 days ahead the turkey is rubbed inside ant out with a mixture of salt, garlic, olive oil and spices. It's placed in the roasting pan on a rack, covered with plastic wrap and the roaster cover, and refrigerated. When it's time to bake, preheat the oven, remove the plastic wrap, stuff if desired, and cook. The result is DELICIOUS and the white meat is always MOIST!
I have a 26 to 28 lb turkey, if I cant find a resealble
bag big enough or a turkey bag, can I wrap it in Serman wrap?
Lgr35@mac.com
Kristen is the Senior Editor of food52.
added 5 months agoSure, just wrap it in plenty of layers of plastic wrap so it doesn't leak, and maybe put it on a rimmed baking sheet or other dish for good measure.
This is genius. Did it last year for the first time and became a dry-brine convert.
I love the idea of starting to do the (Thanksgiving) prep days before....takes the heat off. I've tried excessive 'quick' salting (http://www.kitchenbutterfly.com/2009/08/19/steak-bling-bling/) which made the tastiest steaks I've ever made. Rest assured this technique will be employed for chicken, turkey and any slab of meat I lay my hands on. Thanks
Sounds like the solution to my always dry chicken! How long would you dry-brine a chicken. And would you use the same salz-ratio as for the turkey?
Kristen is the Senior Editor of food52.
added 6 months agoIt's great for chicken too -- here's Zuni Cafe's recipe on Serious Eats (it calls for 3/4 tsp sea salt per pound, and 1-3 days brining time): http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2007/09/the-best-roast-chicken-recipe-try-it-with-me.html
i could use some wisdom from the food geniuses as well: i'd like to do this brine but will be out of town saturday to wednesday. will 4 days be too long to dry brine a 20# turkey? or i can brine it overnight, will that be too short? thanks in advance!
Kristen is the Senior Editor of food52.
added 6 months agoGo for the 4 days -- I've abandoned a dry-brining turkey for an extra day without issue. Especially with a bigger bird, that should work out perfectly.
Love this post! I had the pleasure of working with Judy on the Zuni cookbook it remains one of my favorite projects ever and one of the books we refer to most. I am definitely trying this this year! thanks guys!
Kristen is the Senior Editor of food52.
added 6 months agoHow cool! Congratulations on your beautiful work on the Zuni cookbook -- it's an amazing resource and a favorite around here too.
I tried this on my turkey last year, and I'm never going back to wet brine!
Food geniuses: thoughts on whether I can dry-brine a kosher turkey (kosher birds are salted and rinsed prior to being sold).
The kosher bird is already salted, so don't brine it or it'll end up overly salty.
Kristen is the Senior Editor of food52.
added 6 months agoActually, according to Parsons, kosher birds still benefit from brining, since they're only salted for a short period initially. I think Cook's Illustrated takes a different stance, but I can say that I've tried brining kosher and not kosher birds and both turned out pretty great. (See Parsons' answer to this and a bunch of other reader questions here: http://articles.latimes.com/2009/nov/18/food/la-fow-turkeyfaq18-2009nov18)
Food geniuses: thoughts on whether I can dry-brine a kosher turkey (kosher birds are salted and rinsed prior to being sold).
I have done this for years, because of Rodgers, on roasts, steaks, ducks, chickens and countless other things but for some reason it escaped me to do it on a turkey. It won't escape me this year. Thanks
This made me laugh a little. I did this the same year Kate at Savour did it - 2009. We both got the idea from our beloved Zuni Roast Chicken! I also blogged about it at the time and linked to Kate's post because in my haste to get dinner on the table, I didn't snap a pic of the turkey (duh).
I love this dry brine method and plan to use it on Thanksgiving when in lieu of a bird, I will be roasing a loin of pork with the bones Frenched.
I had the same idea as Russ (as a Zuni chicken aficionado with a small refrigerator, I had to try the dry brine!) and I can vouch for the greatness of this recipe (which I also posted in my blog -- I use herbs under the skin and plain salt). This is the only way anyone in my family will cook turkey. It's juicy and moist without that weird ham texture and flavor that a wet brine can give. It's turkey that tastes like TURKEY.
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