Russ Parsons' Dry-Brined Turkey (a.k.a. The Judy Bird)
With a bird this good-looking, you really don't want to do much to it.
With Parsons' precise salt ratio -- 1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt for every 5 pounds of meat -- you can be confident you won't over- or under-season the star of the table.
A turkey sealed in a 2 1/2-gallon zippered bag takes up a lot less fridge space than one soaking in a vat of wet brine. (An oven bag will do in a pinch, but be prepared for it to leak.)
For the last 24 hours, take the turkey out of the bag to air dry in the fridge. Give it a good pat dry, inside and out -- the drier you get it, the better the skin will crisp.
You can baste the skin with butter, but it's not necessary. In one test, Parsons found that the butter helps with browning, but not necessarily with crispness.
Start roasting the turkey breast-side down for the first 30 minutes.
This helps keep the white meat nice and juicy.
When it's time to flip, grab two clean kitchen towels or oven mitts (or big wads of paper towels).
Now flip! You'll have more control than if you try to pick it up with tongs or a carving fork (which is really a recipe for turkey-on-the-floor).
Depending on the size and shape of your bird (and roasting rack) it might get these crazy indentations at this stage -- don't panic! They'll pop back out as it finishes roasting.
About 1 1/2 hours later (or earlier if your bird is tiny), start checking the turkey's temperature in the fleshy part of the thigh. At 165 degrees, pull it out to rest.
Rest that turkey at least 30 minutes.
Now get carving!
Author Notes: This recipe won a turkey taste test with staff of the L.A. Times Food Section in 2006 and Russ Parsons, the Food Editor at the paper, has been writing about it every Thanksgiving since. The technique is inspired by chef Judy Rodgers, who dry brines the famous roast chicken (and just about everything else) at Zuni Café in San Francisco, but never a turkey. Parsons decided to try it and found, not only does it work -- it comes out perfectly juicy and crisp, with none of the sponginess that you sometimes get with wet-brined birds. He tests a new variation each year, and slashes steps he decides aren't important. He's grilled the brined turkey, and added herbs and spices to the salt -- but his most genius discovery is that you can brine a frozen bird as it's defrosting. And why wouldn't you? —Genius Recipes
Serves 11-15
- 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)
- Wash the turkey inside and out, pat it dry, and weigh it. Measure 1 tablespoon of salt—we used Diamond Crystal kosher— into a bowl for every 5 pounds the turkey weighs (for a 15-pound turkey, you'd have 3 tablespoons). You can flavor the salt with herbs and spices if you like—try a pinch of smoked paprika and orange zest, bay leaf and thyme, or rosemary and lemon zest. Grind together with the salt in a spice grinder, small food processor, or mortar and pestle.
- Sprinkle the inside of the turkey lightly with salt. Place the turkey on its back and salt the skin of the breasts, concentrating the salt in the center, where the meat is thickest. You'll probably use a little more than a tablespoon.
- Turn the turkey on one side and sprinkle the entire side with salt, concentrating on the thigh. You should use a little less than a tablespoon. Flip the turkey over and do the same with the opposite side.
- Place the turkey in a 2 1/2-gallon sealable plastic bag, press out the air and seal tightly. (If you can't find a resealable bag this big, you can use a turkey oven bag, but be prepared for it to leak, or wrap the bird in a few layers of plastic wrap.) Place the turkey breast-side up in the refrigerator. Chill for 3 days, turning it onto its breast for the last day. Rub the salt around once a day if you remember. Liquid might collect in the bag as you go—this is normal!
- For the crispiest skin, the night before, remove the turkey from the bag. There should be no salt visible on the surface and the skin should be moist but not wet. Place the turkey breast-side up on a plate and refrigerate uncovered for at least 8 hours.
- On the day it is to be cooked, remove the turkey from the refrigerator and leave it at room temperature at least 1 hour (do not rinse—it's not needed, and rinsing will make the skin less crispy). Heat the oven to 425° F.
- Pat it dry one last time and baste with melted butter, if using. Place the turkey breast-side down on a roasting rack in a roasting pan; put it in the oven. After 30 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and carefully turn the turkey over so the breast is facing up (it's easiest to do this by hand, using kitchen towels or oven mitts).
- Reduce the oven temperature to 325° F, return the turkey to the oven and roast until a thermometer inserted in the deepest part of the thigh, but not touching the bone, reads 165° F, about 2 3/4 hours total roasting. Note that because a dry-brined turkey cooks more quickly than one that hasn't been brined, it's best to check the temperature early with this recipe—it may be done faster than you think!
- Remove the turkey from the oven, transfer it to a warm platter or carving board; tent loosely with foil. Let stand at least 30 minutes to let the juices redistribute through the meat. Carve and serve.
- This recipe is a Community Pick!
More Great Recipes:
Entrees|Chicken
Topics: Thanksgiving
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11 months ago Chantal Miller
Could this be used for chicken as well?
11 months ago ron
This was indeed originally a method for chicken, made popular by Judy Rodgers of the Zuni Cafe and published in her cookbook, the Zuni Cafe Cookbook.
11 months ago Leith Devine
Leith is a trusted home cook.
Absolutely, but I don't leave it for quite as many days! Usually 1 night in a bag, one day in the fridge to dry the skin and cook it that night. You could do it for several days if you wanted, as long as the expiration date of the chicken is OK.
11 months ago Beckey
I used this recipe to make my very first turkey -- a 16 pounder -- for my first hosted Thanksgiving dinner. And it was a complete hit, producing an incredibly tender, juicy turkey that actually looked beautiful as well. I did the initial rub on Tuesday night with a mixture of kosher & regular salt, plus a generous helping of Herbs d'Provence and a dash of cardamom. Wrapped it tightly in a garbage bag. Flipped it around and massaged it a couple of times on Wednesday. Removed it from the bag around 8am Thursday. Stuffed it with a mixture of roughly chopped celery stalks, shallots, lemon rind and apple cores (left over from my pies.) Rubbed some melted butter around on it with my hands because I realized I didn't have a basting brush.. And began cooking at 2:30p. Turned it over at 30 minutes and gave the breast another slosh of butter, and didn't open the oven again. It was perfectly done 2 hours and 40 minutes later. I forgot to leave it at room temperature for an hour, so it only had about 20 minutes, but that didn't seem to hurt things too much. Thanks for the recipe and all the helpful comments from readers!
11 months ago Leith Devine
Leith is a trusted home cook.
It sounds delicious...using the apple cores is an inspired idea! Happy it worked so well for you.
11 months ago Elizabeth Garcia
Thanks for this recipe!! Its the best turkey I have ever made. It was a 20lb butterball and I followed the instructions started on Sunday night used the bay leaves and thyme and kosher salt & used an oven bag as I reviewed the comments I noticed it said not to use a pre brined turkey like the butterball. I googled it too, so on Wednesday when I turned the turkey I scraped off the salt and replaced with only herb mixture and Thursday I let it sit for an hour outside fridge put in the oven at 2:45, turned it after 30mins and it was done at 5:45 and I also had a ham in the oven too. Very juicy and crispy on the outside. I will definatelly repeat next year!!
11 months ago Elizabeth Garcia
Thanks for this recipe!! Its the best turkey I have ever made. It was a 20lb butterball and I followed the instructions started on Sunday night used the bay leaves and thyme and kosher salt & used an oven bag as I reviewed the comments I noticed it said not to use a pre brined turkey like the butterball. I googled it too, so on Wednesday when I turned the turkey I scraped off the salt and replaced with only herb mixture and Thursday I let it sit for an hour outside fridge put in the oven at 2:45, turned it after 30mins and it was done at 5:45 and I also had a ham in the oven too. Very juicy and crispy on the outside. I will definatelly repeat next year!!
11 months ago Leith Devine
Leith is a trusted home cook.
It sounds great! Glad you had a great Thanksgiving.
11 months ago LisaAnn
Once again, amazing turkey.I finally went full tilt and roasted without a bag, which I'd done for several years, and the bird was the Word!
11 months ago Isabel
I've made this three years in a row. Hit it out of the park again. Instead of stuffing inside, I used lemons, onions and LOTS of fresh herbs.
11 months ago Leith Devine
Leith is a trusted home cook.
That's great! Hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving!
11 months ago Malena
I used this method for the first time this week. I was a little worried because 1) I started the process with a frozen Butterball, and 2) I only had fine table salt on hand. I seasoned the bird, a 12 pounder, with 2 tbsp of fine table salt and about 1 tsp each of paprika, cumin, dried oregano, and maybe half a tsp each of black pepper and garlic powder. Started the process on Sunday night. I used a Ziploc XL storage bag and it's way too big for a 12-pound turkey, but it worked and it did not leak. I did place the bag with the turkey on a half-sheet pan to catch any drips. Last night (wednesday) I took the turkey out of the bag, dried it with paper towels, and let it air dry in the fridge until I took it out today.
Preheated at 425. Rubbed with room temp butter over and under the skin with a little more of the seasonings mixed in. 20 mins @ 425, then lowered to 325. It was done in 2 hours total. It really was a delicious turkey. Even when I used table salt, and then salted butter, AND it was a frozen Butterball, it was not too salty at all. Even the pan juices were not too salty to use for gravy. And believe me you guys, my family and I don't enjoy food that is overly salty. The seasonings were not super noticeable in the meat, but they did flavor the pan juices really well for the gravy.
So, super long story short, I will never do a wet brine again. This method is easier and the results are comparable to any wet-brine I've done previously. Moist, succulent and well-seasoned white meat is all I need (don't care for the dark meat very much, and I'm indifferent to the crispiness/color of the skin) and the dry brine more than delivered. Thank you very much for this recipe.
11 months ago Leith Devine
Leith is a trusted home cook.
Great to hear you had such a delicious bird! Happy Thanksgiving!
11 months ago Malena
Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving to you as well! I should also thank you for all your advice in previous comments. It's been really helpful :)
By the way, I should clarify that, even though I'm not crazy about the dark meat or the skin, my family says both were excellent. The skin was a beautiful golden brown and very crispy. I did not baste the turkey at any point while it cooked, it wasn't needed. Really, air-drying the turkey in the fridge overnight is key, especially for anyone who likes to show off a beautifully golden brown turkey.
11 months ago ron
I've done this recipe for years after converting from wet-brining. I will never go back! I'm wondering why we are supposed to start the bird breast down. In the Zuni Cafe cookbook, has us start the chicken breast up, then flip twice. For the chicken it's breast up for 1/2 hour, flip for 15 minutes and then flip again to crisp the breast skin for 5-15 minutes (or something like that). Why wouldn't we something similar with the turkey? I feel like this is the most significant departure from Judy Rodgers original technique.
11 months ago Leith Devine
Leith is a trusted home cook.
I don't flip the bird at all...I spatchcock it and it takes under 90 minutes to cook! I used to, and dropped it on the floor once! Never again. Happy Thanksgiving!
11 months ago ron
Party fowl!
11 months ago ron
Actually another major difference between this and the Zuni cafe chicken method is that in the book she has you start the pan hot. When you put the bird in the pan it sizzles. I did this and flipped the bird twice as in the original. Not sure if it's better or worse than doing it the other way but it worked great.
11 months ago Jennifer
I'm ready to take my turkey out of the bag to dry overnight but there is a lot of bloody juice in the bag. The recipe says it shouldn't be wet. Should I give it more time in the bag to reabsorb this juice or just pat it dry and go forward?
11 months ago Ally
My husband and I just took ours out and had the same conversation. We are letting it air out to get as much moisture out so the skin will crisp up. We followed this recipe last year as well and had the same thing happen. I wouldn't worry too much, just take it out and let the fridge do it's magic.
11 months ago Leith Devine
Leith is a trusted home cook.
The juices are totally normal. Just take it out, pat it dry and let it rest overnight. I just took mine out of the bag myself! Happy Thanksgiving!
11 months ago Jess Shaffer
I just received my turkey last night, planning to brine this morning over night and start cooking in the late morning tomorrow. Is that going to be enough time for the moisture to absorb and release OR should I do a wet brine if I only have a little over 24 hours?
11 months ago Leith Devine
Leith is a trusted home cook.
You'll be fine, just get it started. Take the turkey out early Thanksgiving morning to let the skin dry out a little. Happy Thanksgiving!
11 months ago kbrown910
I couldn't locate my turkey bags so I covered in plastic wrap in the roasting pan, is that ok? Also, I'm roasting two 11 lb. turkeys side by side, will this affect the total roasting time? Thanks!
11 months ago Leith Devine
Leith is a trusted home cook.
That should be OK, or you could use a plastic trash bag. Two turkeys will take longer to cook than a single turkey, but they will still cook faster than a regular turkey using this recipe.
11 months ago SeattleMom
I added rosemary and lemon zest to the kosher salt and then put it in the spice grinder as per the directions, but it turned the salt into a powder. Is that going to be alright?
11 months ago Leith Devine
Leith is a trusted home cook.
It should be!
11 months ago Erica Mahgerefteh
This recipe looks delicious! Unfortunately, the bird I bought from the store has already been pre brined. Is it OK to do a dry brine on a bird that has already received a wet brine?
11 months ago Leith Devine
Leith is a trusted home cook.
No, it's already absorbed salt and liquid so you're ready to go. Maybe do it for the next holiday!
11 months ago Susan
On the stuffing issue, since the bird needs to rest for 30 minutes before carving, couldn't I scoop the stuffing out of the bird when it comes out, put it into a casserole dish, and pop it into the oven to make sure it reaches 165?
11 months ago Leith Devine
Leith is a trusted home cook.
I guess you could, as long as the final temperature goes over 165 degrees to get rid of any raw turkey bacteria. I cook it in a casserole, then our some of the drippings on top to simulate the "cooked in the turkey taste".
11 months ago Elizabeth
Just realized I used fine sea salt rather than kosher salt last night when I started the dry brining process. Is that a problem? Will it be too salty? Thanks so much for your help! This is my first turkey (kind of nervous)!
11 months ago Leith Devine
Leith is a trusted home cook.
From what I understand, kosher salt has bigger grains and will work its way into the turkey better than fine salt. Also, Google just told me that regular salt is twice as salty as kosher salt. If it were me (IMHO) I'd rinse it off and start over with kosher. Sorry, but it's not too late or anything :)
11 months ago Rachel
My family decided to purchase a smaller turkey this year -- we only have an 8 lb. one. This recipe says 12-16, is there some reason I wouldn't be able to do it with a smaller turkey? Any ideas on adjusting time for the brine or cooking duration?
11 months ago Leith Devine
Leith is a trusted home cook.
All you need to adjust is the amount of salt...I'd use 1 1/2 TB plus whatever herbs, zest etc you'd like. The cooking time will be short, so watch the temperature.
11 months ago Larissa Fuchs
I bought my turkey on Thursday and it was defrosted already... is it a problem? Should i buy a new one today (sunday)? Ive read i shoud use the turkey 2 to 3 days after its thawed...
11 months ago Leith Devine
Leith is a trusted home cook.
I"m not sure...I see the fresh turkeys at the store available a week early so it might be OK. Is there a sell-by date on it? If not I'd call the store where you bought it and talk to the meat department. They'd know when they got it in and how long it's good for. Good luck
11 months ago Anita Orsino
This will be my first dry-brined turkey. Will it be okay to put a softened herb butter under the skin on the breast? Also, in the discussion about baking stuffing in the bird someone mentioned microwaving the stuffing and then putting it in a food safe bag or cheesecloth. I have a bag that you use to store lettuce in the frig. It is cloth. Is that what you are talking about. I don't know where to get cheesecloth. And last, I take it that convection roasting is not the way to go with this method. Is that correct?
11 months ago Leith Devine
Leith is a trusted home cook.
Yes, It's OK to put herb butter under the skin, I do it every year. I haven't tried putting the stuffing in a bag, but my local grocery stores sell cheesecloth. I don't know about the lettuce bag but if it's cloth it should work. I've used both my convection and regular ovens when cooking this turkey, just remember that the convection oven will cook the turkey even faster so make sure to temp it early. Good luck.
11 months ago Lowetown
For this method, would you put the herb butter in just before you cook, or three days before when you start the brining process? Also, if I do choose to baste with melted butter, should I do it once, or throughout the roasting process?
11 months ago Leith Devine
Leith is a trusted home cook.
Put the butter in just before you cook it. You can baste it as you go along, but the oven loses heat every time. I soak a cheesecloth in butter, herbs and lemon juice and zest and drape it over the bird. The turkey stays moist and the skin gets really browned. Good luck!
11 months ago vrinda
Thanks
11 months ago vrinda
is it a BIG deal not to wash the turkey before salting it ?
11 months ago Leith Devine
Leith is a trusted home cook.
I don't think so, and nowadays food safety experts say not to wash poultry because it could spread germs around the bird and around your sink. Up to you.
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