Those who have explored our turkey methods know that the three keys to consistently cooking a perfect bird are to brine it, apply a flavorful seasoning rub, and cook to an internal temperature of 160°F. Of those three steps, brining raises the most questions as people familiarize themselves with the process, including getting a better grasp on the differences between dry brining and wet brining a turkey.
At their core, both dry brining and wet brining infuse meat with salt in order to make it more tender and juicy. The salt breaks down the cell walls in muscle proteins, allowing them to take on more liquid than before. And because those protein strands have been broken down, the muscles can’t contract during the cooking process, thus reducing the amount of liquid they can push out.
Here, we will discuss the differences between dry brining and wet brining, the pros and cons of each, tips for mastering the brine process, and answers to frequently asked questions about brining.
Wet Brining
Wet brining turkey involves submerging it in a saltwater bath, which adds flavorful moisture to the turkey. While it’s possible to make a brine solution from scratch, ATBBQ turkey kits come complete with holiday-inspired brine bath concentrates. For example, the ATBBQ Classic Holiday Turkey Kit includes Sweetwater Spice Classic Holiday Turkey Bath, which incorporates Apple, Rosemary, and Sage.
Wet Brining Pros
Since a wet brine adds moisture to the turkey during the brining process, there’s more margin to guard against drying the meat out during the cooking process. A wet brine can also introduce flavors other than salt onto the meat, allowing for more complex flavor penetration than a dry brine.
Wet Brining Cons
“Wet brining is going to be a little bit messier and take up more space in a refrigerator,” explains ATBBQ Staff Chef Tom Jackson. Briner buckets make things tidier with snap-tight lids that seal tightly. Alternatively, ATBBQ brining bags are easy to store when not in use and take up less fridge space while brining a turkey. The ability to squeeze out air once the brine and turkey are in the bag ensures maximum coverage throughout the brine process.
Dry Brining
Dry brining involves coating meat with salt or seasoning and letting it rest in the refrigerator to allow the salt to draw out moisture from the meat before it’s reabsorbed as a concentrated brine. You can use Cattleman’s Grill Butcher House Brine or any seasoning that has salt in it to dry brine, as the salt will absorb into the muscles while the herbs and spices will continue to flavor the outside of the turkey.
Dry Brining Pros
Since dry brining doesn’t require submerging the turkey, it takes up less space in the fridge and is less likely to make a mess. Dry brining also renders a crispier skin than wet brining since the skin doesn’t get saturated with liquid.
Dry Brining Cons
While dry brining helps a turkey retain the moisture it already has, the process doesn’t add any additional moisture to the meat. Compared to a wet brine, you’re also limited in how well herbs and spices are infused into the meat.
Dry Brining Tips
“If you're going to dry brine, you need to make sure you get salt under the skin too so it actually gets the moisture moving through the muscles,” Chef Tom says. He also suggests injecting a dry brined turkey with unsalted butter to provide additional moisture without overpowering the meat with saltiness.
Brining FAQs
How long should you dry brine a turkey?
It takes at least 24 hours to dry brine a turkey effectively, and some cooks recommend stretching the brine time up to 72 hours.
Do you wash the salt off after brining?
"I don’t,” Chef Tom says. “I feel like that defeats the purpose.”
Those worried about over-salting will especially want to check out ATBBQ turkey kits, as their curated brine and seasoning combinations provide the perfect balance of flavor every time.
Does dry brining make meat moist?
Dry brining doesn’t add moisture to meat as wet brining does. But dry brining breaks down the muscle fibers, so they can’t contract and squeeze moisture out during cooking. So, a dry brined turkey will end up more moist than a turkey that hasn’t been brined or injected with moisture.
Is it better to dry brine or wet brine for fried turkey?
Dry brining gets a slight edge for fried turkey. One key to frying a turkey is to ensure the skin is completely dry so that you don’t end up with a dreaded moisture and oil reaction. Since dry brining doesn’t add additional moisture to the equation, some may consider it a better option when frying a turkey.
Should you season again after brining it?
We recommend seasoning turkey after it has been wet brined, so we include specific seasoning rubs that compliment brine concentrates in our turkey kits. Make sure to get most of the seasoning under the skin so that it is in direct contact with the meat.
Adding additional seasoning after dry brining will create a more complex flavor profile, but you’ll want to use seasonings that are salt-free or very low in salt since a dry brined bird is going to be salty enough before adding additional seasonings. Most premade seasoning rubs already have a heavy salt ratio, so consider making your own rub with herbs and spices.
More Turkey Tips from ATBBQ
Still have questions about how to spatchcock a turkey, tips on brining or injecting your bird, or our favorite turkey recipes? Be sure to subscribe to our email newsletter, where we share every new recipe video, check out some of our all-time favorite turkey recipes like Chef Tom’s Cider Brined Barbecue Turkey, and take a look at our turkey kits and accessories. You’ll find plenty of tips and tricks that we’ve learned over the years and continue to use when preparing holiday meals for our families.
