While nearly everyone agrees that seasoning meat is critical for adding and enhancing flavor, exactly how to season a turkey before cooking it remains a mystery for many folks. Some of this has to do with the unique structure of a whole turkey, and since it’s a dish typically reserved for occasional holiday meals, it’s one of those processes that doesn’t get practiced often.
Fortunately, ATBBQ has made cooking turkey a regular habit and, over the years, has gathered a lot of experience in consistently cooking a flavor-packed, juicy, and tender turkey that leaves everyone at the table grateful to have avoided yet another dry and tasteless holiday showcase dish.
We always recommend brining turkey as a first step in ensuring the cooked bird ends up juicy and flavorful once it reaches the magical internal temperature of 160ºF. But properly applying a quality seasoning rub after the turkey has completed the brining process is also an important component to nailing the end result because it adds taste complexity and allows you to change the flavor profile of the dish.
How to Season a Turkey in Three Simple Steps
Step 1 - Create Space Between The Turkey Skin and The Meat
As ATBBQ Staff Chef Tom Jackson demonstrates in his Smoke Roasted Spatchcock Turkey with Homemade Sausage Stuffing video, carefully separate the turkey skin from the muscles, taking care not to tear the skin.
“The first thing I'm going to do is start to pull this skin away from the flesh,” Chef Tom says in the video. “Now, we're not going to remove it, but we do need to get our seasoning all the way down in here. So now you can see all that flesh is exposed, and we can get seasoning underneath the skin.”
As you can see, properly seasoning a turkey is a very hands-on process, which is why we like to keep a stash of disposable ATBBQ Nitrile Gloves on hand to help maintain a clean and sanitary cooking space.
Step 2 - Spread Seasoning Rub Underneath Skin
Disperse the seasoning evenly on the turkey breast, leg, and thigh meat. Gently massage the rub in to ensure complete contact with the flesh and avoid clumping. Getting a generous amount of rub under the skin will allow those flavors to penetrate the meat better and improve flavor distribution.
Step 3 - Season The Top Side of the Skin
Gently reposition the skin before sprinkling more seasoning over top of the turkey. Make sure the seasoning is generally proportional, putting more seasoning on bigger pieces of meat and less seasoning on the smaller pieces.
ATBBQ’s Favorite Turkey Seasoning Rubs
Want to know what the ATBBQ team reaches for when cooking for our loved ones? Here are some of our go-to rubs and turkey kits.
- Cattleman’s Grill Ranchero Seasoning Rub - Created in collaboration with Chef Tom with poultry in mind, this versatile rub relies on garlic, spices, and lemon extract to deliver fantastic flavor. It’s also included alongside Sweetwater Spice Classic Holiday Turkey Bath in our Traditional Thanksgiving Turkey Kit and Sweetwater Spice Lemon Thyme Brine Concentrate in our Savory Herb Turkey Kit.
- Cattleman’s Grill Trail Dust All-Purpose Seasoning - A versatile all-purpose rub, this pantry and grilling staple is meticulously blended in small batches to ensure balance and quality. Trail Dust is a complex rub that relies heavily on garlic and thyme, with mustard seed adding a hint of tanginess. It’s included alongside Sweetwater Spice Apple Rosemary Sage Brine Concentrate in our Classic Holiday Turkey Kit.
- Cattleman's Grill Cajun Fusion Rub - For a spicier turkey, check out this rich rub, which is also great with seafood, vegetables, soups, and dips. Paprika, garlic, and onion provide a rich, smoky, and sweet base that is complimented by a premium spice blend. It’s one of the signature elements in Chef Tom’s Smoked Cajun Turkey recipe.
Answers to Common Seasoning Questions
Can I make a homemade turkey rub?
It’s possible to make your own seasoning rub. In fact, many people do. A good rule of thumb is to start with two tablespoons of kosher salt and one tablespoon of paprika. Then, add two tablespoons each of garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper. From there, feel free to add your favorite herbs and spices to suit your taste.
Should I be seasoning a pre-brined turkey?
Absolutely. ATBBQ turkey kits come complete with everything you need to brine and season a turkey. A pre-brined turkey purchased from a grocery store will almost always have been brined in a simple saline solution consisting of salt and water but little to nothing else in terms of herbs or spices. Skipping the seasoning on a pre-brined turkey will leave you with a bland bird in the end.
What should I consider when seasoning a spatchcocked turkey?
According to Chef Tom, there isn’t a huge difference in how one would go about seasoning a spatchcocked turkey once the backbone has been removed. “The one thing I’d note with a spatchcock Turkey is that it will be easier to get rub underneath the skin on the legs.” he notes.
What is a good binder for turkey rubs?
“Honestly, Turkey doesn't really need a binder, especially if you're injecting or brining,” Chef Tom says. "But if you want to go that route, I’d use a binder that fits the theme of the recipe. If I'm doing a sweet glaze on it, I might use maple syrup on it as a binder, and that'll give us some extra caramelization during the cooking process.”
Mustard, butter, mayonnaise, and hot sauce are all common binders that people use either to enhance the visual appearance of a cooked turkey or to add subtle flavor.
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, 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.
