Are you starting with a frozen turkey? If your turkey is totally solid, you’ll want to wait until it’s at least partially thawed before dry-brining, which should take 1–2 days (More on how to thaw a turkey here.) In a hurry? Rinse the bird under running cold water until it’s pliable enough for you to pull out the giblets, then pat dry and proceed.
2. Cover your turkey in salt.
Use kosher salt for a brine—never fine table salt. The size and structure of kosher salt crystals are designed expressly for this purpose. But those attributes do vary by brand, and so too will measurements. Figure 2–2½ tsp. of Diamond Crystal kosher salt per pound of turkey, or 1–1½ tsp. per pound of Morton kosher salt. (For a 14-lb turkey, which will serve about 10 people, that’s ½–¾ cup Diamond Crystal or 5–7 Tbsp. Morton.) To speed up the brining process, you can gently loosen the skin from the flesh and rub the salt directly on the meat, but only if the bird is completely thawed.
Looking for a more flavorful experience? Some dry-brine recipes call for adding white or brown sugar to the salt. It’s not totally necessary, but it will infuse the meat with a little sweetness and help the skin turn golden in the oven. Your sugar measurement should equal about ¼ of your salt measurement; for a 14-lb turkey, that’s about 2 Tbsp. sugar. You can also add aromatics, like finely grated citrus zest or spices (think black pepper, crushed fennel, mustard, or coriander seeds, sumac, juniper berries, red pepper flakes) to the mix too.
Don’t discount herbs either. Avoid softer herbs (no parsley, cilantro, or basil) which will add too much moisture, but feel free to include hardier fresh herbs like finely chopped rosemary or thyme—or any dried herbs you like (to match the Thanksgiving vibe, we like dried sage). Whisk the sugar, aromatics, and your measured amount of salt together in a small bowl, then sprinkle the salt mixture all over your soon-to-be bronzed-and-beautiful Thanksgiving turkey. Be sure to rub your dry brine into all the crevices and inside the cavity too. Don’t miss an inch.
3. Refrigerate your turkey uncovered.
Place the salted bird on a rack set on a rimmed baking sheet (to catch any liquid that drips off) or whatever pan you plan to cook it in. Pop it in the refrigerator and leave it there, uncovered, to brine for at least 1 hour per pound (that means a 14 lb. turkey needs at least 14 hours). With a dry brine for turkey, you can’t really overdo it, but you’ll probably want to max out the salt-covered rest at three full days before moving your bird to a preheated oven.
If the thought of having a raw, uncovered turkey in your fridge for a couple of days freaks you out, you can loosely cover the bird with plastic wrap or put it in a turkey brining bag. For the crispiest skin, though, you’ll want to make sure you uncover it for at least the last 6 hours before cooking.
4. Don’t rinse it.
After a few days, the salt will have done its job. There’s no need to rinse the bird because there shouldn’t be any salt residue on the outside of the skin (though there may be residual spices or herbs if you used them—feel free to leave them or brush them off). Another downside to rinsing: You’ll ruin your chances of having that perfect crispy skin. Do, however, rinse the pan you used to dry-brined the turkey if you plan on repurposing it for roasting.
