Should You Wet Brine vs. Dry Brine Your Turkey? An Expert Weighs In

If Thanksgiving is the Olympics of home cooking, then roasting the turkey is its preeminent event. And if you’re anything like me, you’re already training to make sure you get that gold medal. Often the most expensive component of a Thanksgiving meal, and the most central, the turkey can be intimidating.

You want a perfectly seasoned bird with juicy, tender meat and crispy, golden skin. Brining the turkey is an excellent way to bring lots of flavor while improving the texture of the bird. But what’s the difference between a wet and dry brine, and which one yields the tastiest bird? I talked to Alex Import of Stock Provisions in Charlottesville, Virginia, about the ins and outs of brining turkey to determine which method is the winner.

What Is the Difference Between a Dry Brine and a Wet Brine?

A dry brine is a mixture of salt, sugar, and spices that’s applied directly to the surface of meat. A wet brine is a solution of water and salt, sugar, and spices in which the meat is completely submerged. For both wet and dry brining, you should allow at least one hour of brining time per pound of meat, so a 12-pound turkey will take at least 12 hours to brine.

How Do You Brine a Turkey?

To dry brine a turkey, create a mixture of salt, sugar, and spices and apply them liberally to the entire surface of the turkey. Place the turkey, uncovered, on a baking rack on a sheet tray in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours. When you’re ready to roast it, remove the turkey from the fridge, and allow it to come to room temperature before placing it in your hot oven. Do not rinse off the brine.

To wet brine a turkey, dissolve one cup of kosher salt into every gallon of hot water you need to cover the turkey. Other, more flavorful liquids, such as beer, are welcome here, too. Then add sugar, aromatics, and other flavoring agents, and allow the solution to cool. Submerge the turkey completely in the brine.

Since the idea of waking up to a fridge full of poultry water on Thanksgiving morning is enough to make me take extra precautions, I like to use a large plastic brining bag inside of a five-gallon bucket. Allow the bird to brine in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours.

When you’re getting ready to roast it, remove the turkey from the brine, and pat it dry with paper towels. Allow it to sit uncovered on the roasting rack for an hour. Before roasting it, cover the turkey with additional seasonings, but avoid adding salt because you’ve already infused salt into the bird.

Why Is a Wet Brine Better Than a Dry Brine?

When it comes to roasting the tastiest turkey, Import says he chooses a wet brine. “A wet brine is more scientific, consistent, effective, and produces better texture. Also, hell, I don't know: It’s more romantic, traditional, fun, nostalgia-inducing, and for my tastes, produces a juicier end product whose flavor is far more representative of the ingredients used and the amounts therein.”

A wet brine works by using a process called osmosis. If you happened to nod off during the osmosis portion of your science education, here’s a quick refresher: Water molecules move through any semi-permeable membrane, including turkey skin, flowing from an area of higher water concentration to an area of lower water concentration. In a brine, the water molecules are infused with flavor, and that too, gets infused into the turkey, resulting in a final product that is more moist and robustly flavored.

When Is a Dry Brine the Better Choice?

There are a couple of good reasons someone might choose dry brining over wet brining. Wet brining takes up more space in the fridge and can be a little riskier because you’re dealing with a big bucket of liquid inside your refrigerator during its busiest time of the year.

A dry brine can also render a more reliably crispy skin because there’s less water in the skin when roasting. So, at the end of the day, the best brine is all about your preference. Both methods have their benefits and drawbacks.

Tips for Brining a Turkey

• Allow at least one hour of brining time per pound of turkey.
• Import says, “All brines, whether dry or wet, should contain a sweet element, most commonly brown sugar or a mix of brown and white.” 
• “Spices, herbs, citrus zest, and fun exclamation points such as granulated honey, dried chiles, or tomato flakes should be in the grab bag of ingredients when putting your brine together,” says Import. 
• Use a brining bag inside of a five-gallon bucket for fridge-safe wet brining.