Dry Brine Turkey for Grill

[gulfporter]

Before grilling my spatchcocked turkey, I plan to dry brine it.  Have never done this before.  My brine will be my regular homemade rub, but maybe a tad extra salt.  

 

I've been researching and right now, my preference is to rub it on Tuesday and leave it in fridge until Thursday.  And I don't plan to rinse off the dry brine before hitting the grill.  

 

Other ideas, suggestions, corrections?

[Okanagancook]

I cooked a brined spatchcocked turkey for our Canadian Thanksgiving.  It was around 16 pounds, a fresh turkey.  I did an equilibrium brine using a 2% solution:  Weigh the bird and the water to cover said bird.  Take 2% of that weight and that is the amount of salt to use.  Brine for 24 hours.  That's my go to method for all poultry and pork.  It doesn't get overly salt using this method. Drawback:  fridge space.

[Deryn]

Just ran across this article/recipe on pbs.org - Citrus Dry-Brined Turkey. http://www.pbs.org/food/fresh-tastes/citrus-dry-brined-turkey/

Haven't tried it but it sounds delicious. The author doesn't mention removing all the brine but does talk about patting it dry. And she only brined it overnight I gather.

Good luck with yours. Please let us know how it turns out.

Edited November 22, 2015 by Deryn (log)

[cyalexa]

I have been dry-brining my turkeys for several years. I use the bay/sage variation in the article linked below. Additionally, for the last couple years I have been separating the white and dark meat, slow roasting to the proper temp then letting rest until about 30 min before service when I reheat and crisp the skin in a 500 degree oven for about 20 min. 

 

http://www.pressreader.com/usa/los-angeles-times/20151121/282578786948048/TextView

 

 

 

[Ttogull]

My experience is mostly with chickens. I dry brine those with spectacular results. The key for me is to cook the chickens at a high temp (600+ degrees F) in a cast iron pan. But they have to be small birds, no more than 3.5 lbs or else the outermost parts of the chicken get over cooked before the inside gets done.

I have been working to translate the chicken method to turkey. I want juicy turkey with crispy skin. Skin that cracks when I put a fork in it. Turkeys are larger (I'm doing 13 lbs) and I get to practice only once per year.

But what I've learned from chickens is that the advice given above to let the turkey sit in the fridge uncovered is a vital step. For chickens, I do this at least 24 hours. The skin visibly changes from loose and flabby to tight and thin.

Serious Eats also suggests adding baking soda. This raises the Ph, making it easier to brown the skin at lower temps necessitated by the Larger bird size. I might try this this year.

http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/11/quick-and-dirty-guide-to-brining-turkey-chicken-thanksgiving.html

I've used baking soda to improve the Maillard reaction in other things like soups, so I hope it works here.

Edited November 22, 2015 by Ttogull (log)