Holidays centred around gathering with family and friends over food are our kinds of celebrations—a perfect reminder of what’s truly important and worth making space for. That said, we know it can be a lot of work. While experimenting with new flavours and recipes is fun, when it comes to the turkey, there’s something to be said for sticking with a method that consistently delivers. And we’ve got one you can rely on.
Achieving a turkey that’s both beautifully golden and deliciously moist can be tricky. The key? A dry brine with a crucial addition, followed by a brush of spiced herbed butter. This method guarantees a turkey that’s not only visually impressive but also moist and flavourful.
Dry brining simply involves seasoning your turkey a day in advance with salt, pepper, and baking powder, and allowing it to rest on a rack in the fridge. We use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt, which dissolves evenly and allows the seasoning to penetrate the meat thoroughly, creating a deeper flavour and better moisture retention. This sets the foundation for an exceptionally juicy bird.
Adding baking powder changes the pH of the turkey skin, encouraging the breakdown of proteins, which leads to a crispier result when roasted. The combination of salt and baking powder works together to draw out moisture, resulting in a beautifully golden, crackling skin while maintaining the juiciness inside.
Once the turkey has been properly brined, the next step is coating it with a spiced herbed butter. This step enhances both flavour and visual appeal. Adding paprika to the mix ensures a deeply browned skin. We love La Chinata's Smoked Paprika, known for its balanced flavour—unlike many other brands. Sourced from Spain and dried over oak wood, this paprika brings a distinct, rich smokiness that complements the savoury notes of the turkey without overpowering it.
If smoked paprika isn’t your preference, we also carry Burlap & Barrel’s Noble Sweet Paprika, made from heirloom peppers grown in Hungary. It offers a uniquely rich, sweet flavour with a vibrant colour, thanks to its single-origin, small-batch production. Both options provide a beautiful colour, ensuring your turkey looks as impressive as it tastes.
For detailed instructions on how to execute this technique, check out Eshun's Perfectly Crisp Roast Turkey recipe, published in House & Home. It covers each step to help you achieve professional results in your own kitchen, ensuring your turkey is the highlight of the holiday feast.
Perfectly Golden & Crisp Turkey Skin 101
In addition to the steps mentioned above: use a low roasting pan for better air circulation, and start the oven at a high temperature for the first 30 min before lowering for the bulk of the cooking time. Calculate about 13 min total roasting time per lb for an unstuffed turkey, but start checking early to be safe. Find the full recipe here
Dry Brine (enough for up to a 15 lb turkey)
2 tbsp Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp coarsely ground Tellicherry Black Pepper
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp coarsely ground Tellicherry Black Pepper
Herbed Butter:
½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1½ tsp crushed fennel seed
1½ tsp dried thyme
1 tsp La Chinata Smoked Paprika or Burlap & Barrel Nobel Sweet Paprka
1½ tsp crushed fennel seed
1½ tsp dried thyme
1 tsp La Chinata Smoked Paprika or Burlap & Barrel Nobel Sweet Paprka
- Combine salt, baking powder and pepper in a small bowl. Pat turkey dry with paper towels, set over a rimmed baking sheet and sprinkle mixture all over the skin. Set turkey on a rack over the baking sheet and allow to air dry in your fridge for 12-24 hours.
- Remove turkey from fridge and allow to sit at room temperature for 1 hour to help ensure even cooking. Preheat oven to 425 °F. Stuff turkey cavity with aromatics like onions and fresh herbs if desired and tie legs together.
- Transfer turkey to a rack over a low roasting pan. Combine butter, fennel seed, thyme, and paprika and use a pastry brush to thoroughly coat turkey. Roast for 30 min or until skin is nicely browned. Turn heat down to 325 °F and roast (loosely tenting foil overtop when turkey has reached a colour you 're happy with) until an instant-read thermometer reaches 165 °F when inserted into the thickest part of the meat. Remove from oven and let rest uncovered for 30 min (internal temperature will continue to rise before it starts to fall), before carving to allow juices to retract and to give you time to make gravy with pan drippings.
Header photo by Stacy Bradford, Props by Folly & Fine
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