With your bird in handaThanksgiving turkey, perhapsit’s time to decide: dry brine or wet brine?

The choice to dry brine or wet brine a turkey depends on several factors.

What Is Brining?

The magic of brining is all about salt.

The difference between the two brining options is in how the salt works.

Dry Brine

A dry brine draws the turkey’s natural moisture out of the meat.

Salt mixes with the turkey’s juices and is then reabsorbed into the meat.

This very concentrated brine breaks down muscle proteins and prevents them from squeezing out liquid during the cooking process.

Wet Brine

In a wet brine, a bath of salt-infused water saturates the meat.

Is Dry Brining or Wet Brining Better?

Both brining techniques are effective ways for making turkey (as well aspork and lamb) moist and juicy.

That makes the decision between the dry vs. wet brining come down to just a handful of factors.

Space Demands

If you have limited refrigerator space, a dry brine may be your friend.

(Above that threshold, bacteria multiply quickly and risksfoodborne illness.)

Brining in a richly-concentrated liquid like homemade chicken stock won’t do much good either.

That may be enough to deter even the most seasonedThanksgiving cookfrom using the wet brine technique.

As a rule, use 1 tablespoon of kosher salt for every 2 pounds of turkey.

For example, for an 8-pound turkey, that comes out to 4 tablespoons of salt.

you might add other dry herbs and spices to your dry brine mixture.

This easy self-basting technique helps flavor the meat while it roasts, helping keep it moist and delicious.

From here, you’re able to roast the turkey according to yourrecipe’s instructions.

If you prefer extra-crispy skin (see Step 8), you may want to start two days ahead.

If in doubt, this is best tested with a wrapped turkeybeforeadding water.

Knowing how much water you needby estimate or actualyou can determine how much salt is required.

A good rule of thumb is 1 cup of salt to 1 gallon of water.

In this case, using an inexpensive table salt is fine.

Next, gently lower the bird into your container with brining solution.

If needed, rotate the bird during brining so all sides get coverage.

Place the turkey on a rack in a rimmed baking pan and then pat it dry with paper towels.

Your turkey isready to roastaccording to your recipe’s directions.

Brining may speed up the cooking process slightly, but not enough to make a huge difference.

No, you don’t need to rinse a turkey after brining it.

Don’t go over the maximum recommended 24 hours for brining and you should be safe.

U.S. Department of Agriculture.Poultry: basting, brining, and marinating.

U.S. Departent of Agriculture,Brining safely will bring tender, flavorful meat to the Thanksgiving table.

Clemson Cooperative Extension,How to bring a turkey: Wet and dry brining

U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“Danger Zone” (40 F - 140 F)