Dry-Brined Turkey (the Judy Bird)
The Los Angeles Times' famous no-bucket brine: a few tablespoons of salt rubbed on three days ahead, the bird kept in a bag in the refrigerator, then dried uncovered so the skin roasts crisp.
In 2006 the Los Angeles Times Food section ran a turkey taste test, and the winner was not soaked in a bucket of brine. Russ Parsons had simply salted his bird days ahead, the way chef Judy Rodgers salted the famous roast chicken at Zuni Café in San Francisco, and the result came out juicy, with crisp skin and none of the spongy texture some wet-brined birds have; it was nicknamed the Judy Bird in her honor, and Parsons kept writing about it every Thanksgiving (reprints at KCRW Good Food: and Food52:). Who came up with the idea is DISPUTED (see Rules).
🇺🇸 This one is American
The Los Angeles Times' famous no-bucket brine: a few tablespoons of salt rubbed on three days ahead, the bird kept in a bag in the refrigerator, then dried uncovered so the skin roasts crisp.
🇲🇽 The original
In Mexico, where the turkey was first domesticated, the classic is turkey pieces braised in mole poblano, a dark sauce of dried chiles, spices, nuts and a little chocolate. See the Mole Poblano with Turkey (Mole Poblano de Guajolote) recipe.
Why it works the kitchen science
Salt, then time
Salt draws a little juice out of the meat, dissolves in it and is slowly pulled back in, seasoning the meat deeply and helping it hold moisture, without adding water the way a wet brine does.
Dry skin browns
The uncovered night in the refrigerator dries the skin, so it crisps in the oven instead of steaming.
Step by step
- Step 1
Three days before roasting: pat the turkey dry inside and out (do not rinse it) and weigh it. Measure 1 tbsp kosher salt for every 5 lb and sprinkle it evenly all over the bird and inside the cavity, using a little more on the breast and thighs.
- Step 2
Slide the turkey into the bag, press out the air, seal it and refrigerate it breast side up for 2 days. On the third day, turn it onto its breast and massage the salt around through the bag.
- Step 3
The day before roasting: take the turkey out of the bag, pat it dry with paper towels (still no rinsing), set it on the rack over the baking sheet and refrigerate it uncovered at least 8 hours, until the skin feels dry.
- Step 4
On the day, take the turkey out of the refrigerator 1 hour before roasting (no more than 2 hours). Heat the oven to 425°F with a rack in the lowest position, and set the turkey breast side up on the rack in the roasting pan.
- Step 5
Roast 30 minutes at 425°F, then lower the oven to 325°F and roast about 2 1/4 hours more for a 14 lb bird, until a thermometer reads 165°F in the thickest part of the breast and the innermost thigh and wing. If the breast browns too fast, lay a piece of foil loosely over it.
- Step 6
Rest the turkey 30 minutes before carving.
Dry-Brined Turkey (the Judy Bird)
Serves 12 · one 12 to 16 lb turkey · 4 hr 35 min total
Turkey
- 1 turkey (12 to 16 lb), thawed, not kosher, self-basting or "enhanced," neck and giblets removed
Salt
- Kosher salt, 1 tbsp for every 5 lb of turkey (about 3 tbsp for 14 lb)
Method
- Three days before roasting: pat the turkey dry inside and out (do not rinse it) and weigh it. Measure 1 tbsp kosher salt for every 5 lb and sprinkle it evenly all over the bird and inside the cavity, using a little more on the breast and thighs.
- Slide the turkey into the bag, press out the air, seal it and refrigerate it breast side up for 2 days. On the third day, turn it onto its breast and massage the salt around through the bag.
- The day before roasting: take the turkey out of the bag, pat it dry with paper towels (still no rinsing), set it on the rack over the baking sheet and refrigerate it uncovered at least 8 hours, until the skin feels dry.
- On the day, take the turkey out of the refrigerator 1 hour before roasting (no more than 2 hours). Heat the oven to 425°F with a rack in the lowest position, and set the turkey breast side up on the rack in the roasting pan.
- Roast 30 minutes at 425°F, then lower the oven to 325°F and roast about 2 1/4 hours more for a 14 lb bird, until a thermometer reads 165°F in the thickest part of the breast and the innermost thigh and wing. If the breast browns too fast, lay a piece of foil loosely over it.
- Rest the turkey 30 minutes before carving.
Adapted from Russ Parsons' "Dry-Brined Turkey (a.k.a. the Judy Bird)," Los Angeles Times (2006), as reprinted by KCRW Good Food. We could not open either reprint in full, so the method below comes from excerpts of them: 1 tbsp kosher salt for every 5 lb, salted all over and a little heavier on the breast; 3 days refrigerated in a sealed bag, breast side up, turned onto the breast for the last day; then wiped dry and refrigerated uncovered at least 8 hours; out of the fridge at least 1 hour before roasting; 425°F, then 325°F until 165°F in the thigh, about 2 3/4 hours total. The length of the 425°F stage was not in the excerpts we could read; 30 minutes is ours. We do not wash the bird first (USDA FSIS advice) and we check 165°F in the breast, thigh and wing. KCRW. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
Tips
- Equipment: a 2 1/2 gallon sealable plastic bag, a rimmed baking sheet with a rack, a roasting pan with a rack, an instant-read thermometer.
- Parsons found you can salt a frozen bird as it defrosts in the refrigerator (as excerpted from the KCRW reprint); add a day.
- Kosher salt brands differ by volume: Morton is denser than Diamond Crystal, so if you use Morton, use a little less (our tip).
- Drippings from a dry-brined bird are salty; taste before seasoning the gravy (our Turkey Giblet Pan Gravy recipe).
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- Russ Parsons invented the Judy Bird. Disputed: the Food52 and KCRW reprints say Parsons decided to try Judy Rodgers' chicken method on a turkey; Leslie Brenner, then the Times food editor, writes that the idea was hers and that she asked Parsons to work it out (Cooks Without Borders:).
- Wash the turkey before salting. Disputed: Parsons' original recipe says to wash it; USDA FSIS says not to wash raw poultry, after a 2019 study found bacteria in the sink for 60 percent of people who did (Food Safety Magazine:). We pat it dry instead.
- Dry brining beats wet brining. Disputed: Parsons' tasters preferred it in 2006; America's Test Kitchen still publishes wet-brined turkeys.
Every other turkey
Mole Poblano with Turkey (Mole Poblano de Guajolote)
Poached turkey under Puebla's dark, glossy mole: three dried chiles, charred vegetables, nuts, seeds, fruit, spices and a little Mexican chocolate, simmered for two hours.
Yucatecan Turkey in Black Chile Broth (Pavo en Relleno Negro)
Yucatán's jet-black turkey stew: turkey simmered in a broth darkened with recado negro, a paste of chiles toasted until nearly burnt, served with slices of "but," a pork and beef roll with whole egg yolks in the middle.
British Christmas Roast Turkey with Pigs in Blankets
Britain's Christmas bird, the Delia Smith way: buttered, covered in streaky bacon, roasted inside a loose foil tent, then unwrapped for a hot finish, with chipolata sausages wrapped in more bacon on the side.
Portuguese Christmas Roast Turkey with Oven Rice (Peru Assado no Forno)
Maria de Lourdes Modesto's Christmas turkey: soaked overnight in salted water with lemon, stuffed with bread, eggs and cured ham, roasted without a drop of basting, and served with oven rice that soaks up the drippings.
Puerto Rican Pavochón (Turkey Seasoned Like Pernil)
A Thanksgiving turkey with the flavor of a Puerto Rican pork roast: garlic, oregano, olive oil and adobo spread under the skin, butter tucked in, two days in the fridge, then basted with dark beer.
Classic Roast Thanksgiving Turkey
The plain American centerpiece: a buttered, salted and peppered turkey roasted breast side down first, flipped, and finished breast side up until the thermometer reads 165°F. No basting, no fuss.
Spatchcocked Roast Turkey
Cut out the backbone, press the bird flat and roast it hot: a 12 to 14 lb turkey is done in about 80 minutes, with crisp skin all over and breast and legs finishing together.
Cajun Deep-Fried Turkey
Louisiana's outdoor turkey: injected overnight with butter, onion and garlic juice, hot sauce and beer, then lowered into a big pot of peanut oil at 350°F and fried in about 3 to 4 minutes a pound. Outdoors only, with a fire extinguisher.
Smoked Turkey with Vinegar Pepper Mop (Rodney Scott Style)
A Carolina pitmaster's holiday bird: spatchcocked, rubbed with a sweet-hot barbecue seasoning, smoked low over wood on a kettle grill and mopped with tangy pepper vinegar.
Roast Turkey Breast with Lemon and Thyme
For a small table: a bone-in turkey breast with garlic, thyme and lemon butter spread under the skin, roasted hot and then gently, ready in about 1 1/2 hours.
Turkey Giblet Pan Gravy
Real gravy from the bird: a giblet broth made while the turkey roasts, a nutty brown roux, and the roasting pan deglazed with white wine so every browned bit ends up in the sauce.
Leftover Turkey Tetrazzini (30 Minutes)
The day-after dinner named for an opera star: spaghetti tossed with leftover turkey, peas, browned mushrooms and a quick sherry, cream and Parmesan sauce, all on the stove in about 30 minutes.
Kentucky Hot Brown, Inspired by The Brown Hotel
Inspired by, not official: Louisville's open-faced roast turkey sandwich, smothered in Pecorino Romano Mornay sauce, broiled until bubbling and topped with crossed strips of bacon.
Meatballs of the World
Italian-American Meatballs
Big, tender meatballs braised for an hour in red sauce over spaghetti. The one most Americans grew up with.
Pallottine (Abruzzo Meatballs)
Tiny meatballs, smaller than a marble, tossed right through square spaghetti alla chitarra. No bread at all.
Swedish Meatballs (Köttbullar)
Small, soft meatballs browned in butter, in a cream sauce made from the same pan, with lingonberry jam on the plate.
Danish Frikadeller
Pork meatballs shaped with a spoon and fried slowly in butter, crusty outside and soft in the middle.
Königsberger Klopse
German meatballs that are never fried: poached, then served in a creamy white sauce with capers.
Spanish Albóndigas in Almond Saffron Sauce
The tapas bar classic: small meatballs in a golden sauce thickened with fried almonds and bread.
Mexican Albóndigas with Chipotle and Mint
Soft meatballs with rice and fresh mint inside, simmered in a smoky tomato and chipotle broth.
Izgara Köfte (Turkish Grilled Meatballs)
Small, flat meatballs kneaded hard, rested cold, and charred on a hot grill pan.
Lion's Head Meatballs
Big, soft pork meatballs, stirred into a sticky paste, fried to set, then braised in a savory sauce.
Chicken Tsukune
Japan's chicken meatball: kneaded sticky, grilled on skewers, glazed with sweet soy tare, dipped in egg yolk.