Do You Rub a Turkey After Brining? A Guide to Post-Brine Seasoning

Brining is a popular way to help ensure a tender, juicy turkey on the big day. But once you’ve soaked your bird to infuse flavor and moisture, should you take additional steps like rubbing it with herbs, spices or oil? Here’s a guide on how to properly season a turkey after brining.

Why Brine a Turkey?

Brining involves soaking the raw turkey in a saltwater solution for multiple hours or up to a couple days. This allows the salt to penetrate deep into the meat, seasoning it from the inside out. The salt also helps the turkey retain moisture during roasting, so it stays tender and doesn’t dry out.

Some key benefits of brining turkey include:

• Increased moisture retention for a juicier bird
• Enhanced flavor as the salt seasons the meat
• More forgiving cooking as it’s harder to overcook
• Ability to add aromatics like spices, herbs, citrus to the brine

Brining is an easy way to help ensure perfect turkey every time. But does your seasoning job have to stop there?

Should You Rub a Brined Turkey?

Once the brined turkey is removed from the solution, it’s common to want to coat the outside with spices and herbs for additional flavor. However, there are a few factors to consider

Salt Content – Most rubs contain salt, but the brined bird already has significant sodium from soaking. Going overboard with salt can mean an inedible turkey.

Moisture Loss – Rubbing can draw moisture out from under the skin through osmosis This could counteract the moisturizing effects of brining.

Flavor Overload – Too many competing flavors between brine and rub can muddle the taste.

For these reasons, restraint is advised when seasoning a brined turkey. There are still ways to add flavor without over-rubbing.

How to Season a Brined Turkey

Here are some tips for safely adding flavor after brining without going overboard:

• Rinse and pat dry – After removing the turkey from the brine, rinse off any seasoning from the outside. Pat very dry with paper towels.

• Avoid salt-heavy rubs – Use rub recipes without added salt, or drastically reduce the salt. The turkey only needs a light seasoning externally after brining.

• Try herb rubs – Blends using rosemary, thyme, sage, parsley add flavor without salt. Infuse olive oil with the herbs first to make a wet rub.

• Use aromatics under skin – Slip flavorful ingredients like lemon slices, garlic cloves, ginger under the skin next to meat.

• Brush on oil or glaze – Coat the outside with a light brushing of flavored oil, honey, or glaze towards the end of roasting.

• Apply spices judiciously – Lightly sprinkle on dried spices like paprika, oregano, cumin for subtle flavor.

• Stuff aromatic cavity – Stuff the cavity with onion, apple, citrus for extra flavor every slice.

With restrained use of rubs and creative ways to insert flavor, you can add complexity without overwhelming the brined turkey.

Brining Tips for Best Results

To achieve ideal results from brining and post-brine seasoning:

• Use kosher salt and cool water for the brine solution. 1 cup per gallon of water is a good ratio.

• Submerge the turkey fully in the brine. Inject brine into thick areas like breast.

• Brine 1-2 days in the refrigerator based on turkey size. Don’t exceed 2 days.

• Rinse every inch of the turkey after brining and pat very dry. This helps flavors adhere.

• Choose complementary flavors like citrus, rosemary, thyme if brine contains aromatics.

• Apply judicious rubs and seasoning right before roasting so flavors stay on surface.

• Roast until 165°F in thigh and stuffing reaches 165°F. Let rest 20 minutes before carving.

Alternatives to Rubbing a Brined Bird

If you want to avoid directly rubbing or seasoning the turkey after brining, alternatives include:

• Injecting flavor – Use a marinade injector to infuse citrus, broths, garlic deep into meat.

• Smoking – Smoke over aromatics woods like apple, cherry or hickory for flavor.

• Herb sachets – Place herb sachets under skin or stuff cavity with aromatics.

• Infused roast pan – Place herbs, citrus slices, garlic in bottom of pan.

• Flavored compound butter – Gently spread under and on skin for rich flavor.

With some creativity, you have many options for adding flavor after brining without over-rubbing the surface.

Brining gives you flexibility when seasoning further because the turkey is already well-seasoned internally. Focus on inserting flavor more than coating the outside. Avoid excessive salt and drying out the moist brined meat. With the right approach, your holiday turkey will strike the perfect balance of tender, juicy and flavorful.