Curing a turkey before cooking infuses it with delicious flavor and yields incredibly moist, tender meat. While smoking and roasting whole cured turkeys is popular for holidays like Thanksgiving, you can also cure turkey breasts, legs, wings, or ground turkey. Once cured, the turkey can be cooked using a variety of methods.
Curing poultry has roots as an old-world preservation technique before refrigeration was common. The salt, sugar, and nitrates in a cure recipe inhibit bacteria growth, allowing the meat to be stored longer. While we don’t depend on curing to preserve meat like our ancestors did, the traditional methods still impart remarkable flavor! Cured meats like ham, bacon, and corned beef have remained popular over the years, and poultry also benefits tremendously from curing.
There are two main methods of curing turkey: dry brining and wet brining. Below we’ll cover how to cure a turkey using each technique.
Dry Brining
With dry brining, a salt-herb mixture is rubbed directly onto the meat, which then rests in the fridge so the seasonings penetrate the flesh. Dry brining delivers big flavor payoff with little hands-on time required. It’s the easiest curing method for whole turkeys.
Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- Herbs like sage, thyme, rosemary
- Spices like black pepper, juniper berries
- Brown sugar (optional)
Instructions
- Mix together the dry brine ingredients. Kosher salt makes up the bulk of the mixture, enhanced by dried herbs, spices, and optionally brown sugar.
- Loosen the skin from the turkey breast and legs. Slide your fingers between the skin and meat to separate them. This allows brine to directly contact meat.
- Generously apply brine under loosened skin and inside cavity. Refrigerate 1-3 days.
- Roast, deep fry, grill, or smoke turkey as desired until it registers 165°F internally.
Dry brining concentrates flavors as moisture is drawn out then reabsorbed. 1-3 days of curing time yields great results. The cured turkey can then be cooked using any method while retaining moisture and becoming incredibly tender.
Wet Brining
Wet brining submerges meat in a saltwater solution known as a pickle brine. The brine must include specific ingredients to cure the meat while enhancing moisture and tenderness.
Ingredients
- 1 gallon water
- 1 cup kosher salt
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 ounce curing salt #1
- Herbs, spices, aromatics (optional)
Instructions
- Mix brine ingredients together in a container and stir to dissolve salt. Chill brine before adding turkey.
- Submerge turkey in brine, weighing it down if needed to keep fully submerged.
- Cure turkey in brine 12-24 hours for cut up parts, or 24 hours per 4 pounds of whole turkey.
- Remove turkey from brine, rinse if desired, and roast, smoke, or grill. Cook to 165°F internally.
The salt, sugar, and curing salt in a wet brine work together to season the meat and retain moisture. Aromatics like citrus peel, bay leaves, or peppercorns can also be added. Cure times will vary based on the weight of the turkey and if it’s whole or cut up.
Tips for Curing Turkey
- Curing poultry requires precise measurements for food safety. Carefully measure ingredients and adhere to recommended curing times.
- Keep turkey refrigerated at 40°F or below during curing for food safety.
- Use uncured, unenhanced turkey. Kosher or heritage breeds work well.
- Injecting brine helps it penetrate large whole turkeys evenly.
- Rinse cured turkey briefly before cooking if brine flavor is too intense.
- Cook turkey to 165° internally as measured in thickest part of breast and thighs.
Flavor Variations
Tailor brine flavors to your preference by using different herbs, spices, citrus, sweeteners, and wood smoke.
- Apple brine – apple juice, cider vinegar, garlic, onions, bay leaves
- Citrus brine – orange, lemon, lime juice and zest
- Savory brine – rosemary, sage, thyme, garlic, peppercorns
- Maple brine – maple syrup, allspice, cinnamon, cloves
- Cherry brine – tart cherry juice, brown sugar, jalapeño
- Smoked – use fruit wood like apple, cherry, pecan
Serving Cured Turkey
Cured turkey is delicious served directly after cooking or used cold in sandwiches, salads, and snacks. Its versatility lends well to many applications
- Slice and serve turkey breast and legs hot with gravy as a main course
- Dice or shred and mix cured turkey into salads, soups, and casseroles
- Pile sliced turkey on sandwiches and paninis
- Stuff into wraps or lettuce cups for low carb options
- Chop or shred turkey to use in dips, spreads, and appetizers
- Dice and add to omelets, breakfast tacos, and hash
- Utilize ground cured turkey to make sausage or burgers
Curing turkey before cooking guarantees tender, juicy meat bursting with flavor. With the proper technique, materials and food safety adherence you can cure turkey successfully at home. Explore different brining methods and ingredient combinations to find your favorite cured turkey recipe.
Things You’ll Need
- Measuring spoons
- Small bowl
- Paper towels
- Spoon
- Roasting dish
- Instant-read meat thermometer
- Cutting board and carving knife
Expert Q&ASearch
- Give yourself at least 3 days to thaw a frozen turkey and a few days to brine the bird before you cook it. You dont want to feel rushed when youre preparing a big meal! Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
Advertisement
- Its really important to get a turkey thats not kosher or pre-salted since youre adding salt when you cure it. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
- The USDA advises against rinsing your turkey since doing so can actually splash bacteria onto your work surfaces.[17] Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
Advertisement
How to Make Homemade Cured and Smoked Turkey
FAQ
How to cure a turkey at home?
Mix water, salt, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, and pepper together in a food-grade bucket or container large enough to hold your turkey. Carefully submerge turkey in brine. Cover and store in the refrigerator. Soak for two days before smoking or roasting.
How is turkey cured?
Dry curing (also called “dry brining”), in which you put salt and spices directly on the skin of the bird and let it chill for a few days, has all the advantages of brining without the mess or the texture problem.
How long does it take to wet cure a turkey?
Brining means making a salt water solution and submerging the turkey for about 24 hours before roasting. This spa treatment helps the turkey retain more moisture during roasting and prevents it from drying out.
Is brining a turkey worth it?
Why Should I Brine My Turkey? Brining meat increases the amount of moisture in meat cells, producing juicy and tender pieces of meat every time. Brining accomplishes two tasks — increases the juiciness of the turkey and imparts additional flavor within the turkey meat (rather than it just sitting on the surface).
What is a cured turkey?
Curing is the process of soaking meat in a salt, sugar nitrite and spice mixture called a wet brine or dry cure. This serves a few important purposes It helps break down proteins which makes the meat incredibly tender and juicy. Plain roasted turkey can end up dry, but cured turkey stays moist and succulent.
What are the health benefits of ground turkey?
Ground turkey has multiple benefits. It is a good source of minerals, and B vitamins, rich in proteins, low in fat and it is lower in calories than common turkey.
Is curing a Turkey a good idea?
A perfectly cooked turkey is the crowning jewel of any Thanksgiving meal. However plain roasted turkey can sometimes end up dry and lacking flavor. This is where curing your turkey comes in! Curing gives the turkey an incredible depth of flavor and keeps it incredibly moist and tender.
How do you cook a cured turkey?
To cook the turkey, fire your smoker at 155 degrees F. Cook the turkey at this temperature for 2 hours, then raise the temperature to 185–200 and cook the turkey until the deepest part of the meat reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees. Because the turkey is cured, we can cook it at a lower temperature than we could if it wasn’t cured.
Is cured turkey better than roasted?
Plain roasted turkey can end up dry, but cured turkey stays moist and succulent. The salt inhibits bacterial growth, allowing you to safely cook the turkey at lower temperatures while still avoiding foodborne illnesses. Curing also gives the turkey a beautiful pink smoke ring when smoked and keeps the dark meat pink when cooked.
How do you make a fresh turkey taste better?
Stir in 1 teaspoon (2 g) of ground black pepper, 1 tablespoon (3.5 g) of dried rosemary, 1 1/2 tablespoons (3 g) of dried sage, or 1 1/2 tablespoons (6.5 g) of dried thyme. To give your turkey a fresher, flavorful taste, add a few bay leaves, orange peels, or lemon peels to the brine after you dissolve the salt.