I put did a dry brine 2 days ago – under and over skin – and left in the fridge uncovered. It now looks like this.

I intend to do an herb butter but I don't know how I am gonna get it under that skin now.

Is this gonna be waaaay too salty to eat?

Followed this recipe. Usually I follow Alton's Good Eats wet brine recipe, but I was tired of the mushy meat texture so I gave the dry brine a whirl.

by ms_obscene

35 Comments

  1. No advice, but I thought the turkey was already cooked .

  2. ConBroMitch2247

    Should have lightly covered it for that long of a rest. It will be fine. The skin may turn out tough

  3. anisleateher

    Dry brine is supposed to look like that. The skin should turn out earth shatteringly crisp if you cook it right.

  4. TashanValiant

    I’ve dry brined for years. That’s how it always looks. It looks “cooked” but that’s really the surface layer of the turkey meat.

  5. catdadhihihi

    No it’s supposed to look like that. Butter away but don’t add any additional salt. When you cook the meat will juice up and you’ll have the crispiest crust ever.

  6. StrawberryKiss2559

    Lol I was like, it looks undercooked. I didn’t read the caption.

  7. tangesq

    Bad news, you’re not going to get an herb butter under that skin. Great news, you’re going to have incredibly crisp skin.

  8. roxettexoxo

    it looks fine. your dry brine soaked the moisture out of the outer layer of the bird so it will turn slightly darker/more purple. the moisture & salt will reabsorb into the meat as it cooks 🙂

  9. huelealluvia

    Not ruined at all. That’s what you want the skin to look like after a dry brine. Just don’t add any more salt and you’re good to go!

  10. Majestic_Explorer_67

    This is gonna give you a beautiful burnished crispy skin. This turkey looks ready to be cooked! Good job OP

  11. fourphit

    Looks awesome. Looks like mine when I dry brine it. Skin will be nicely brown and crispy when roasted. Don’t need butter as it may make it blotchy.

  12. kimbosdurag

    Ah butter up the top to remoisturize it before going under the skin

  13. themza912

    I’ve always found a long dry brine uncovered in the fridge makes the skin too chewy. I don’t go more than a day personally

  14. BarsOfSanio

    Yes, I’ll forward an address to send it to.

  15. Forever-Retired

    Looks more like it is sunburned than cooked.

  16. IchabodChris

    that’s gonna be a good turkey. i dry brine chicken, fish, and pork and always takes on that look to a degree. hope it finishes as well as i expect it to!

  17. Dry brine into cheese cloth method has been a game changer for me. Very easy, incredibly delicious. Hard to mess up.

  18. jawstrock

    This looks good. I do a dry brine in my fridge for 3 days (if the bird is fresh, 1-2 days after it has thawed if it’s frozen) and then put a butter under the skin before I put it in the oven. Just gotta be careful on getting the butter under it so be gentle. Start with just a couple of fingers to loosen the skin and as it loosens up you can do more. Gordon Ramsay has a good video on getting butter under the skin that I’ve linked below. Always amazing. It always looks dessicated and dry like this. Do your butter, cook it till the breast is 155, let it rest at least an hour, and it’ll be amazing 🙂

    [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJZeAAs2V2c](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJZeAAs2V2c)

  19. spatialnorton09

    Looks like the skin of your average Florida retiree.

  20. Level-Many3384

    Nah. You’re gonna have nice seasoned crispy skin!

  21. Hornswagglers_Lament

    Nothing is fucked here, Dude.

  22. CommitteeofMountains

    It does appear to be dead, yeah.

  23. No_Art_1977

    I worried this was after it was cooked lol

  24. wildcat12321

    that is typically for a dry brine, but I also don’t do 2 day dry brines, overnight is usually enough for turkey

  25. waquepepin

    Looks good! Put the butter on top of the skin to roast it and it should come out looking like a Rockwell painting.

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