Homemade Turkey Rub Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you get rub to stick to turkey? ›

Brush the turkey with olive oil, and rub it with the seasoning mixture. Tie the legs together loosely to hold their shape, and tuck the wing tips under.

Should you rub turkey with butter or oil? Some chefs suggest rubbing the turkey skin with vegetable or olive oil rather than using butter for turkey. This debate has very little to do with the meat itself but more to do with getting brown, crispy skin.

Yes! It doesn't so much matter when you season your bird—whether it's just before popping it in the oven or several days in advance for a dry-brine technique—as long as you season it before it gets cooked.

The majority of recipes you'll find on the internet and even cookbooks involve using butter as a binder for seasoning chicken or turkey. The butter is supposed to flavor and moisten the turkey when rubbed underneath the skin, as well as help get the skin crispy and golden brown, like a magazine shot.

But before you begin flavoring your food, make sure to pat it dry with a paper towel. This will make it easier for the binder and rub to stick. Once you've removed as much moisture as possible, cover your food with the sticking agent of your choice, like egg, olive oil, or mustard, to help the rub bind to the meat.

Instead of filling your bird with stuffing, fill it with aromatics. (News flash: Cooking stuffing inside a turkey can be dangerous.) The basics, like onion, garlic, thyme, rosemary, and sage, help lend that traditional Thanksgiving flavor. Take your aromatics up a notch by adding halved lemons or oranges.

Oven-Roasted Turkey

We recommend starting the turkey in a 425 degree oven for 30-45 minutes before tenting the pan with foil and lowering the temperature to 350 degrees until a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees when inserted into the thickest part of the bird.

Covering a turkey with butter (under and over the skin) serves to flavor and moisten the meat, as well as help the skin get crispy and golden brown.

To achieve a perfectly golden, juicy turkey, let the bird spend time both covered and uncovered in the oven. We recommend covering your bird for most of the cooking time to prevent it from drying out; then, during the last 30 minutes or so of cooking, remove the cover so the skin crisps in the hot oven.

"Often, consumers will inquire about adding water to the bottom of their roasting pans. We do not recommend adding water to the bottom of the pan. Cooking a turkey with steam is a moist heat-cook method and is acceptable, sure, but is not the preferred method for cooking your turkey."

How many people will a 15 pound turkey feed? ›

You'll want to plan on about 1.25 pounds of turkey per person. That means if you're expecting 12 guests, plan for a 15-pound bird. To make things simple, we've created a guide to help you pick the perfect-sized turkey for your Thanksgiving dinner menu.

Add halved onions, carrot chunks, celery and fresh herbs to the cavity of your turkey, inserting them loosely. These flavor builders are the base of stock and most soups. As your turkey cooks, they'll steam and infuse your bird with moisture and flavor.

Wash your hands, but not the turkey! Many consumers think that washing their turkey will remove bacteria and make it safer. However, it's virtually impossible to wash bacteria off the bird. Instead, juices that splash during washing can transfer bacteria onto the surfaces of your kitchen, other foods and utensils.

What Temperature to Cook the Turkey? Cook your turkey at 325 degrees F for most of the cook time; in the final 45 minutes, remove the cover or foil tent from the turkey, increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees F and baste the bird with butter. The initial lower oven temperature cooks the turkey through evenly.

As the meat warms up, it'll start to sweat. Take a paper towel or two and dab all surfaces of the meat until it's as dry as possible. This will make it easier for the seasoning to stick, and again, you'll want that dry exterior for crust formation. Now it's time to salt and pepper your beef.

Rub flavored butter underneath the skin of your turkey to add another layer of flavor to your traditional turkey while also crisping up the skin. This is really an easy way to add flavor to your main course, so for those hosting a Thanksgiving dinner, don't be afraid to try this technique.

Dry rubs and pastes are rubbed into the skin, which should be scored first to allow the flavor to permeate the turkey. Dry rubs and pastes are rubbed into the skin, which should be scored first with a meat tenderizer to allow the flavor to permeate the turkey.