11.17.2021
How to Season a Turkey
Every Thanksgiving, home-cooks all around are hoping to create their best turkey ever. There are a few tips and tricks that The Spice House swears by to create a flavorful, moist, turkey that will have everyone lining up for seconds.
Seasoning for Turkey
While the best holiday turkeys begin with the perfect turkey brine, the seasonings are the next most important step. How do you know which seasonings are going to work perfectly for your bird? Typical seasonings for an incredible turkey include:
- Sage
- White pepper
- Citrus peel
- Rosemary
- Thyme
- High quality salt
- Freshly cracked pepper
Dry Rub for Turkey
If you’re looking for a dry rub that takes the guesswork out of combining spices yourself, and is sure to give a powerful flavor, try one of our signature spice blends here:
- Poultry Brining Blend
- Bicentennial Seasoning
- Oktoberfest Bavarian Rub
- Florida Citrus Pepper Salt-Free Blend
- Back of the Yards Garlic Pepper Butcher’s Rub
If you don’t see exactly what you’re looking for, take a look at our full collection of Poultry Rubs and be sure to visit our Thanksgiving Headquarters to pick up any other spices you may be missing, and check out some recipes to add to your menu!
How to Season Turkey
There are many different directions you can take when deciding the thanksgiving herbs and spices to use on your turkey, but there are a few basic rules no matter what seasonings you decide that will ensure you’re creating a delicious turkey to put everyone in the holiday spirit.
Tools you’ll need:
- Baking pan big enough for your turkey
- 2 gallons of water
Ingredients:
- Turkey of desired size
- 16 oz turkey brining mix
- Seasonings or dry rub of choosing
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
1. First you’ll want to brine your turkey for 8-18 hours before cooking
- Read our perfect easy turkey brine recipe for more information
2. Next, season your turkey under the turkey skin
- While it makes sense to season the outside of your turkey, it often goes overlooked to also season under the skin
- Use an infused compound butter under the skin for optimal flavor and tenderness
3. After you’ve seasoned the outside of the turkey and have added your butter under the skin, you’ll also want to season the inside of the turkey
- Seasoning the turkey cavity will ensure no spot is missed with impactful flavor once your turkey is carved
4. Next, fill the turkey with aromatics instead of stuffing
- Filling a turkey with stuffing can be dangerous, but don’t let this room go to waste. Instead fill the inside cavity with classic aromatics like onion, garlic, fresh thyme and rosemary sprigs along with half lemons and oranges
- Take care not to overstuff your turkey so that it still cooks evenly in the oven
5. Aside from seasoning your turkey, baking your turkey is another important step, and the seasoning continues even during the baking process.
- Baste your turkey every 45 minutes by removing the turkey from the oven, closing the oven door, and basting the turkey all over.
- Use a turkey baster to suck up the liquids from the pan and drizzle them on top of the turkey
- In the last 45 minutes of cooking, baste the turkey with melted butter or oil to help crisp up the skin and give your turkey a nice glow
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