Gluten Free Citrus Dry Brine is super easy to make and it adds tons of flavor to turkey, chicken, pork, or fish!
What is a dry brine?
A dry brine is basically pre-salting the meat before cooking it. It is usually a combination of salt, sugar, and seasonings. In this case, I used citrus peel to add a delicious flavor to the turkey!
This is delicious on chicken, pork, and fish as well! I also used swerve brown “sugar” because we are following a ketogenic diet to lower the carb count.
You rub the mixture on the meat and let it sit uncovered in the refrigerator for a period of time before you cook it depending on the type of food.
What is the difference between wet and dry brine?
A wet brine uses a solution of water, salt, and seasoning whereas a dry brine uses salt, sugar, and seasonings without soaking it in water. The dry brine draws the natural moisture out into the meat and makes it juicy.
A wet brine saturates the meat with the solution and you need to be careful not to dry out the meat.
Pin this now and make it later!
How long do I leave the dry brine on meat?
The type of meat you are using depends on how long to leave it on the meat. A dry brine is more forgiving with the amount of time left on the meat than a wet brine is.
You can dry brine a turkey for up to 3 days ahead of time.
A whole chicken is usually 8-24 hours. A skin-on chicken breast, thighs, legs, or wings is 2-12 hours. Skinless chicken is about 1/2 to 1 hour.
Pork is similar to turkey and can be done for up to 3 days.
Fish is about 30-40 minutes.
You will want to cook the meat once it is finished brining to get the best flavor and to keep it moist.
If you like this recipe, you might also like these recipes:
Smoked citrus dry brined turkey
Smoked citrus dry brined pork crown roast
Do I cover the meat in the refrigerator?
It is best to leave it uncovered in the fridge while dry brining.
Do I need to rub the brine off before I cook the meat?
You do not need to rub the brine off of the meat before you cook it. if you use the correct salt to herb and sugar ingredients it is not too salty. You also do not want to rinse the meat before you cook it.
What do I need to make this Citrus Dry Brine?
This recipe is super easy to make and only requires a few ingredients!
You will need the following:
Two oranges
Three Limes
Coarse salt
Three lemons
1 TBSP Herbs De Province
2 TBSP Poultry Seasoning- if you are making fish I leave this ingredient out.
2 TBSP Brown Sugar- I used brown swerve to keep the carbs lower.
You also need a bowl, spoon, and a Microplane grater.
Here’s The Recipe for the Gluten Free Citrus Dry Brine:
Gluten Free Citrus Brine
Course: spicesDifficulty: Easy1
servings15
minutesIngredients
2 Oranges zested
3 Limes zested
3 Lemons zested
1/3 Cup Coarse salt
2 TBSP Brown Sugar or Swerve
1 TBSP Herbs de Province
1 TBSP Poultry seasoning If you are making fish, I leave this ingredient out.
Directions
- Zest the fruit and put it into a bowl. Save them for eating or another recipe!
Add the other ingredients to the bowl.
Stir to combine.
Rub over the meat of your choice.
Enjoy!
As Always,
Best Wishes for Gluten Free Dishes!
XO,
Michelle
