12 Mistakes Everyone Makes With Their Turkey Rub

With Thanksgiving coming up, a lot of people have turkeys on their minds, whether it's getting out their grandmother's recipe or debating whether deep-fried or air-fried turkey is better. Of course, there are so many ways to cook a turkey, all delicious for different reasons. Whether you're a turkey purist who prefers to only roast their turkey or you like to get the smoker out for the big bird, cooking methods aren't the only important factor in getting a really tasty result. What and how you season your bird will play a big role in how delicious it is.

There's always debate about whether to brine your turkey (including whether to do a wet brine or a dry brine), all with merit and different results depending on what you like and what your capabilities are. Without any of the fuss, sometimes you need only focus on making a really good turkey rub to make sure your meat is well seasoned and flavorful. Using a rub opens up a world of flavor opportunities for what has long been believed to be a somewhat bland dish. However, instead of your side dishes getting all the love, let your turkey be the actual star by getting your rub right. It's not always easy to do, and often, people make avoidable errors along the way. Here are some mistakes everyone makes with their turkey rub.

When you're thinking of putting together a rub, your mind can wonder about all the great spices and other flavorful additions you want to include. But the biggest mistake you can make is forgetting one very basic ingredient: salt. Without salt, your turkey won't taste good, and because it's larger in volume than a chicken, for example, you probably need more salt than you think you do so that all the meat can be seasoned.

Now, forgetting salt is easier to do than you might think. You might be using a store-bought rub or spice blend that doesn't have any salt in it — or it might have a little salt — but it will still not be enough for a large bird. It's always a good idea to give your blend a little taste to see if it's salty and to add more if it's not. Even if you taste a little bit of salt, it's likely not enough.

If we're getting to the nitty gritty details of salt, there are different levels of saltiness that you'll get depending on what salt you use. For example, powdered table salt is a lot saltier than kosher salt, so you may want to adjust accordingly for both types. A good way to never forget salt is to always have it be the first ingredient you add to your rub or straight onto the turkey.

Just like any other piece of meat, your turkey will benefit from having time to "marinate." Although you may be more familiar with the concept of brining a turkey than marinating it. Brining a turkey involves letting it sit for a couple of days either in a salt and water solution, called a wet brine, or simply with salt, called a dry brine. This gives it time for salt to permeate deeper into the meat and has an influence on moisture levels, too. A nifty thing you may not realize is that you can use your rub to brine your turkey using either method. You can add it to the water solution or simply rub it all over the turkey (including salt, of course) in a dry brine form.

If you don't want to do the brining step at all, or maybe you realize this all too late and you don't have enough time, you should still apply your rub as early as possible. Even if it's overnight or just a couple of hours, let the rub get to work on your bird before you start cooking to make sure your seasonings go deeper than the skin or surface level. This will be a game changer in taking your turkey from bland to tasty.

Making a turkey rub from scratch can be a really simple process. All you have to do is combine some spices, herbs, or other seasonings in a bowl and mix. And that's absolutely fine and will make a good impact on your turkey. However, what some of you may not know is that you can and should toast your spices first. Toasting takes your raw spices to the next level. Either toasting them whole and then grinding, or even toasting your ground spices, will bring out their oils and aromas even more, giving you a more deeply flavored spice mix. This, in turn, will make your turkey rub more complex and delicious.

To toast your spices, add them to a dry pan. The whole process will take less than five minutes. Turn the heat up to about medium heat, and keep your eye on them. You'll want to stir them regularly to prevent them from burning. You'll know they're toasting when you smell their aromas and see their color changing to slightly darker. You'll also likely see some smoke coming out of them, and if you're using whole spices, you'll hear a crackle.

Many home cooks will know this, but if you're cooking a turkey for the first time or are generally inexperienced, you might be surprised to find out that you don't only apply your rub to the outside of the turkey. While not a prerequisite, it totally pays to season turkey under the skin. While we all know fat is the tastiest part of the bird, your turkey is so much larger than you just having a little meat with your turkey skin. You want your turkey meat to be just as delicious on the breast, leg, and skin, and by adding your rub underneath the skin, you're giving it more of a chance to be.

If you're using butter or oil, you can mix your rub into it and spread that mixture under the skin. Or you can do a dry rub, using only dried spices and seasonings and doing the same thing with them.

So, if you're new to this, you might not know how to get under the skin since it's attached to the bird, and ideally, you don't want to tear the skin or have exposed meat, as the skin keeps it all moist while cooking. The trick is to lift the edge of the skin and gently stick your fingers in between to separate it slightly. You have to work slowly to not cause excess damage. Then, once you've created quite a bit of space between the skin and the meat, fill that space with your rub.

You can't avoid using your hands when handling a turkey. This might be bad news if you're generally squeamish in the kitchen, but a basting brush is just not going to cut it. It's called a "rub" for a reason. Using your hands to apply the rub to your turkey will help those seasonings not only stick better to it but absorb better into the meat. Plus, you'll be able to better feel when your seasonings are unevenly spread or if you've missed some spots. Your hands have just enough warmth to get everything well acquainted, and a little massaging of the rub has never made meat taste worse.

This is especially true for getting your rub under the skin. Use your fingers to get enough of your mixture into the space between the skin and the breast, and then spread it as evenly as possible further down. Sometimes, you can gently push and spread it all over with your hands over the skin — once it's inside. So wash your hands (before and after the process) and let them get dirty.

Turkeys have a huge cavity in the middle where people often like to add stuffing and other flavor elements like onions, garlic, lemons, etc. But the cavity is also a great place for the rub. Even if you plan to add stuffing and other ingredients, the rub can go in first, allowing every part of your bird to be covered in a nice amount of it. You might think this doesn't make a difference, but you want the meat to be seasoned in all the ways possible so that it's tasty from the skin straight through to the bones. Adding your rub in the cavity gives it a better chance of this.

Just like with the rest of your turkey, you'll need to use your hands to get in there. Grab a generous amount of your rub with your hand and apply it all over the inside of the cavity, making sure you've evenly spread it all over.

When you think of turkey rub, there are some obvious ingredients, like paprika, salt, and even sugar, that might come to mind immediately. But turkey, just like all other types of meat, benefits from a balance of flavors, including spicy, sweet, umami, and something slightly acidic or sharp. Citrus can give this to your turkey subtly without overpowering other flavors like straight-up vinegar might. In many parts of the world, people make turkey with oranges, and here in the U.S., lemon is a popular choice. Incorporating citrus into your rub is a really easy way to give your turkey a bit of brightness and make it anything but bland.

The most potent flavor in any citrus is in its zest, and that's what you should use in your rub. Zest is a great way to get citrus into a dry rub, and if you're using a wet rub, you can add both the zest and some juice to reinforce the fruity sharpness even more.

It doesn't get more traditional than making a turkey on Thanksgiving or Christmas, but you don't have to be confined by "traditional" in every aspect of your turkey cooking. Of course, there are the tried and tested flavors that work well with turkey, but there's no rule that says you have to stick to Western flavors or ways of making turkey. In fact, even though there may be an emotional attachment to it, many Americans might say that turkey isn't exactly the highlight of their holiday dinner. But if you want to try something a little different, there's a whole world of opportunities to inject interesting and unique flavors into this large poultry.

Why not experiment with some South Asian-inspired spices like cumin, turmeric, ginger, and coriander, or try a lemony sumac spiced turkey rub for more of a Persian, Middle Eastern take on turkey? You can also use Sichuan peppers in your rub to make this spatchcocked Sichuan-spiced dry-brined turkey. People might be surprised if you got a little more creative with your turkey rub, but probably not at all disappointed.

There are very few foods that would taste better without things like onion and garlic. The problem is that some people might think that fresh is always better when it comes to these alliums, and even herbs like mint tend to be preferred in fresh form over dried. People might have a point with specific recipes, but for making a turkey rub, using onion or garlic powder (which are dried) and things like dried mint can be a really easy way to incorporate these great flavors. Especially when you're making a dry rub, these powders and dried goods are very effective at imparting those desired flavors.

Additionally, things like garlic powder don't deserve their bad reputation. It can be finicky to use fresh garlic and peel every clove (and have your hands smell like garlic for days), and it's always temperamental with cooking as it's easy to burn. When you're cooking a time-consuming dish like turkey, using garlic powder is perfect for avoiding burning or inconsistency.

It's possible that your turkey rub ideas are full of great spices, but don't forget to add herbs, too. We tend to be heavy on things like paprika or cayenne pepper, missing out sometimes on the variety of herbs we can use in our rubs, whether in dry or fresh form. The easy dry herbs that you can use are things like thyme, oregano, and even rosemary. But don't miss out on some of the less common dry herbs like sage, bay leaves, or even dried mint, which will add a pleasantly unique earthiness to the turkey rub.

You also don't have to be limited to dried herbs, even if you're doing a dry rub. You can chop up fresh herbs like parsley, cilantro, mint, and basil and throw them into your rub for a pleasant herbaceousness. As long as you use them right before cooking, you won't risk them going bad.

There have long been some misinformed or ignorant beliefs about the harms of MSG, which have been debunked numerous times. If you're still holding on to them, you're seriously missing out. MSG (monosodium glutamate) is a flavor enhancer that adds a hint of umami to any dish. It won't overpower any of your spices, as it's not necessarily noticeable if you don't know it's there. It just makes food tastier or deeper in flavor. If you're new to cooking with MSG, it's really easy to use, and it could be the secret ingredient to upgrading your holiday dishes. Plus, it's the perfect thing to include in a turkey rub.

As it's already in powder form, it's a no-brainer for mixing in with your other spices and herbs. How much you use depends on how large your turkey is, but as little as a teaspoon will make an impact. In case there's any confusion, it's not a substitute for salt, so make sure to add it in addition to your salt.

There are reasons why some people prefer using a dry rub to a wet rub. Mostly because it's a lot easier and keeping things dry helps the turkey skin to crisp more. However, there are die-hard wet rub fans out there who'll say that a wet mixture helps keep the bird more moist and stops it from drying out. Honestly, if you don't care too much about perfectly crispy skin, a wet rub can be very effective at adding great flavor.

However, some people make a fragrant wet rub using things like grated onion, wine, or orange juice and forget to add fat like oil or butter, thinking the liquid alone is enough to keep it moist. The liquid can help keep things moist, but it also evaporates, and fat can act as a sealant to keep the meat juicy. Some might believe that the skin has enough fat to self-baste, but unless you're a seasoned turkey maker, we don't recommend relying on the skin alone.

While not adding oil or butter makes sense for the purposes of a dry rub (although, even with a dry rub, you're still supposed to baste the turkey with fat while it's cooking), for a wet rub, it's crucial to make sure there's enough fat to baste the turkey with and keep it juicy, especially on the breast.