Turkey Rub Seasoning Recipe: 3 Tips for Making a Turkey Rub

A turkey rub is a wet or dry rub specifically applied to turkey, or more broadly, poultry. A dry rub (or a dry brine) is any type of dry seasoning that you apply to meat before the cooking process. At its simplest, a dry rub can be a palmful of salt and black pepper, though most contain additional herbs and spices.

A wet rub combines dry rub seasonings with a liquid, like olive oil, mustard, vinegar, or umami-rich ingredients like fish sauce or Worcestershire sauce. Like dry rubs, chefs apply a wet rub onto the protein’s surface before the cooking process.

The function of a rub is to season the protein ahead of time, giving the salt and other flavorings time to penetrate the meat so that you’re seasoning the whole turkey—not just the surface.

The quest to infuse a holiday turkey with as much flavor as possible is a yearly gauntlet for some cooks. Using a turkey seasoning rub increases the chances of a moist, flavorful bird and results in a main course that can hold its own among the other proteins and side dishes in holiday spreads.

A good turkey rub allows the meat to actively play off the tart acidity of fresh cranberry sauce and other rich side dishes, like candied sweet potatoes and roasted vegetables.

You can use a spice rub for a roast turkey, smoked turkey, or fried turkey. Here’s what goes into the best turkey rub recipes:

1. 1. Choosing the spices: In addition to the salt, dry rubs often contain dried spices or herbs, usually ground or finely chopped to maximize the surface area that contacts the meat. As milder white meat, turkey makes a suitable canvas for various flavors, be they sweet or savory, so experiment with different spice blends. Try Cajun seasoning or an Italian seasoning blend of dried oregano, rosemary, marjoram, sage, onion powder, and crushed red pepper. Popular spice blend additions include light brown sugar, dry mustard, and celery seed. If you’re looking for inspiration, you can find dozens of dry rub recipes online.
2. 2. Balancing heat with sugar: Dried chili powders bring heat and color to a rub, making them an appealing mainstay in most recipes. To prevent these spicy seasonings from dominating the entire blend, balance them with sugar. Plain white sugar is a popular choice, but light brown sugar brings notes of caramel and toffee to the skin as it cooks.
3. 3. Apply the rub beforehand for best results: Place the turkey in a roasting pan, then apply as much of the rub onto it as possible, carefully seasoning under the skin of the turkey breasts. Loosely cover the turkey with plastic wrap, then place the pan in the refrigerator for a day or two.