can work its way several millimeters into the bird’s flesh, helping it retain moisture and seasoning it more deeply In some regards, it’s more of a pain than regular brining (you have to loosen the skin from the meat), but it doesn’t require the use of a massive cooler or ice-filled tub, and it doesn’t dilute flavor in the way a regular brine does To dry-brine a bird, first carefully loosen the skin by running your hand or the handle of a wooden spoon between the skin and the breast meat, starting at the base of the breast Then rub about 1 teaspoon of Diamond Crystal kosher salt per pound of meat all over its body, under its skin (or use one of the rubs in the chart here) Place the bird on a rack set over a large plate or rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate uncovered, overnight (or for up to 48 hours if using a turkey) The next day, cook as directed, skipping or going light on the seasoning step THERE’S THE RUB W hen treating the skin of your turkey or chicken, there are a few options: • Going naked is the easiest and will give you the crispest skin, particularly if you let the bird air-dry on a rack set in a rimmed baking sheet, uncovered, overnight in the fridge Just don’t let it dry for more than a day, or it’ll turn papery and tough Dry rubs made from salt mixed with spices and dried herbs can add • flavor to the skin For best results, apply them the day before and let the bird air-dry overnight in the fridge (For recipes, see here–here) • Oil rubbed onto the skin will get you a more even golden brown color, as it helps distribute heat from the hot oven air more evenly It’ll also help prevent the skin from drying out and turning leathery, though it will slightly decrease crispness • Butter or an herb butter will add lots of flavor to the skin (don’t expect it to soak into the meat much, even if you spread it underneath instead the skin), but it’ll also greatly reduce its crispness Butter is about 18 percent water, which will cool down the skin as it evaporates And the milk proteins present in butter will brown on their own, so poultry skin rubbed with butter will have a spottier appearance than skin rubbed with oil Some people prefer this appearance (I do, on occasion) ... flavor to the skin For best results, apply them the day before and let the bird air-dry overnight in the fridge (For recipes, see here–here) • Oil rubbed onto the skin will get you a more even golden... Butter or an herb butter will add lots of flavor to the skin (don’t expect it to soak into the meat much, even if you spread it underneath instead the skin), but it’ll also greatly reduce its crispness... golden brown color, as it helps distribute heat from the hot oven air more evenly It’ll also help prevent the skin from drying out and turning leathery, though it will slightly decrease crispness