Roasting a turkey with a butter soaked cheesecloth is without a doubt the BEST way to cook your Thanksgiving turkey! As the turkey cooks, the cheesecloth holds onto moisture and essentially bastes the meat. This in turn creates a super crispy skin with moist, tender, and juicy meat!
Say goodbye to dry turkey because using a buttered cheesecloth for roasting your turkey is going to solve all your problems! This turkey is also dry-brined for extra flavor and juiciness.
“Seriously?! This is the 4th recipe I’ve tried from your site. They have all turned out better than I could have even expected! This one, of course, didn’t disappoint. So good and so easy! At this point, I just want to try every single recipe on here.” – Kristy, So Much Food reader
Table of Contents
- So, What Does Roasting a Turkey with Cheesecloth Do?
- Jenny’s Tip: Dry Brine Your Cheesecloth Turkey for Best Results
- Special Tools You’ll Need
- The Main Ingredients
- How to Roast a Turkey Using Cheesecloth (6 Easy Steps)
- Helpful Cook Times to Note
- What to Serve with with Your Cheesecloth Roasted Turkey
- More Ways to Cook a Turkey for Thanksgiving
So, What Does Roasting a Turkey with Cheesecloth Do?
If you’ve struggled to make a moist and juicy turkey in the past and always wind up with a bird that’s partially perfect and partially tough and dry — well, let’s just say I’ve been there too.
This butter soaked cheesecloth turkey recipe has completely changed the game for me, though! This is the only turkey roasting method I’ve found so far that actually creates a super crispy skin while keeping the meat (both dark and white portions!) insanely tender.
What’s all this about cheesecloth, you ask? Cheesecloth is a loose-woven gauze-like cotton cloth used primarily in cheesemaking and cooking.
In this recipe, we cover the turkey in a flavorful butter both under the skin and on the outside of the turkey. We then soak a cheesecloth in melted butter and completely cover the turkey. As the turkey cooks, the cheesecloth holds onto moisture and essentially bastes the turkey. You don’t have to baste as frequently and the breasts stay juicier this way!
Feeling stressed about turkey day? Check out my comprehensive Thanksgiving day guide for recipe inspiration, cooking schedules, and more!
Jenny’s Tip: Dry Brine Your Cheesecloth Turkey for Best Results
When you season a turkey with dry spices, you’re only seasoning the outside and the inside doesn’t absorb any flavor. But when you brine a turkey, you’re flavoring the whole bird, inside and out.
I much prefer dry brining my Thanksgiving turkey. Here’s why:
Wet brine. In its most basic form, a wet brine is a solution of water, salt, and sugar that you submerge the turkey in prior to cooking. Through osmosis, the meat absorbs flavor and moisture. However, wet brining a whole turkey can be really cumbersome. This is why I opt for a dry brine…
Dry brine. It’s all of the seasonings included in a wet brine, minus the water! The salt in the dry brine pulls moisture from the meat, dissolves the salt and sugar on the outside, and then re-absorbs that concentrated and flavorful liquid. Dry brining tenderizes the meat and gives you extra crispy skin without having to submerge the turkey in a giant vat of liquid.
Special Tools You’ll Need
- Sharp Knife
- Cutting Board
- Probe Thermometer (this is super important!)
- Roasting Pan
- Cheesecloth
- Turkey Baster
- Drippings/Fat Separator
The Main Ingredients
- Turkey. Fresh is definitely best, but you can use frozen turkey, just make sure to give the turkey enough time to defrost. A good rule of thumb is to purchase 1 pound of turkey per person attending. If you want to have ample leftovers, go for 1 ½ pounds of turkey per person. (So a gathering of 10 people would require a 15 pound turkey to ensure everyone has enough and then some to take home.)
- Dry brine. For our dry brine, we’re using a mix of kosher salt, white pepper. buttermilk powder, and brown sugar. Simple!
- Butter. For soaking the cheesecloth and for making a garlic-herb butter to spread all over the turkey.
- Herbs. The herbs you use are flexible here, but rosemary, sage, and thyme are classic.
- Garlic. Fresh garlic is so great in the butter. You can use dehydrated garlic as well if needed.
- Lemon zest. A punch of citrus is so good in the herb butter.
- Aromatics. I like stuffing the turkey cavity with aromatics like herbs, sliced lemon, and a whole head of garlic.
How to Roast a Turkey Using Cheesecloth (6 Easy Steps)
- Prep the turkey. Defrost your turkey, if needed, then remove the neck and giblets from the cavity. Pat the bird dry with paper towels and tuck the wing tips behind the body.
- Dry brine the turkey for 24 hours. You’ll want to liberally coat the turkey (inside and out!) with the dry brine mixture, then chill in the fridge uncovered for 24 to 48 hours.
- Let sit at room temp for 2 hours before roasting. If you transfer the turkey straight from the fridge to the hot oven, the outside will cook much faster than the inside.
- Coat the turkey in herb butter and stuff it with aromatics. I like to get the butter under the skin as well as inside the cavity to maximum buttery flavor and to create a super crispy skin.
- Prep the cheesecloth. I suggest folding the cheesecloth so it’s four sheets thick, then cutting it into a rectangle large enough to fully cover the turkey. Soak the cheesecloth in 1/2 cup of melted butter until the butter has been completely absorbed.
- Cover the turkey with cheesecloth, then roast. To prevent overcooking, insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the turkey thigh (this is the one I use). I also pour 1 1/2 cups of water into the bottom of the roasting pan to keep the bird moist. Always rest a turkey for 30 minutes before slicing to seal in the juices and increase the internal temperature from 160ºF to 165ºF!
Cooking for a large crowd? Opt for 2 medium to smaller turkeys in order to cut down on cook times. You can roast them side by side in a larger roasting pan and end up with two turkeys in less time than a large one.
Helpful Cook Times to Note
The amount of time it takes to cook your buttered cheesecloth turkey is based on the size and your oven. I highly recommend using a probe style thermometer because it’s the best way to track the temperature doneness of the bird.
You want to make sure that the temperature in the thigh is at least 160ºF. You can pull it a little early because the rest of the carry-over cooking will happen as the turkey rests.
- 10 to 12 pounds: 2 ½ to 3 hours total
- 12 to 14 pounds: 2 ¾ to 3 ¼ hours total
- 14 to 16 pounds: 3 to 3 ¾ hours total
- 16 to 18 pounds: 3 ¼ to 4 hours total
What to Serve with with Your Cheesecloth Roasted Turkey
Because it’s not a party without all the sides, here are all my favorite cocktails, appetizers, sides, and desserts for serving alongside my Thanksgiving buttered cheesecloth turkey.
- Cocktails. Holiday Sangria, Bourbon Apple Cider Fizz, Cranberry Old Fashioned, Pumpkin Spice Kentucky Mule, Apple Cider Sangria
- Appetizers. Roasted Shrimp Cocktail, Cranberry Baked Brie, Smoked Salmon Spread
- Breads. Honey Pumpkin Rolls, Fluffy Dinner Rolls, Skillet Cornbread
- Side Dishes. Parmesan Creamed Corn, Roasted Garlic and Sage Mashed Potatoes, Sausage and Fennel Stuffing, Baked Mac and Cheese, Green Bean Casserole, French Onion Mac and Cheese
- Desserts. Pecan Pie Bars, Salted Caramel Pumpkin Pie Bars, Salted Chocolate Pecan Pie, Apple Cider Donut Cake
If you give this recipe a try, be sure to let me know. Leave a comment with a star rating below. Be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter and never miss a new recipe! You can also snap a photo & tag @JENNYGOYCOCHEA on Instagram. I LOVE hearing about & seeing your SMF creations!
More Ways to Cook a Turkey for Thanksgiving
- Spatchcock Roast Turkey
- Slow Roasted Turkey Thighs
- Juicy Roast Turkey Breast
- Maple Bourbon Glazed Turkey
And don’t forget to save those drippings to make homemade turkey gravy!
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Buttered Cheesecloth Turkey Recipe
Video
Ingredients
Turkey
- 12 – 14 lb fresh whole turkey
- 4 tablespoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons buttermilk powder
- 2 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons white pepper
- 1 lemon , cut in half
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- 2 sprigs fresh sage
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 head garlic , cut in half
Garlic Herb Butter
- 3 sticks unsalted butter , at room temperature, divided (12 oz)
- 3 garlic cloves , minced
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh sage leaves
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
- 1 tablespoon minced thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- cheesecloth*
Instructions
- Prep the turkey. If you're using a frozen turkey, make sure to defrost it completely so that it cooks evenly. Remove the neck and giblets from the cavity and reserve the neck. Pat the turkey very dry all over with paper towels, including inside the cavity.
- Mix the dry brine. In a small bowl, whisk together the kosher salt, white pepper, brown sugar, and buttermilk powder until well combined.
- Dry brine the turkey. Place the turkey breast side up on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment or foil. Sprinkle the turkey all over with the dry brine, including underneath and inside the cavity. Gently ease the skin away from the flesh and sprinkle the dry brine under the skin too. Place in the fridge uncovered for at least 24 hours, up to 48 hours.
- Get ready to roast your turkey. Pull the turkey out of the fridge about 2 hours before you plan to cook. (Note that you do not need to rinse the turkey after dry brining it.)
- Mix the herb butter. In a small bowl, mix together the two sticks of softened butter with the minced garlic, thyme, sage, rosemary, lemon zest, and pepper. Spread the butter all over the turkey, including under the skin. Stuff the turkey cavity with rosemary, sage, thyme, the cut lemon, and the garlic head. Truss the legs, if desired.
- Prep the cheesecloth. Fold the cheesecloth so that it's 4 sheets thick, then cut the cheesecloth into a large rectangle that will completely cover the turkey. Melt the remaining 1 stick of butter in a small microwave safe bowl. Soak the cheesecloth in the melted butter until it has absorbed all the butter. Spread it over the turkey so that it's completely covered.
- Preheat an oven to 350 F.
- Roast the turkey. Insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the turkey thigh. Place the turkey in a roasting pan on the rack with 1 1/2 cups of water in the bottom. Bake, basting every 45 minutes or so, until the thigh registers between 160-165 F, about 2 1/2-3 1/2 hours. If any part of the turkey starts to get too browned, cover that area with a small piece of foil.
- Rest and slice. Remove the turkey from the oven and remove the cheesecloth. Loosely tent with foil and rest for 30 minutes before slicing. Reserve the drippings from the bottom of the roasting pan for making gravy.
Notes
You might also like...
-
Thanksgiving Maple-Bourbon Glazed Turkey
-
Thanksgiving Slow-Roasted Turkey Thighs
-
Turkey Dry Brined Spatchcock Turkey
Rate & Review This Recipe
I’m going to give this a try! What are the greens that you used on the bottom to decorate the plate? I see sage and rosemary but was not sure about the other one.
I just used some fresh eucalyptus leaves that I rinsed and dried before placing on the bottom of the plate. There are also cara cara oranges and cranberries for a pop of color!
This looks amazing and way less intimidating than a brined Turkey! Can’t wait to try it!
Interesting technique. I might try it but do you rinse off the brine? Instructions don’t say to but it seems odd. Does it get absorbed?
It does get absorbed. As the salt and sugar pull moisture out of the meat, it dissolves the brine and is re-absorbed into the meat. Dry brining is really cool science! So, no need to rinse the turkey before buttering and roasting it. Hope that helps!
Seriously?! This is the 4th recipe I’ve tried from your site. They have all turned out better than I could have even expected! This one, of course, didn’t disappoint. So good and so easy! At this point, I just want to try every single recipe on here.
By the way, I stumbled on this website by accident. I googled images of beef stew to settle a debate with my mom about what beef stew looks like. I saw a picture of your Guinness beef stew, and thought I HAVE to make that!!!! Thank you for all the yumminess!
Kristy thank you so much for your kind words! Your support means everything and I’m so happy you’ve been enjoying the recipes.
Thank you for this recipe! Best Turkey ever! Everyone hummmmed while eating it. Even my die hard no white meat eaters dived into that breast meat! Down side, no left over for sandwiches!