After your brine time is up, rinse the bird thoroughly under cold water if you used a wet brine. This removes the excess surface salt so your gravy doesn’t taste like the Dead Sea. Pat it dry again—seriously, dry skin is non-negotiable for crispiness.
Rub it down with a little softened butter or olive oil, pepper your heart out (don’t add more salt), and pop it in the oven. You will pull out a bird that’s so juicy, someone at the table will inevitably say, “How did you do this?”
What About the Gravy?
Brining actually makes your drippings more flavorful, not too salty. The salt you rinsed off doesn’t go into the pan. However, be light with additional seasoning in your gravy at first. Taste, taste, taste, then add a pinch of salt at the end.
Your gravy will have a deeper, meatier richness because the brine helped extract more flavor into the juices. It’s a win-win. Your gravy gets an upgrade without any extra effort.
