All these people in this thread, talking about cooking like it's alchemy. Brining doesn't add moisture. Dry brining actually removes moisture. Wet brining mere

All these people in this thread, talking about cooking like it's alchemy. Brining doesn't add moisture. Dry brining actually removes moisture. Wet brining merely deposits salt and flavors in the surface of the meat via osmosis. Salt also helps the protein structure break down, which makes the meat more tender, but for a bird as large as a turkey, it's really not penetrating that far, especially for the short time periods people are brining their turkeys. In short, brining is only for flavor. Moisture in the bird is a function of not losing what moisture is there already. There are two things you have to do: don't overcook the bird, and let the bird rest after cooking. That's it. It's not hard. Get a digital probe thermometer. They are cheap, probably less than the cost of the turkey itself, and easy to use. You set it up to alarm when the internal temperature hits 165F and you immediately remove the bird and let it set for half an hour. You have to actively go out of your way to screw it up. Everything else is dressing.