Herb-Butter Turkey Rub

Whether roasting, smoking or cooking your turkey on a rotisserie, this Herb-Butter Turkey Rub will give your bird a great head start! Not only is rub flavorful, but the butter helps to brown the turkey’s skin as it cooks. This herb-butter turkey rub contains a delicious mixture of fresh herbs, savories like garlic, onion, and of course, creamy butter. 

Please note that this turkey rub recipe is designed for a 12-15 pound bird. Increase the recipe to 1 1/2 if your turkey is between 16-18 pounds, and double the recipe for a 19-22 pound bird.

Ingredients for Herb-Butter Turkey Rub:

• Unsalted butter
• Fresh herbs: rosemary, thyme, and marjoram
• Salt, *omit if you’ve brined the turkey, or if your turkey was prepackaged in a sodium brine solution*
• Granulated onion or onion powder
• Granulated garlic or garlic powder
• Paprika
• Black pepper
• Allspice

How to Make it:

• Rinse herbs under cold water and blot them dry with paper towels. Remove the leaves from stems and chop them finely,
• Combine remaining ingredients with softened unsalted butter. Stir together until well incorporated. Give the herb-butter a quick taste, and adjust as needed. If you have brined the turkey, do not add salt to the mixture!
• *If you do not have any fresh herbs on hand, use dried herbs instead. Cut measurements down to 1 teaspoon each instead of 2 teaspoons.

Using Herb-Butter Turkey Rub:

• Apply butter mixture 30 minutes before cooking.
• Use your hands to apply herb-butter turkey rub all over the bird, including under the breast skin. Be gentle during the application process as the skin can tear. 
• Cook turkey as directed.
• Discard any leftover rub that has come into contact with raw meat.

Resources:

• We recommend pairing this herb-butter turkey rub with a Turkey Injection Marinade for best results.
• For our informative recipe guides for:
• Smoked Turkey 
• Rotisserie Turkey

Herb-Butter Turkey Rub

Not only is this a fantastic rub, but the butter helps to brown the skin of the turkey. A delicious mixture of fresh herbs, spices, and of course butter. Recipe is designed for a 12-15 pound bird. Increase the recipe by 1/2 to accommodate a 16-22 pound turkey.

Photo by: Sabrina Baksh

5 from 4 votes

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Course: Rubs

Cuisine: American Food

Keyword: best turkey rub, butter rub

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 156kcal

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup room temperature unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
• 2 teaspoons fresh marjoram
• 2 teaspoons salt, *omit if you’ve brined the turkey*
• 1 teaspoon granulated onion
• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon powdered allspice

Instructions

• Wash and blot dry the herbs with paper towels. Remove leaves from stems and finely chop. Combine herbs and spices with softened butter. Stir together until well incorporated.
• Apply butter mixture all over turkey, including under the breast skin. Be gentle during this process as the skin can tear. Cook turkey as directed.
• Discard any leftover rub that has come into contact with raw meat.
• *If you do not have any fresh herbs on hand, use dried herb instead. Cut measurements down to 1 teaspoon each, instead of 2 teaspoons.

Nutrition

Calories: 156kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 3mg | Potassium: 20mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 576IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 1mg