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).
