u003cstrongu003eNo. u003c/strongu003eIt's not necessary, but patting the turkey dry with paper towels and removing any leftover brine ingredients from the turkey is helpful prior to adding a dry rub. When u003ca href=u0022https://www.vindulge.com/smoked-turkey/u0022u003esmoking a turkeyu003c/au003e, a dry turkey is important to achieving crispy skin.