Brined and Roasted Thanksgiving Turkey
I have been making this recipe for Brined and Roasted Thanksgiving Turkey for almost 20 years. A riff on Alton Brown’s Good Eats Roast Turkey, this was the first recipe I followed for cooking a turkey. I had success with it, so it’s been a staple for us when we host Thanksgiving.
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Ingredients for the brine:
- 1 cup kosher salt
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 gallon vegetable or chicken stock
- 1 TBSP whole peppercorns
- 1 gallon ice water
Ingredients for roasting the turkey:
- 1 14-16 lb turkey, thawed
- 1 apple, cored and quartered
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 1 sprig sage leaves
- 1 lemon, quartered
- 1 onion, quartered
- Olive oil
To brine the turkey
In a large pot combine salt, honey, vegetable stock and peppercorns. Bring mixture to a boil. Stir to dissolve the salt and honey. Remove from heat. Cool to room temperature. The brine can be made a day or two ahead and then stored in the fridge.
The day before cooking, remove the turkey from the packaging. Remove the neck and giblets from the cavity. Place your bird in a large bag and place the bag inside a cooler or inside one of the drawers of your refrigerator. Pour the brine over the bird. Seal up the bag.If you are using a cooler, place ice packs or ice around the bag. Brine the turkey overnight.
To roast the turkey
The next day, just before roasting the turkey, remove the bird from the brine, rinse it and pat dry. Place the bird breast side up on the rack of a roasting pan.
Preheat oven to 500°.
Rub the turkey liberally with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
Place the apple, rosemary, sage, lemon and onion inside the cavity of the turkey.
Tuck the wings under the body cavity. Tie the legs and tail together with kitchen twine. Add a cup of water to the roasting pan.
Place the turkey in the oven on the lowest rack. Roast for 30 minutes, then turn the oven down to 350°. Continue to roast until the internal temperature in the thickest part of the thigh reaches 165°. It will take approximately 3 hours for a 12 pound turkey. Be sure to use a thermometer to measure the internal temp. Use a piece of aluminum foil to cover the breast, if the skin appears to be browning quickly.
Let the turkey rest 20 minutes before carving.