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turkey-recipe.md

Brined & Roasted Turkey

Brine Recipe

  • 1 gal vegetable broth (four 32oz boxes)
  • 1 cup salt
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 tbsp dried sage
  • 1 tbsp dried thyme
  • 1 tbsp whole black peppercorns
  • 1 tbsp onion powder
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 gal cold water (optionally with ice)

Bring the vegetable broth to a simmer and add all dry ingredients. Stir to incorporate. Remove from heat and add water. Either use ice water or put the brine in the fridge to finish cooling it off. Ensure that its completely cool before use so as to not start cooking the turkey.

Roast Turkey

  • 1 14 lb-ish turkey
  • 2 gal brine
  • 1 onion, roughly chopped
  • 1 package of celery hearts, roughly chopped
  • 1 bag baby carrots
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 32oz box turkey broth

This method for turkey roasting relies on having a roaster pan with a rack in the bottom. This keeps the turkey out of the drippings which allows the skin to remain crispy during roasting as well as improves the ease of turning the turkey during cooking. Something along the lines of: http://a.co/7o7JDeo

Remove neck and giblets from turkey cavity. Place turkey breast side down in large container. Cover with brine and refrigerate overnight. Before cooking remove the turkey from the brine, rinse under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Use butcher string to tie the legs and wings together. The wings should be tied so that they are situated behind the back during cooking. Place about half of the onion, carrots, and celery into the turkey's cavities and place the rest in the bottom of the roaster pan. Add roughly 2 cups of water to the bottom of the pan (enough to cover the veggies but not above the bottom of the rack).

Pre-heat your cooking chamber of choice to 400F. If using an oven, use the bottom most cooking grate level. Place turkey breast side down on the rack in the roasting pan and place in cooking chamber. After 45 minutes, rotate the turkey 90 degrees. Cook for 20 minutes, then rotate 180 degrees (i.e., cook both wing/thigh sides for 20 minutes each). Then rotate turkey to breast side up and cook for another 30-50 minutes or until breast registers 160-165F and wings/thighs are in the 170-175F range. After each turn of the turkey, use drippings in the roaster pan to baste the turkey. Add turkey stock as necessary to the pan to prevent aromatics and drippings from burning. Let the turkey rest uncovered for 30m and then carve and serve. It is best to serve immediately after carving to minimize loss due to kitchen vultures.

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