Roast Turkey
This Roast Turkey is a brined turkey recipe. Brining is a foolproof way to ensure juicy white meat and perfectly cooked dark meat. You'll need a container large enough to submerge the turkey completely (check beforehand). If your container is too big, you may need to make more brine to completely submerge the turkey.
Ingredients
- 1 recipe of turkey brine see below
- 1 16-18 lb. turkey
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
- 2 tablespoons fresh sage
- The Brine
- 2 1/2 gallons of chilled water
- 2 cups Kosher salt
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 fresh bunch parsley
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 head of garlic halved horizontally
- 1 onion sliced
- 2 lemons halved
- 3 tablespoons of lightly crushed black peppercorns
- Mix all ingredients in a container that is large enough to contain the bird and the brine. Give the lemon halves a good squeeze as you add them. Be sure the sugar and the salt are completely dissolved. Add the turkey to the brine and put a plate or something heavy enough to keep the bird submerged and place in the refrigerator for 24-48 hours.
Instructions
- Remove the turkey from the brine, rinse well and pat dry and let rest uncovered in the refrigerator for 3-24 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 425 F. degrees.
- Dry the bird thoroughly and place on a rack in a roasting pan (after brining and resting for 3 to 24 hours).
- Mix the oil, thyme and sage together and rub onto the turkey.
- Bake in a 425 F. degree oven for about 1 hour, turn down to 350 F. degrees and continue to bake until the internal temperature registers 160-165 F. degrees about 3-3 1/2 hours.
- Remove the turkey from the oven and let rest for 15-30 minutes before carving.
Notes
If you do not want to brine the turkey you can omit and just follow the roasting instructions. Be warned...it won't be anyways near as moist!
