Brined and Roasted Turkey

Everyone has had dry turkey at Thanksgiving and regretted it during the following week of turkey leftovers that inevitably follows. This method yields a beautiful mahogany-brown bird with surprisingly moist and flavorful meat, but white and dark. Turkey-centric holidays will never be the same.

Brined Roasted Turkey

Brine for a 10-18 pound turkey:

Ingredients:
1 gallon vegetable broth
1 cup sea salt
1 stem fresh rosemary or tablespoon crushed dried rosemary
2 stems fresh sage or tablespoon dried sage
2 stems fresh thym or 1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried savory
1 gallon ice water

Directions:
In a large stock pot, combine the vegetable broth, sea salt, rosemary, sage, thyme, and savory. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently to be sure salt is dissolved. Remove from heat, and let cool to room temperature. When the mixture is cool, pour it into a clean 5 gallon bucket. Stir in the ice water.Wash and dry your turkey, making sure you have removed the innards. Place the turkey, breast down, into the brine making sure that the cavity gets filled. Place the bucket in the refrigerator overnight.Remove the turkey carefully draining off the excess brine and pat dry. Discard excess brine. Cook the turkey as you would normally, but keep in mind that brined turkeys cook 20 to 30 minutes faster so watch the temperature.

Note: I also found that a wine box that formerly held a dozen bottles of Charles Shaw merlot made the best vessel for containing my turkey and a giant brining bag. Just line the box with the bag, folding the edges back over the rim, place bird in box (may be a tight fit if you’re over 18 pounds), pour in brine, seal bag and place in fridge. If the box is too tall, you can split it at the corners and fold down the sides to get it in. Worked perfectly, didn’t cost a dime and was disposable.

Roasting the Turkey:
After draining the turkey in the sink and patting dry with paper towels, treat your weighty friend to a butter massage. Slip about two tablespoons of softened butter under the skin and spread that around and then rub a thin coat of butter all over the outside of the bird. Olive oil would also be fine. Sprinkle with salt inside and out and place breast side up in a roasting pan with a rack. Turn the wings back behind the bird and stuff him with a quartered onion and half a juiced orange or lemon. Tie the legs together with string to keep the stuffing in place. Place bird in a 375 degree oven for the first 30 minutes or so, then tent with foil once the breast has browned and reduced heat to 350 for the next two hours of cooking time, then to 225 for the rest of the cooking time (roast for the recommended time for your bird’s weight or an internal temperature of 175 degrees in the dark meat and 160-165 in the breast). Allow bird to rest for half an hour before carving.

Notes:
-Once the skin has browned there is no need to keep basting the bird, so leave the oven closed save for when you check for doneness and temperature.
-If you like an herb-y turkey you can chop up some additional fresh herbs and add them to the butter you slip beneath the skin of the turkey to flavor the meat. About a tablespoon or so will do the job. Sage, thyme and rosemary are particularly good.
-The basic method of brining, buttering the skin and stuffing with a juiced lemon also makes for an excellent roasted chicken.