Classic Roast Turkey
User Reviews
4.6
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Prep Time
20 mins
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Cook Time
4 hrs
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Total Time
4 hrs 20 mins
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Servings
10 servings
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Calories
642 kcal
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
American
Classic Roast Turkey
Description
This Classic Roast Turkey recipe starts with a brine made by boiling kosher salt, brown sugar, vegetable stock, and whole spices including black peppercorns, allspice, cloves, and ground ginger. The brine is cooled and combined with ice water in a large container into which the thawed turkey is fully submerged and refrigerated for 8 to 16 hours, turning once during the period.
After brining, the turkey is roasted in a pan with a rack, surrounded by apple slices, onion, cinnamon stick, and fresh herbs like sage, thyme, marjoram, and rosemary, as well as garlic. This introduces additional aromatics during roasting. The bird is brushed with olive oil for crisp skin and cooked at high heat initially, then lowered to complete the process.
The brining and herb combination enhances moisture retention and flavor infusion, creating tender meat with a richly seasoned crust. The thawing process recommended 2 to 3 days prior ensures safe preparation.
Equipment needed includes large stock pot, roasting pan with rack, and optionally a large brining bag for even immersion. Disposable pie plates can collect drippings. Adjust roasting times based on turkey size and ensure internal temperature reaches a safe level before serving.
Ingredients
- 14-16 pounds turkey young, whole, frozen
Brine Ingredients
- 1 cup kosher salt
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 gallon vegetable stock
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 1 1/2 teaspoons allspice berries
- 1 1/2 teaspoons clove whole
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 gallon water heavily iced
Roasting Ingredients
- 1 apple cored and sliced
- 1/2 onion
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 cup water
- 6 leaves sage
- 4 prigs thyme fresh
- 3 prigs marjoram fresh
- 2 prigs rosemary
- 2 cloves garlic fresh
- extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- 2 to 3 days before roasting, begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F.1 day before roasting, combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, cloves and ground ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.
- The night before you'd like to eat, combine the brine, water and ice in the 5-gallon bucket. I like to line the bucket with a brining bag that I can close up once the turkey is in; it keeps the turkey more evenly immersed.
- Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed.Cover the bucket with a thick towel or foil (or close up the brining bag) and refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining.
- Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine. Stack two disposable aluminum pans or pie plates and place them in the center of the roasting pan. Place rack on top of the aluminum pans. This is a hack I picked up from Cooks Illustrated; it disperses the heat more evenly in the bottom of the pan, which helps to keep the drippings from creating smoke in your kitchen.
- Place the turkey on roasting rack, breast side up. Some people swear by putting it breast down - this will result in less even browning of the skin, but you can certainly do that if you wish. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels. If your bird has a popup timer inserted, leave it in (so juices don't leak out of the hole), but don't use it to measure the temperature-- use a probe or meat thermometer instead. These are more accurate; if you follow the popup your meat may turn out overcooked and dry. Also, your turkey should have a metal or oven-safe plastic band around the legs to keep it trussed. If it doesn't, truss the legs together with some kitchen string.
- Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes.
- Drain water from the steeped aromatics, then add them to the turkey's cavity along with the sage, thyme, marjoram, rosemary and garlic.Tuck the wings up and under the bird. Brush the turkey liberally with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes, turning the roasting pan around 15 minutes through cooking to ensure even browning.Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
- Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 165 degrees F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Turn the roasting pan around after about 1 hour of cooking to ensure even cooking.
- Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl, for 15 minutes before carving. This step is very important; it allows the juices to settle into the meat, making for a moister turkey.
Notes
- Thaw the turkey for 2–3 days before brining to ensure even thawing.
- Use a large container and a brining bag for fully submerging the turkey during brining.
- Plan 8 to 16 hours for the brining process, turning the turkey once halfway through.
- Roast with aromatic herbs and vegetables to enhance flavor and aroma.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 10servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 642 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 642kcal | 32% |
| Carbohydrates | 1g | 0% |
| Protein | 97g | 194% |
| Fat | 25g | 38% |
| Saturated Fat | 6g | 30% |
| Cholesterol | 324mg | 108% |
| Sodium | 525mg | 22% |
| Potassium | 1037mg | 22% |
| Vitamin A | 260IU | 5% |
| Vitamin C | 0.3mg | 0% |
| Calcium | 72mg | 7% |
| Iron | 4.1mg | 23% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.6
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