How to Brine and Roast Turkey (with Homemade Gravy)
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
2 hrs
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Cook Time
3 hrs
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Additional Time
10 mins
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Total Time
5 hrs 10 mins
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Servings
20
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Calories
507 kcal
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
American
How to Brine and Roast Turkey (with Homemade Gravy)
Description
How to Brine and Roast Turkey (with Homemade Gravy) guides you through preparing a brine using vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, black peppercorns, and warming spices like ginger and allspice. This brine thoroughly seasons the turkey over 24 to 48 hours, improving juiciness and flavor. After draining and drying, a potently seasoned dry rub is tucked between the skin and meat and spread on the skin surface. Roasting starts at a high temperature to crisp the skin and finish at a lower heat to ensure even cooking.
The included gravy recipe uses turkey giblets, neck, and vegetables simmered in water with garlic and onion to produce a flavorful base. It is a thinner sauce than classic gravy but can be thickened with flour or cornstarch if preferred. The method explains how to handle the turkey before roasting, including how to dry and season it carefully. This combination of brining and dry rub helps achieve juicy meat with seasoned skin.
Serving this turkey with the homemade gravy adds moisture and flavor to the carved meat. The recipe also notes that vegetable and aromatic preparation can be done ahead of time, and provides tips for rapidly cooling the brine and thawing frozen turkeys safely. Letting the turkey rest after roasting ensures juiciness before carving.
The notes explain options for brine cooling, using clean buckets if needed, and suggest making the dry rub and chopping vegetables days before to save time. Adjusting the gravy thickness with flour or cornstarch is also detailed for personal preference. Overall, the recipe provides a comprehensive approach to brining, roasting, and saucing a large turkey.
Ingredients
For the Brine
- 1 cup table salt
- ½ cup brown sugar tightly pack
- 4 quarts vegetable stock or 16 cups
- 1 TB black peppercorns whole
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground allspice
- ice plenty of
- water plenty of
For the Dry Rub
- 2 TB garlic powder
- 2 TB black pepper freshly ground
- 1 tsp kosher salt
For the Turkey
- 16-20 lb turkey whole
- 1 apple quartered
- 2 onion quartered
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 cup water
- 4 prigs rosemary
- 6 leaves sage
- 4 carrot roughly cut
- 4 celery roughly cut, stalks
For the Gravy
- 4 TB olive oil
- Turkey giblets
- turkey neck
- 10 garlic peeled and smashed flat, cloves
- 1 onion roughly cut into pieces
- 4 carrot sliced into 1/4" coins
- 4 celery cut into 1/4" pieces, stalks
- 6 quarts water
Instructions
For the Brine
- In a very large/tall stockpot, add all brine ingredients, except for ice and water. Heat over high heat* and stir until dissolved. Allow to cool.
- Gently submerge turkey into the brine. Cover the top with ice. Pour in enough cold water to completely submerge turkey in liquid. Stir the liquid to combine. Store in fridge or cool location (below 40F). Swirl/stir a couple of times during brine time – 48 hours recommended, but 24 hours minimum.
For the Turkey
- Drain and place turkey upright on roasting pan’s wire rack to fully drain for several hours and allow it to reach room temp. Pat dry turkey skin thoroughly with paper towels.
- Preheat oven to 450F, with rack on a lower position. Combine dry rub ingredients in bowl. Gently spread one-third of the dry rub between skin and flesh throughout entire bird, taking care not to rip the skin. Sprinkle and press remaining dry rub on outside of skin throughout entire bird. Seal together loose skin of neck area with toothpicks.
- Bring 1 cup water to a boil in a small pot. Remove from heat and add apples, 1 quartered onion, cinnamon stick, rosemary, and sage and let steep for 1 minute. Dispose of water and insert the steeped aromatics into the turkey cavity.
- Add 1 quartered onion, carrots, and celery to the bottom pan of a turkey roaster. Place sheet of foil onto the roaster's wire rack and poke holes in the foil to allow juice to flow through. (The foil keeps the bird from sticking to the rack and makes it much easier to flip halfway through the cooking process.) Place turkey breast-side down on the foil-lined rack.
- Roast for 1 hour at 450F. Drop heat to 300F and roast for another 30 min. Remove turkey from oven and carefully flip it over, breast-side up. Insert meat thermometer into center of turkey breast and return to oven. Continue roasting until meat thermometer registers 160F.
- Transfer rack with turkey to cutting board, tent with foil, and let it rest – do not cut into it, nor remove the thermometer probe for at least 15 minutes. Set roasting pan with roasted vegetables and pan drippings aside for later.
For the Gravy
- While turkey is roasting, heat 2 TB oil in a large pot. Add giblets/neck to hot oil and sear until well-browned. Remove neck and set aside. Throw out giblets.
- Add remaining 2TB oil to the pot and heat until almost smoking. Add garlic and sauté until golden brown. Add onions, carrots, and celery, cooking until onions become translucent. Add water and bring to a boil.
- Add neck back in and boil over heat. Continue to boil until liquid is reduced by about half. Keep warm.
- Place the turkey roasting pan with roasted vegetables over two stovetop burners. Pour reduced gravy with veggies into the roasting pan and bring to a boil. Use spatula to loosen all brown bits from bottom of roasting pan. Boil and reduce by at least half again, or until gravy has the desired flavor strength. It should taste amazing when it's done!
- Strain mixture so you are left with just the au jus. Skim fat off the top and serve with sliced turkey.
Notes
- To cool the brine quickly, dissolve salt and sugar in half the vegetable stock boiled, then add the other half cold stock to cool instantly.
- If your turkey is frozen, plan for about 6 days thawing time in the refrigerator before starting.
- Use a clean bucket for brining if a large pot isn't available; ensure the turkey is fully submerged and chilled below 40°F.
- Vegetables and aromatics can be chopped up to 2 days in advance and kept refrigerated to save prep time.
- The dry rub can be mixed several days ahead for convenience.
- The gravy is a lighter, au jus style but can be thickened with 2-3 tablespoons flour or cornstarch dissolved in water if preferred.
- Let the turkey rest at least 15 minutes after roasting before carving to retain juices.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 20Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 507 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 507kcal | 25% |
| Carbohydrates | 15g | 5% |
| Protein | 85g | 170% |
| Fat | 11g | 17% |
| Saturated Fat | 2g | 10% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 2g | 12% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 4g | 20% |
| Trans Fat | 0.03g | 2% |
| Cholesterol | 284mg | 95% |
| Sodium | 7013mg | 292% |
| Potassium | 1035mg | 22% |
| Fiber | 2g | 8% |
| Sugar | 10g | 20% |
| Vitamin A | 6210IU | 124% |
| Vitamin C | 4mg | 4% |
| Calcium | 83mg | 8% |
| Iron | 4mg | 22% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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