Juicy Roast Turkey

Name: Juicy Roast Turkey
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 2 h 20 min
Yield: 10 -12
Ingredients: 10 lb / 5kg whole turkey; 2 1/2 tbsp kosher salt / cooking salt; 2 tsp dried thyme; 1 tsp paprika; 1 tsp garlic powder; 1/2 tsp black pepper; 2 heads of garlic; 1 onion; 2 small bunch mixed herbs; 10 tbsp (150g) unsalted butter; 1 tbsp (in total) sage, rosemary and thyme; 3 garlic cloves; 1 1/2 cups dry white wine; salt & pepper; 4 cups chicken broth / stock; 5 tbsp flour; salt and pepper

User Reviews

5.0

390 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
2 hrs
Brining time
2 d
Total Time
2 hrs 20 mins
Servings
10 -12
Course
Main Course, Dinner
Cuisine
American

Juicy Roast Turkey

Paige Becker

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Recipe video above. This is still the only way I roast a whole turkey - dry brined with a seasoned salt. Start it in a hot oven upside down, then finish in a lower oven right side up. Brush with lots of butter, but only add minced garlic and fresh herbs towards the end else it burns. The turkey flesh is juicy, the skin is crisply golden, it's simple, practical and foolproof. No buckets of liquid brine! You can even start it while the turkey is still partially frozen - it will brine as it thaws. Dry brined meats also cook faster - a 5kg/10lb turkey takes under 2 hours. Useful, when there's lots of oven demand!Start this recipe two days before cooking. You can brine up to 3 days, but 4 days doesn't add anything and I worry about food safety. Use the RECIPE SCALER to change ingredients to the weight of your turkey (click/tap on servings and slide!).

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Ingredients

Servings

10 lb / 5kg whole turkey , thawed (plain not pre brined) (Note 1)

Dry Brine Salt Rub:

2 1/2 tbsp kosher salt / cooking salt (Note 2)
2 tsp dried thyme , or other herb of choice
1 tsp paprika , sweet or ordinary
1 tsp garlic powder (optional)
1/2 tsp black pepper

For Roasting

2 heads of garlic , halved horizontally (ie 4 halves)
1 onion , halved - skin on is fine (brown, yellow, white)
2 small bunch mixed herbs , sage, rosemary, thyme, parsley (optional, Note 3)
10 tbsp (150g) unsalted butter , melted
1 tbsp (in total) sage, rosemary and thyme , finely chopped - equal amounts of each (Note 3)
3 garlic cloves , minced
1 1/2 cups dry white wine , or water (Note 4)
salt & pepper

Gravy (~ 4 cups/1L)

4 cups chicken broth / stock , low sodium
5 tbsp flour , plain / all purpose
salt and pepper

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Instructions

RECIPE SUMMARY:

Rub turkey with the Salt Rub, wrap mummy-like in cling wrap. Fridge 48 hrs, flipping halfway. Stuff, roast upside down 30min in hot 220°C/425°F (200°C fan) oven, flip, garlic-herb-butter baste, finish roasting in lower oven 165°C/325°F (150°C fan).

FULL RECIPE

Dry Brining Preparation

Salt Rub: Mix together the Rub ingredients.
Prep Turkey: Pat the turkey dry with paper towels, inside and out. Remove giblets or anything else inside the turkey. (Note 5)
Sprinkle: Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the Salt Rub inside the turkey and use you hand to spread it (roughly is fine). Turn the turkey upside down, then rub 1 teaspoon of the Salt Rub on the underside.
Turn the turkey upright and rub the remaining Salt Rub on the turkey, using most on the breast - even some under the skin if you can.
Wrap turkey mummy-like in lots of cling wrap (works best, I find) or place the turkey in a sealable plastic bag (Note 6).

Brining (Note 7):

Place turkey upside down in baking pan. Refrigerate 2 days (minimum) up to 3 days (4 days adds nothing, I find).
24 hours later: Flip turkey so it's right side up.
24 (to 48 hours) later: unwrap turkey. The skin should be moist but not wet. If wet, pat dry. Leave out for 30 min before roasting.

Prepare for roasting:

Preheat oven to 220°C/425°F (200°C fan-forced)
Prep for roasting: Place the onions and garlic in a roasting pan. Place a roasting rack on top - if you have one (Note 8 for sub).
Stuff bunch of herbs + 2 garlic halves + 3 tbsp butter (45g) inside the turkey. Tie drumsticks together with kitchen twine (optional).
Place turkey UPSIDE DOWN on the rack. Twist the wings so they are on top - see video. Brush with a bit of melted butter. Sprinkle with a tiny bit of salt and pepper.
Wine - Pour wine in roasting pan.

Roasting:

Roast for 30 minutes.
Flip & brush - Use a tea towel to turn the turkey over so it's right side up. Brush with butter, sprinkle with a tiny bit of salt and pepper.
Turn oven down to 165°C/325°F (150°C fan).
Roast turkey 45 minutes.
Garlic herb butter: Mix remaining butter with garlic and herbs. Brush turkey generously with butter.
Roast turkey for a further 30 minutes or until a) the thermometer that comes with the turkey pops up; or b) a thermometer inserted between the breast and leg reads 165°F/75°C. (Notes 9, 10). Cover loosely with foil if browning too much.
Rest: Remove turkey onto serving plate, cover loosely with foil and rest for 30 minutes before transferring to platter for presentation and carving (see in post for styling idea).
Serve turkey with gravy and/or Cranberry Sauce.

Turkey Gravy

Place roasting pan (with garlic, onion etc still in it) on the stove over medium high heat. Add flour and cook for 2 minutes.
Add broth and use a potato masher to mash the onion and garlic into the mixture. Use a wooden spoon to scrap the bottom of the pan. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until thickened.
Strain into a bowl, pressing down to extract all the flavour out of the onion and garlic. Transfer to gravy boat.

Notes

TURKEY needs to be thawed.
* Thaw in fridge (long thaw) – allow 24 hours for every 1.5 – 2 kg / 3 – 4 lb of turkey (my 5.5 kg/11 lb turkey took 3 days)* Fast thaw in water – 30 minutes per 500g / 1 lb. Turkey needs to be in a leak proof bag / wrapping. Submerge in large sink of water, keep it submerged. Change water every 30 minutes.
Rub can be applied to partially thawed turkey as long as skin is pliable enough to rub salt in. I usually apply the rub after the turkey has been thawing in the fridge for 24 hours. Expect lots of juices from the thaw/brining process - ensure turkey is patted dry before roasting. As it brines, liquid may be red from blood from the inside of the turkey thawing - do not worry. Won't affect end result at all. Do not rinse, just pat dry with paper towels.
Do not rinse
DO NOT:* Use this recipe for "self basting" or pre marinated turkeys, will be too salty. Check ingredients or nutrition - if there's salt or flavourings, the turkey has already been brined. Typically these include boxed and frozen turkeys at the supermarkets in Australia.
**See HOW TO COOK PRE-BRINED TURKEY box below recipe.**
SALT - Use 1 tbsp salt for every 2 kg / 4 lb turkey. Use kosher / cooking salt. If using fine grain table salt, reduce by 1/4 tsp PER 1 tbsp of salt called for in the recipe. Do not use salt flakes (too hard to measure equivalent).
HERBS - I used an equal mix of sage, rosemary and thyme to make up 1 tbsp in total for basting partway through cooking. Can also use dried herbs of choice - use 2 tsp. Doesn't sound like much but we don't want to put herbs on the skin until partway though cooking otherwise it just burns. So by the time we baste with the herb butter, there's not much butter left. Just imparts a subtle fragrance more than anything, could even be skipped.
Need one bunch to stuff inside the turkey, the other for the pan.
WINE - I use sauvignon blanc, pinot gris (I get discount wine for cooking). Any white wine is fine as long as it's not too sweet or woody / oaky.
Giblets are a parcel of turkey offcuts that are usually stuffed inside the turkey and are used to make the gravy. It usually comprises of: neck, heart and liver. Use the neck and heart for turkey gravy.
BAG - you can get resealable bags in America that are big enough for turkey. But I've found that cling wrap is the most effective - keeps the brine right up against the turkey skin.
BRINE TIME: 48 hours (2 days) is my base recipe, 3 days also great (a bit more seasoned). Even overnight is better than not brining at all! I even did 4 days last year and it not any different to 3 days, from what I could tell.
RACK SUB: Need to keep turkey skin elevated out of liquid in pan. Get a long strip of foil, scrunch to make a thick "rope". Loop to make a circle and secure. Place on top of onion, place turkey on top. Just need something to keep turkey a bit elevated off base of pan and the onion. If skin is in contact with onion when upside down, the skin will brown unevenly once you flip.
ROASTING TIME:
Works out at 12 minutes per 500g / 1 lb.
INTERNAL TEMP: Insert thermometer between breast and leg. Push straight down, hit bone, then pull back slightly.
If you don't have a thermometer (get one! Even a cheap one!), pierce the meat between the leg and breast and if the juices run clear, the turkey is cooked.
Remember, this turkey is brined so there is a bit of leeway with the cooking time even if you overcook it slightly, it will still be moist.
Got turkey leftovers? Use it up in White Turkey Enchilada Soup, Garlic Bread Leftover Turkey Pot Pie or Muffulettas!
Source: Adapted from this recipe from the LA Times.
5kg / 10 lb: 1 hr 45 min – 2 hrs
6 kg / 12 lb: 2 hrs 15 min
7kg / 14 lb: 2 hrs 30 min
8 kg / 16 lb: 2 hrs 45min