Juicy Roast Turkey Recipe
User Reviews
5
20 reviews
Excellent
-
Prep Time
45 mins
-
Cook Time
3 hrs 30 mins
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Additional Time
4 hrs 30 mins
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Total Time
8 hrs 45 mins
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Servings
6 servings
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Calories
434 kcal
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Course
Main Course, Dinner
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Cuisine
American
Juicy Roast Turkey Recipe
Report
The Juicy Roast Turkey Recipe uses a flavorful brine of salt, brown sugar, citrus, and herbs to enhance moisture and taste before roasting a whole turkey. Roasting includes herb butter, aromatics, and basting with turkey stock or butter to achieve a golden skin and tender meat, ideal for a special occasion or holiday meal.
Description
This recipe begins with a brine combining salt, brown sugar, quartered orange, lemon, apple, and herbs like thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves dissolved in water. The whole turkey is submerged in this brine for at least 4 hours or overnight, then rinsed and patted dry. Removing giblets and rinsing prevents excessive saltiness.
The seasoned turkey is roasted with butter, garlic, soy sauce, and additional herbs placed inside and around it, along with vegetables such as onion, carrot, and celery. Periodic basting with turkey stock or melted butter promotes browning and moisture retention. Cooking continues until an internal temperature of 160°F in the thigh is reached; residual heat raises it to 165°F during resting.
This method yields a turkey with moist meat and flavorful, golden skin. The recipe includes optional steps for making turkey broth from reserved neck and giblets and preparing a gravy with white wine, broth, flour, and butter. These extras complement the roast and add depth to the meal.
Adjust brine quantities proportionally for larger turkeys. Tent with foil if skin darkens too fast. Resting the turkey after roasting ensures juiciness. Removing the webbing and pin feathers before cooking also improves presentation.
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Ingredients
For the Brine
- 1 cup salt
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 orange quartered
- 2 lemon quartered, plural
- 1 apple quartered
- 5 thyme sprigs
- 3 rosemary sprigs
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 2 bay leaf
- 2 gallons of water
For the Turkey
- 1 (10-12 pounds) turkey fresh or completely thawed out
- 6 tablespoons butter unsalted
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 1 lemon quartered
- 1 onion large, quartered
- 2 carrot peeled or unpeeled, cut into 1 inch chunks
- 2 celery ribs, cut into 1 inch chunks
- 4 thyme sprigs
- 4 rosemary sprigs
- sage optional, a few leaves
- 1 to 1 ½ cup turkey stock or chicken stock
Turkey Broth (optional)
- turkey neck reserved
- Turkey giblets reserved
- 1 onion small, chopped
- 1 carrot large, chopped
- 1 celery stalk, chopped
- 1 bay leaf small
- 3 cups water
- 3 cups chicken stock canned or homemade, low salt, or broth
For The Gravy
- ½ cup white wine
- 3 cups turkey broth or chicken broth, plus more if needed
- ¼ cup flour
- 4 tablespoons butter unsalted
- black pepper freshly ground, to taste
- turkey neck meat if desired, reserved, cooked
- Turkey giblets if desired, reserved, cooked
Instructions
For the Brine
- In a non-reactive container (like a clean bucket, big stock pot or a food grade plastic container) dissolve the salt and the sugar in 2 gallons of water. Add the rest of the brine ingredients. Mix to dissolve the sugar.
- Remove the neck and bag of giblets from the turkey cavity and discard or reserve for making the broth. Remove giblets from the bag they come in and place them with the turkey neck in a resealable bag or sealed container in the refrigerator until ready to use. Remove any plastic or wire holding the turkey legs together. Remove any astray pin feathers and give the turkey a quick rinse under cold running water (this last step is optional). Details on post above.
- Submerge the turkey into the brining liquid. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours (minimum) or overnight.
- Remove the turkey from the brining solution. RINSE the turkey under cold running water (do not skip this step or you run the risk of having an overly salty turkey). Pat dry the turkey with paper towels (especially the outside of the turkey so the skin crisps up). You can let the turkey air dry for about 30 minutes if time permits.
Seasoning and Roasting The Turkey
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
- To make the flavored butter, in a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Add the garlic cloves and soy sauce and mix well. Remove from the heat.
- Place the turkey in a large roasting pan breast side up to season it (no roasting rack is needed).
- Start by seasoning inside the cavity lightly with salt and pepper. Stuff the turkey cavity with some of the onions, carrots, celery, lemon, thyme, rosemary and a few sage leaves. Place the remaining aromatics around the turkey in the roasting pan. It is a good idea to place the bigger pieces like carrots, onions and celery under the turkey before roasting.
- Using your fingers, carefully loosen and separate the skin from the breast meat. With a spoon, pour some of the melted flavored butter under the skin, trying to get some around the leg/thigh area. You can discard the garlic cloves or place them under the skin or inside the cavity for extra flavor. Don't place garlic directly on the roasting pan as it could burn.Slowly pour or brush the remaining flavored butter all over the turkey. Season with salt and ground black pepper.
- Loosely tie the turkey drumsticks together with kitchen string. Fold the wings under the turkey (optional). Carefully flip the turkey so the breast side is down.
- Roast the turkey uncovered, breast side down for 1 hour. (see Chef's Note #4). While the turkey is roasting for the first hour, make the turkey broth.
For the Turkey Broth
- In a heavy saucepan place the turkey neck and giblets (the liver should only be added during the last 15 minutes of cooking). Add the chopped onion, carrots, celery and bay leaf. Pour water and broth over and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower the heat to medium low and simmer for about 45 minutes to 1 hour or until reduced to about 4 cups. If using, add the turkey liver during the last 15 minutes of cooking. Strain the stock and reserve.
- If you like to add bits of turkey neck meat and/or giblets into your gravy, pull the meat from the turkey neck and chop the meat and giblets finely. Reserve.
Roasting Cont'
- After the first hour of roasting, remove the turkey from the oven and carefully flip the bird, breast side up. Baste the turkey with chicken or turkey broth/stock (about 1/4 - 1/2 cup) and return to the oven.
- Continue roasting the turkey uncovered, breast side up for about 2 to 3 hours or until an instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees Fahrenheit when inserted into the thickest and meatiest part of the thigh (avoid hitting the bone). Baste the turkey with about ½ cup of turkey or chicken broth/stock every hour during the cooking time. See Chef's Note #6
- Remove from the oven and place the turkey on a serving platter or cutting board (if carving). Tent the roasted turkey with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 15 to 30 minutes before carving.
To Make the Gravy
- Discard any vegetables or herbs from the roasting pan and pour the turkey pan juices into a glass measuring cup. Skim off the fat.
- Place the roasting pan on 2 stovetop burners over medium heat. You can also use a saucepan if you prefer although you will be missing the brown bits stuck at the bottom of the roasting pan.
- Return the turkey pan juices into the roasting pan or saucepan. Add the wine and deglaze, scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the roasting pan with a wooden spoon. Add 3 cups of the reserved turkey broth and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to low and simmer while making the roux. (You can use canned broth if you didn't make the turkey broth from scratch)
- In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium high heat. Whisk in the flour to make a roux. Cook this mixture for 2-3 minutes stirring constantly.
- Slowly, pour the simmering stock mixture from the roasting pan into the butter/flour mixture (roux) whisking constantly and vigorously to prevent any lumps. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring as needed until the gravy thickens. Keep in mind that the gravy will continue to get thicker as it sits. Add additional broth to thin it out if needed.
- You can add the reserved chopped neck meat and giblets, if desired. Season to taste with salt and ground black pepper and pour into a gravy boat.
Serving The Turkey
- You can serve the whole roast turkey on a platter, garnished with fresh herbs, sliced citrus and/or whole cranberries or you can carve the turkey before serving it.
- Arrange the carved roast turkey meat on a platter with garnishes. Serve alongside the homemade gravy.
Notes
- For larger turkeys, adjust brine to use ½ cup salt and ½ cup brown sugar per gallon of water.
- Always rinse and pat dry the turkey after brining to avoid over-salting.
- If skin darkens too quickly, tent with foil during roasting.
- Baste with turkey stock regularly, switching to melted butter for the last hour to enhance golden skin.
- Remove pin feathers and any leg bindings before cooking for better appearance.
- Roast until thigh temperature reaches 160°F; resting raises it to safe 165°F.
Nutrition Information
Show Details
Calories
434kcal
(22%)
Carbohydrates
66g
(22%)
Protein
6g
(12%)
Fat
12g
(18%)
Saturated Fat
7g
(35%)
Cholesterol
30mg
(10%)
Sodium
19556mg
(815%)
Potassium
688mg
(15%)
Fiber
6g
(24%)
Sugar
47g
(94%)
Vitamin A
5720IU
(114%)
Vitamin C
69.1mg
(77%)
Calcium
175mg
(18%)
Iron
2.3mg
(13%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 6servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 434 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 434kcal | 22% |
| Carbohydrates | 66g | 22% |
| Protein | 6g | 12% |
| Fat | 12g | 18% |
| Saturated Fat | 7g | 35% |
| Cholesterol | 30mg | 10% |
| Sodium | 19556mg | 815% |
| Potassium | 688mg | 15% |
| Fiber | 6g | 24% |
| Sugar | 47g | 94% |
| Vitamin A | 5720IU | 114% |
| Vitamin C | 69.1mg | 77% |
| Calcium | 175mg | 18% |
| Iron | 2.3mg | 13% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
20 reviews
Excellent
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