Roasted Turkey
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
12 hrs 30 mins
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Cook Time
3 hrs
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Total Time
15 hrs 30 mins
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Servings
5
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
American
Roasted Turkey
Description
The Roasted Turkey recipe begins with a flavorful brine made from vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, and warming spices such as allspice berries and candied ginger. After soaking in this mixture for twelve hours, the turkey is rinsed, dried, and coated with vegetable oil and black pepper. Roasting at 500 degrees ensures a browned, crispy skin while maintaining juicy meat inside. The inclusion of apple wedges, onion, a cinnamon stick, sage leaves, and rosemary sprig in the roasting pan imparts an aromatic complexity to the bird as it cooks.
The resulting turkey offers a balance of savory richness with subtle hints of sweetness and spice. The method produces a tender inside with a crisp outer crust, ideal for holiday meals or special dinners. It pairs well with traditional sides like stuffing, cranberry sauce, and roasted vegetables.
To ensure even brining, the turkey is placed breast-side down and submerged fully with weight if needed. Removing giblets and rinsing the bird before roasting aids in clean flavor. Letting the turkey dry well before oiling helps achieve that desirable crispy skin texture.
Ingredients
Brine:
- 1 cup kosher salt
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 gallon vegetable stock
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns
- 1 ½ tsp allspice berries
- 1 ½ tsp candied ginger chopped
- 1 gallon water ice-cold
Turkey:
- 13 lb turkey
- vegetable oil
- black pepper to taste, freshly cracked
- 1 cup of water
- 1 red apple sliced into wedges
- ½ onion sliced into wedges, sweet yellow
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 6 sage leaves
- 1 rosemary large sprig
Instructions
- Thaw the turkey completely in the refrigerator for a few days before roasting.
- Make the brine by combining the turkey stock, salt, brown sugar, black peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger together in a saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Bring to a boil. Stir well and set aside to cool completely.
- Refrigerate the brine until you need to use it.
- 12 hours prior to roasting, add 1 gallon of ice-cold water to the brine; stir to mix well.
- Remove the giblets from the turkey cavity and rinse it with cold water.
- Place the turkey, breast side down, in the brine. Use a plate to keep the turkey submerged if needed.
- Cover the brine container with a lid and refrigerate for 12 hours.
- Roast the turkey by preheating the oven to 500 degrees.
- Remove the turkey from the brine and rinse well, inside and out.
- Pat very dry with paper towels then place it on a roasting rack in a roasting pan.
- Slather vegetable oil all over the turkey then season with freshly cracked black pepper.
- Place the water, apple, onion, and cinnamon stick in a microwave-proof bowl and cook on high for five minutes.
- Add the steeped aromatics to the turkey cavity along with the sage leaves and the rosemary sprigs.
- Tie the legs together with twine.
- Place the turkey in the HOT oven for 30 minutes.
- REDUCE heat to 350 degrees and place a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the breast then set alarm for 161 degrees, and roast for about 2½-3 hours.
- Let the turkey rest for at least 15 minutes prior to carving. Enjoy!
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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