Novel Bakery

Anytime someone claims they hate turkey, I can’t help but think…you haven’t had the right turkey. I will admit that turkey takes a lot of work to make it good! But, my gosh, all that effort can really pay off for a delicious holiday turkey. I’ve been making this turkey every Thanksgiving for several years and it is a crowd pleaser! It’s flavorful, moist, and just delicious.

It gets brined and a butter-herb rub. It takes a few days to prepare. But that’s why we only do it once a year!

This recipe is a combination of Alton Brown’s Good Eats Roast Turkey and Anne Burrell’s Brined Herb-Crusted Turkey with Apple Cider Gravy.

Brined and Herb Butter Thanksgiving Turkey

Directions:

1. 2 to 3 days before roasting:
2. Begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F.
3. [MONDAY NIGHT] Combine the vegetable broth, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied 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.
4. Early on the day or the night before you’d like to eat:
5. [TUESDAY MORNING] Combine the brine, water and ice in the 5-gallon bucket. 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, and refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining.
6. [WEDNESDAY NIGHT] Remove the bird from the brine and pat dry with paper towels. Discard the brine.
7. To prepare the turkey for cooking: Remove the turkey from the brine the night before roasting and pat it thoroughly dry with paper towels.
8. Combine the rosemary, sage, and butter for the herb crust in a small bowl. Season to taste, with kosher salt. Work the butter under the skin of the turkey and massage it into the breasts and the legs. Massage the butter on the outside of the skin as well. Tie the legs together over the breast so they will protect it during cooking and help keep it moist and juicy.
9. Gravy prep: Put the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaves, and thyme in a roasting pan and season with salt. Arrange the turkey on top of the veggies and refrigerate overnight UNCOVERED! Yes, that’s right, uncovered. This will help the skin dry out and become really brown and crispy. Make sure there is no raw food near the turkey in the refrigerator. After refrigerating overnight, the turkey is ready to go in the oven.
10. [THURSDAY–THE DAY!] Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.
11. Put 2 cups chicken stock in the bottom of the roasting pan. Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 475 degrees F for 35 minutes. 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 161 degrees F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let the turkey rest. loosely covered with foil or a large mixing for 30 minutes before carving. Follow the temperature, though, and not the time! You don’t want to end up with an undercooked turkey after all this effort.
12. Gravy: (Here are Anne’s instructions, but I usually just follow this recipe from Alton) Strain all the veggies over a bowl to separate them from the stock/mixture. Discard the veggies. Skim off the fat and add it to the roast pan. This is the fat for the roux. Put the roasting pan over 2 burners and over a low heat and whisk in the flour. Cook until the mixture looks like wet sand, about 4 to 5 minutes. Slowly whisk in the remaining chicken stock plus an additional 1 cup of chicken broth. Cook until the mixture has thickened and reached a gravy consistency.