Roasted Brined Turkey (adapted from Better Homes and Gardens) 

printable recipe 

Makes 8 servings 

Prep: 45 min. / Roast: 2 3/4 Hours / Stand: 20 min. 

Marinate: 8 – 12 hours / Oven: 325 degrees 

Ingredients: 

• 8-12 lb. fresh or frozen turkey, thawed

Ingredients for Brine: 

• 10 quart pot
• 1 bunch fresh thyme
• 5 bay leaves
• 45 black peppercorns (about 1 tsp.)
• 1 1/2 cups kosher salt*
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 quarts hot water

*If you use table salt instead of kosher salt, reduce to 3/4 cup. 

Directions: 

1) Combine all ingredients in pot for brine until salt is dissolved. Then add 3 quarts ice water, let stand until brine has cooled to at least colder than lukewarm. 

2) Rinse turkey and pat dry; reserve neck and gizzards for Pan Gravy. Submerge turkey in cold brine. Press and weight down turkey with a clean plate or two. Refrigerate 8 to 12 hours. 

3) Heat oven to 325 degrees. Remove turkey from brine, discard brine and drain turkey well. Pat turkey dry with paper towels. 

4) Place turkey, bone side down, on rack in shallow roasting pan. Tuck drumsticks under band of skin across the tail, or tie drumsticks to tail. Twist wing tips under back. Push meat thermometer into center of inside thigh muscle. 

5) Roast turkey, uncovered, for 2 3/4 to 3 hours, or until meat thermometer registers 180 degrees, cutting the band of skin or string holding drumsticks and rotating pan halfway through roasting. If necessary, tent turkey breast with foil during last 30 minutes to prevent overbrowning (covering whole turkey will slow down cooking). 

6) Remove turkey from oven. Let stand, covered, for 20 minutes. Makes 8 servings + leftovers. 

Tips: Turkey is safe to eat when temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit, but most people prefer to let it heat until 180 degrees (overly cautious?) Also, use a pan with sides 2 inches or less for even cooking. The higher the sides of the pan, the more it keeps the heat away (and increases cooking time). 

__________________________________________________________________________ 

Directions with Photos: 

 

 

I actually counted out 45 peppercorns. 

 

And I actually counted out 5 whole bay leaves. 

 

This is what fresh thyme looks like. 

 

Salt…or is it sugar? 

 

Either way, use both. 

 

Combine all ingredients in pot for brine until salt is dissolved. Then add 3 quarts ice water, let stand until brine has cooled to at least colder than lukewarm. 

 

Once everything is combined, you can keep the brine in the fridge until you are ready to add the whole turkey in. 

I guess I forgot to take a few pictures in between….but pretend I’m rinsing the  turkey and patting it dry; reserve neck and gizzards for Pan Gravy. Submerge turkey in cold brine. Press and weight down turkey with a clean plate or two. Refrigerate 8 to 12 hours. 

Halfway through the brining process, I flipped my turkey over so the other side could be submerged in brine. If your bowl of brine is overflowing, just pour out some brine. 

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Remove turkey from brine, discard brine and drain turkey well. Pat turkey dry with paper towels.* 

*The turkey skin will brown properly only if it is dry before you put it into the oven. 

 

After the skin is patted dry, you can rub butter over it to help in the browning process. This is totally up to you. I did it because if there’s any way to incorporate more butter into a recipe….well, you know, because butter is good. And I stuffed the extra thyme into the cavity. 

Place turkey, bone side down, on rack in shallow roasting pan. Tuck drumsticks under band of skin across the tail, or tie drumsticks to tail. Twist wing tips under back. Push meat thermometer into center of inside thigh muscle.* 

*I didn’t do any of this tucking or twisting or thermometering. But it still came out fantastic. On top of that, you know your oven, you know your roasting pan, and you know how well your turkey will brown or not brown depending on different methods. You don’t? Well….I don’t either. This was the first time I roasted something in this new apartment. It’s also a new roasting pan I used. 

So I’ll shut up about that. 

  

 

Roast turkey, uncovered, for 2 3/4 to 3 hours, or until meat thermometer registers 180 degrees, cutting the band of skin or string holding drumsticks and rotating pan halfway through roasting. If necessary, tent turkey breast with foil during last 30 minutes to prevent overbrowning (covering whole turkey will slow down cooking). 

*Don’t open the oven door repeatedly to check on its progress! I know it’s tempting, but you will let the heat escape from the oven causing a longer roasting time. If you are still inclined to do so, check on it after 2 1/2 hours to see if it’s done by that time.  

But not any earlier than that… 

Remove turkey from oven. Let stand, covered, for 20 minutes.* Makes 8 servings + leftovers. 

*Please let it stand for 20 minutes before carving! It helps redistribute the juices so they don’t all flow out and your turkey won’t be dry when you serve it. And remember, the turkey is still cooking AFTER it is out of the oven. The bones are way hotter than the meat, and actually continues to cook the meat. So if it is not up to the preferred temperature when you take it out of the oven, it will still rise a few degrees. 

  

Enjoy! :)