Description
This Juicy Roast Turkey recipe guides you through brining and roasting a flavorful, tender turkey with aromatic herbs and a rich homemade gravy. Perfect for holiday feasts or special occasions, the turkey is carefully prepared with a savory flavored butter and slow-roasted for moist results and crisp skin.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Brine
- 1 cup salt
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 oranges, quartered
- 2 lemons, quartered
- 1 apple, quartered
- 5 thyme sprigs
- 3 rosemary sprigs
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 gallons of water
For the Turkey
- 1 (10-12 pounds) turkey, fresh or completely thawed out
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 lemon, quartered
- 1 large onion, quartered
- 2 carrots, cut into 1 inch chunks (peeled or unpeeled)
- 2 celery ribs, cut into 1 inch chunks
- 4 sprigs of thyme
- 4 sprigs of rosemary
- a few sage leaves (optional)
- 1 to 1 ½ cup turkey or chicken stock
For the Turkey Broth (optional)
- Reserved turkey neck and giblets
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 large carrot, chopped
- 1 celery stalk, chopped
- 1 small bay leaf
- 3 cups water
- 3 cups low salt chicken stock or broth (canned or homemade)
For the Gravy
- ½ cup white wine
- 3 cups turkey broth or chicken broth, plus more if needed
- ¼ cup flour
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Reserved cooked turkey neck meat and giblets if desired
Instructions
- Preparing the Brine: In a large non-reactive container, dissolve 1 cup salt and 1 cup brown sugar in 2 gallons of water. Add quartered oranges, lemons, one apple, thyme, rosemary, black peppercorns, and bay leaves, mixing until sugar is dissolved. Remove neck and giblets from turkey cavity; reserve or discard. Rinse turkey if desired, then submerge turkey completely in brine, cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Removing Turkey from Brine: Take turkey out of brine and rinse under cold running water thoroughly to remove excess salt. Pat turkey dry with paper towels, especially the skin. Optionally, air dry for 30 minutes for crispier skin.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Flavored Butter: Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C). Melt 6 tablespoons unsalted butter over low heat, add 4 whole garlic cloves and 2 teaspoons soy sauce, mix well and remove from heat.
- Season and Prepare Turkey for Roasting: Place turkey breast side up in a large roasting pan without a rack. Season cavity with salt and pepper. Stuff cavity with quartered lemon, onion, carrots, celery, thyme, rosemary, and sage leaves if using. Arrange remaining aromatics and vegetables under and around the turkey. Gently loosen the skin from the breast meat and spoon some flavored butter under the skin, focusing on breast and thigh areas. Brush remaining butter over the turkey surface. Season skin with salt and pepper. Tie drumsticks with kitchen string and fold wings under the bird.
- Roasting: First Hour Breast Side Down: Carefully flip turkey breast side down and roast uncovered for 1 hour. Meanwhile, prepare the turkey broth in a saucepan by simmering neck and giblets with chopped onion, carrot, celery, bay leaf, water, and broth for 45-60 minutes, adding liver only at last 15 minutes. Strain and reserve broth and finely chop neck meat and giblets if desired for gravy.
- Roasting: Remaining Time Breast Side Up & Basting: Remove turkey and flip breast side up. Baste with ¼ to ½ cup turkey or chicken stock. Roast uncovered for an additional 2 to 3 hours or until an instant-read thermometer registers 160°F in the thickest part of the thigh. Baste every hour with broth. Optionally, use melted butter for basting the last hour to achieve golden skin. Tent with foil if breast skin browns too quickly.
- Resting Turkey: Remove turkey from oven and transfer to a platter or cutting board. Tent loosely with aluminum foil and let rest for 15 to 30 minutes before carving to allow juices to redistribute and final internal temperature to reach 165°F.
- Making the Gravy: Discard vegetables and herbs from roasting pan. Pour pan juices into a measuring cup and skim off fat. Place roasting pan over two stovetop burners at medium heat or use a saucepan. Add ½ cup white wine and deglaze the pan by scraping brown bits with a wooden spoon. Add 3 cups reserved turkey broth and bring to boil, then reduce heat to simmer. In a separate pan, melt 4 tbsp butter over medium-high heat and whisk in ¼ cup flour to make a roux. Cook roux 2-3 minutes stirring constantly. Slowly whisk hot stock mixture into roux, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until thickened. Add chopped reserved neck meat and giblets if desired. Season with salt and pepper, then transfer to a gravy boat for serving.
- Serving: Serve the whole roasted turkey garnished with fresh herbs and citrus or carve the turkey into portions and arrange on a platter. Serve alongside the rich homemade gravy.
Notes
- If using a very large turkey requiring more brining solution, use ½ cup salt and ½ cup brown sugar per gallon of water.
- Always rinse the turkey well after brining to prevent overly salty meat.
- Pat turkey dry thoroughly and optionally air dry for 30 minutes at room temperature or longer in the fridge for crispier skin.
- If flipping the turkey after the first hour is too difficult, roast breast side up for the entire cooking time.
- Tent aluminum foil over the breast if skin darkens too quickly during roasting.
- Basting with broth is important; butter can be used for basting in the last hour to achieve golden skin.
- Remove turkey from oven at 160°F; resting will raise meat to a safe 165°F internal temperature.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (approx. 1/6 of turkey with gravy)
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 700 mg
- Fat: 28 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 17 g
- Trans Fat: 0.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 5 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 45 g
- Cholesterol: 140 mg
