Best turkey recipe ever
Hubby has made many a delicious bird using this recipe from Cooks Illustrated. I made many other recipes from Cooks Illustrated with success, so in general I consider them trustworthy.
Roasted Brined Turkey
- serves 10 to 12 -
Ingredients
Table salt
1 turkey (12-14 pounds gross weight), rinsed thoroughly, giblets and neck reserved for gravy, if making
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Procedure
1. Dissolve 1 cup salt per gallon cold water for -4 to 6-hour brine or 1/2 cup salt per gallon cold water for 12- to 14-hour brine in large stockpot or clean bucket. Submerge turkey completely and refrigerate for predetermined amount of time.
2. Before removing turkey from brine...
...adjust oven rack to lowest position; heat oven to 400°F. Line large V-rack with heavy-duty foil and use paring knife or skewer to poke 20 to 30 holes in foil; set V-rack in large roasting pan.
3. Remove turkey from brine and rinse well under cool running water. Pat dry inside and out with paper towels. Tuck tips of drumsticks into skin at tail to secure; tuck wing tips behind back. Brush turkey breast with 2 tablespoons butter. Set turkey breast-side down on prepared V-rack; brush back with remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Roast 45 minutes.
4. Remove roasting pan with turkey from oven (close oven door to retain oven heat). Using clean potholders or kitchen towels, rotate turkey breast-side up; continue to roast until thickest part of breast registers 165 degrees and thickest part of thigh registers 170 to 175 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 50 to 60 minutes longer. Transfer turkey to carving board: let rest 30 minutes. Carve and serve.
Cooks Illustrated has a whole "Thanksgiving survival" kit online, but it requires a paid membership. You can, however, get a free trial for 14 days. Just remember to cancel!
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A few tips:
1) Brine in a cooler, so the bird stays cold overnight. Then you can clean and disenfect the cooler.
2) If you don't want to brine, get a ButterBall style turkey, as they are already injected with a sodium solution. Don't try brining a ButterBall style turkey!
3) If you're planning on doing a huge bird (~24 lbs or bigger), Cooks Illustrated has another recipe for big bird, which turns out quite well.
--Hubby.
I don't understand how a 12-14 lb turkey can cook in under 2 hours??
Cook's is indeed a reliable source for recipes, but many of them are high in sodium, like the brined turkey.
Another way to prepare roast turkey without all the salt is to stuff the cavity with cut-up citrus fruit (lemons, limes, oranges, tangerines... your choice of combo) and fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, parsley, sage, etc.). Pack all ingredients into the cavity, and discard after turkey is done. Spray bird with butter-flavored Pam (or other similar spray). Roast turkey breast side down for first half of cooking time, then turn to breast side up to finish roasting. Tent loosely with foil if skin gets too dark. I also like to sprinkle paprika over bird to enhance the browning color. Yummmmmmm! Juicy and tender.
As for cooking time... Notice that "Hubby" sets the oven temp higher than usual (400 degrees). Most recipes recommend temps of 325-350 degrees. Use your own guides.
I think you mis-read the post. Direction No. 4 says to continue roasting the bird until your thermometer reads specific temperatures. So the cooking time is variable. Hope that helps. ~Julia
A little perplexed. 12-pound bird in under two hours (45 minutes plus 50-60 more)? I get that there will be some variation in cooking times to get to the desired internal bird temp, but what are we talking about? 3 hours...3.5 hours? You've obviously made this recipe successfully, so I'm hoping you can help me nail down the timing a bit more precisely.
Thanks for the recipe!!!
Telly