One year, early in my Thanksgiving hosting role, I served up a very dry tasteless turkey. No amount of gravy could save it. It’s the last thing you want on your holiday table! You spend days planning the meal, all the shopping, the hours spent prepping and cooking everything. It’s so disappointing when the turkey isn’t perfect. Thank goodness I also served up ham that year or it would have been a complete disaster.
I know many swear by deep frying a turkey for the juiciest turkey, but I also know me. I would be the one on the evening news; the one that got burned by hot oil while trying to deep fry the turkey. I would rather spend the day enjoying a fantastic meal with my family than making a trip to the emergency room. Plus a deep fryer is expensive, you only use it once or twice a year and then there’s the issue of what to do with all the oil. Having to find a spot to store the fryer all year is just one more thing to have to worry about. I guess I’ll have to wait for a friend to invite me for Thanksgiving dinner to sample a deep fried turkey.
So how do you get a juicy, moist, and flavorful turkey roasted in the oven? There is a great alternative to deep frying; brining the turkey is the secret. If you have never tried it, you are in for a nice surprise. It is not difficult to do and it will ensure you have a moist flavorful turkey to serve for the holidays!
Here is how to do it.
Get your largest pot out and fill it with a gallon of water. Get the water boiling and then add the Kosher salt. Stir until the salt has completely dissolved.
Be sure to use Kosher salt, not regular salt. Regular table salt will make the brine too salty.
Remove from heat and add the remaining ingredients; minced garlic, pepper, Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar.
Stir to combine all the ingredients, cover and allow the mixture to come to room temperature. I typically get the brine cooked early in the morning, cover the pot and let it hang out on the back of the stove until I am ready to use it.
TIP: For best results be sure your turkey is completely thawed before brining it.
The day before you will be serving the turkey, get the turkey out of the fridge and wash it off with cold water, remove the neck and giblets from the turkey cavity.
Add another gallon of water to the brine and stir to combine all the ingredients.
Add the turkey to the brine and cover with a lid. Place in the fridge and let the turkey marinate overnight.
TIP: Be sure the turkey is completely submerged in the brine.
Don’t have a pot large enough to hold the turkey and all the brine? No room in your fridge? You can use an ice chest. Place the turkey in a large plastic bag, add the brine, place it in a large ice chest and pack ice around it.
The next morning remove the turkey from the brine. Pat dry with paper towels.
Using your hands, rub the turkey with olive oil. Season liberally with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
Stuff the cavity with a quartered onion, quartered lemons, and several sprigs of Rosemary.
Cut a stick of butter in half and place each piece in the crook of the turkey legs. This is not necessary but the butter melts quickly in the oven and can be used to baste the bird before the turkey releases enough juices in the roasting pan for basting.
Roast prepared turkey in a 350 degree oven until the temperature reaches 160 degrees.
Baste occasionally to ensure a nice crisp skin.
TIP: Place a piece of foil over the breast portion of the turkey if it is getting too dark.
Remove turkey from the oven, cover loosely with foil and allow the bird to rest for 30-45 minutes before carving. The bird will continue to cook and reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees as it sits.
Dig in to the juiciest most flavorful turkey you have ever eaten. Sit back and enjoy the compliments that come flooding in from your guests ☺️. I prepare turkey this way every year for the holidays and I always get a moist, flavorful turkey. No more breast meat that’s as dry and tasteless as sawdust! Guaranteed!!!
BEST EVER HOLIDAY TURKEY BRINE
Ingredients
Make the brine:
- 2 gallons water
- 1½ cups kosher salt
- 1 head garlic
- 1 tbsp black pepper
- ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
For the turkey:
- 1 onion, quartered
- 2 lemons, quartered
- 2-3 fresh rosemary sprigs
- olive oil
- garlic powder
- salt & pepper
- 1 stick butter
Instructions
Make the brine:
- Bring 1 gallon of water to a boil.
- Add salt, stirring to dissolve.
- Remove from heat and add the remaining ingredients.
- Cool to room temperature.
- Add remaining water.
- Soak turkey for 24 hours.
For the turkey:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Remove turkey from brine, pat dry with paper towels.
- Rub turkey with olive oil. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
- Stuff cavity with onion, lemon and rosemary.
- Place ½ a cube of butter in the crook of each leg.
- Roast turkey to an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Baste turkey every 45-60 minutes for a crisp skin.
- Remove turkey from the oven and tent with foil.
- Allow turkey to rest for 20-30 minutes before carving.
These times are based on cooking an unstuffed turkey in a 350 degree oven. Weight of Bird and Roasting Times 10 to 18 pounds 3 to 3-1/2 hours 18 to 22 pounds 3-1/2 to 4 hours 22 to 24 pounds 4 to 4-1/2 hours 24 to 29 pounds 4-1/2 to 5 hours The turkey is done when the meat reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
This post was originally published December, 2019 and was republished November, 2022 with new content.
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