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The secret to the most Juicy Roast Turkey is to brine it for at least 24 hours before roasting it. It really is a fool proof way of getting a beautifully moist turkey with a crispy golden skin!
With the holidays around the corner, it’s time to talk about turkey. And not just any turkey, but juicy roasted turkey, the type that will be the center piece on your table. I like to keep things easy for you guys while still achieving huge flavor, so let’s get into it!
So have you roasted a turkey before? Don’t be scared, it’s just a big bird – that’s it. It’s important to brine your bird ideally a night before you want to throw it in the oven. This will ensure our turkey gets tons of moisture and flavor.
Never Brined Before?
A brine is a solution usually made with salt and water that is used to pickle or preserve foods. We’re going to infuse tons of flavor into our solution so that it all soaks into every cell of our bird. Brining meats usually can help to increase the amount of liquid inside the meat cells, thus giving us juicier turkeys.
Ingredients
Brine
- Liquids – Water and apple cider.
- Citrus – Lemons and oranges sliced up.
- Sugar – Brown sugar to add some sweetness and dimension to our brine solution – it’s important to include sugar in our brine solution!
- Salt – We’re using quite a bit of salt today, the key to our brine! We just want plain old white table salt or kosher salt.
- Garlic – Whole cloves of garlic, just be sure to peel them first.
- Spices and herbs – Cinnamon sticks, sage, rosemary, and peppercorns.
Roast turkey
- Turkey – We want a 12 – 20 pound turkey today, any bigger or smaller and the amounts will need to be adjusted accordingly.
- Seasoning – Salt and pepper, even though our brine had a lot of salt we still need to ensure our bird is properly seasoned.
- Aromatics – Onion and garlic, no need to chop these up finely.
- Herbs – Sage and rosemary.
- Butter – Unsalted so as to control the sodium content of our bird, melt the butter down.
- Broth – Chicken broth, low sodium.
Using Frozen Turkey?
You’re going to need to ensure that your turkey is completely thawed before popping it in the oven and the best place to let your turkey thaw is in the fridge. All you have to do is put the turkey in a pan to catch any drips and leave it in the fridge for a few days. Allow 24 hours for every 5 lbs of turkey.
The best part of brining is that you can pop a still partially frozen turkey in your brine before leaving it over night in the fridge – even more reason to brine!
How To Roast A Turkey
Brine
- Assemble the brine: Add the water and apple cider to a large pot (large enough to fit your turkey) and bring it to a boil. Peel the oranges using a potato peeler or a knife, then cut it in half. Cut the lemons in half and juice it. Add the remaining brine ingredients together and bring to a boil to dissolve all the salt and sugar. Add the lemon halves and orange halves after they’ve been juiced to the brine as well, they will provide more flavor. Remove from heat and cool completely. To speed this up add about 4 cups of ice to the brine.
- Combine the brine and turkey: Once the brine is cooled, place the turkey in the brine making sure it’s fully submerged in it. You may have to weigh it down with another pot of water. What I did placed a big tray over the bin, and then a cast iron skillet over the plate. This worked for me because the brine and turkey came up to the top of the bin. Another option is to use a brick or rock wrapped in plastic wrap.
- Store: Store it in the fridge overnight or at least for 12 hours up to 2 days, so make sure you have enough room in your fridge.
Roast turkey
- Assemble the turkey: Position rack to the lower third of your oven and preheat oven to 450°. Pat turkey dry with paper towels and season the cavity generously with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity with onion, rosemary, sage and garlic. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine and tuck the wing tips under the body.
- Roast the turkey: Brush butter all over turkey then season generously with salt and pepper. Place turkey breast side up on a roasting rack inside of a large pan. Pour chicken broth into the pan. Transfer to oven and immediately reduce oven heat to 350°.
- Baste every 30 to 45 minutes with the juices on the bottom of the pan, and roast for 3 to 4 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and thigh. (The meat temperature should be 165°).
- Rest the turkey: Cover cooked turkey with aluminum foil and let rest for 20 minutes before carving.
How To Make Your Own Turkey Gravy
We can’t let all those flavorful drippings go to waste, can we? This is a super easy way to make a gravy so delicious you’ll want to smother your turkey and all your sides with it.
- While your turkey is resting, pour the drippings into a measuring cup and skim the fat off the top using a spoon. Add the drippings to a saucepan and simmer over medium high heat. You can add some herbs or garlic at this point if you’d like.
- Make a cornstarch slurry (1 tbsp cornstarch and 1 tbsp water) to the pan and whisk until everything thickens. You can add more or less of the slurry depending on how thick you’d like the gravy.
- Remove the herbs (if you added them), season with salt & pepper to taste, pour into a gravy boat, and serve.
How To Tell When Your Turkey Is Done
To truly test doneness of the meat, use an instant meat thermometer. Do not go by the color of the skin. The turkey is done when the thigh meat reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Make sure the thermometer is not touching the bone.
Cooking Times for Different Turkey Sizes
| Weight | Serves | Time |
| 10-18 lbs | Less than 10 people | 3 to 3 1/2 hours |
| 18-22 lbs | 10-15 people | 3 1/2 to 4 hours |
| 22-24 lbs | 16-20 people | 4 to 4 1/2 hours |
| 24-29 lbs | more than 20 people | 4 1/2 to 5 hours |
Tips
- Baste your turkey every half hour or so. Keep in mind that basting will not make your turkey moister, but it promotes even browning of the skin.
- If you’re stuffing your turkey, check the temperature of the dressing as well. It should be 165 degrees F (75 degrees C).
- Always cook your turkey until the skin is a light golden color. Cover your roasting pan with a lid or foil and cook covered for 2 hours (depending on size of your bird) and uncovered for the remaining time.
How To Serve
No holiday table is complete with only a turkey, we need other protein, starches, and delicious veggie sides to bulk out our festive meals!
- Crockpot Brown Sugar Cola Glazed Ham
- Green Bean Casserole From Scratch
- Mashed Potatoes
- Italian Parmesan Roasted Potatoes
- Sweet Potato Casserole
- Sage Sausage Stuffing
- Sugared Cranberries
- Italian Roasted Mushrooms and Veggies
How To Store Leftovers
Transfer the leftovers to an airtight container in the fridge and store up to 4 days. The gravy will last in the fridge, covered, for 2 days, or 1 week if you bring it to a full boil before serving.
To freeze your leftovers, I would shred the remaining turkey and store in an airtight container. You can also store the turkey in individual sized containers for easier thawing. It will last up to 4 months. Thaw either in the microwave or in a skillet over medium heat with a splash of chicken broth.
Save the bones! These will make the most delicious stock that you can add as the base to many a soup!
What Can I Do With My Leftover Turkey?
- One Pot Turkey Wild Rice Soup
- Leftover Turkey Noodle Soup
- Sweet Potato Turkey Meatballs
- Hawaiian Cola Turkey Sandwiches
- Leftover Turkey With Pistachio Pesto And Arugula Sandwich
- Turkey, Hummus, And Veggie Wraps
Roast Turkey
Ingredients
Brine
- 4 cups water
- 4 cups apple cider
- 2 oranges
- 3 lemons
- 1/2 cup salt
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1/4 cup sage fresh
- 4 sprigs rosemary
- 1 tablespoon whole peppercorns
- 6 cloves garlic
Roast Turkey
- 12 pound turkey up to 20 lbs
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon pepper
- 1 large onion cut into wedges
- 3 sprigs rosemary
- 6 leaves sage
- 8 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup butter melted
- 2 cups chicken broth
Instructions
Brine
- Assemble the brine: Add the water and apple cider to a large pot (large enough to fit your turkey) and bring it to a boil. Peel the oranges using a potato peeler or a knife, then cut it in half. Cut the lemons in half and juice it. Add the remaining brine ingredients together and bring to a boil to dissolve all the salt and sugar. Add the lemon halves and orange halves after they've been juiced to the brine as well, they will provide more flavor. Remove from heat and cool completely. To speed this up add about 4 cups of ice to the brine.
- Combine the brine and turkey: Once the brine is cooled, place the turkey in the brine making sure it's fully submerged in it. You may have to weigh it down with another pot of water. What I did placed a big tray over the bin, and then a cast iron skillet over the plate. This worked for me because the brine and turkey came up to the top of the bin. Another option is to use a brick or rock wrapped in plastic wrap.
- Store: Store it in the fridge overnight or at least for 12 hours up to 2 days, so make sure you have enough room in your fridge.
Turkey
- Assemble the turkey: Position rack to the lower third of your oven and preheat oven to 450°. Pat turkey dry with paper towels and season the cavity generously with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity with onion, rosemary, sage and garlic. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine and tuck the wing tips under the body.
- Roast the turkey: Brush butter all over turkey then season generously with salt and pepper. Place turkey breast side up on a roasting rack inside of a large pan. Pour chicken broth into the pan. Transfer to oven and immediately reduce oven heat to 350°.
- Baste every 30 to 45 minutes with the juices on the bottom of the pan, and roast for 3 to 4 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and thigh. (The meat temperature should be 165°).
- Rest the turkey: Cover cooked turkey with aluminum foil and let rest for 20 minutes before carving.
Tips & Notes:
- Transfer the leftovers to an airtight container in the fridge and store up to 4 days. The gravy will last in the fridge, covered, for 2 days, or 1 week if you bring it to a full boil before serving.
- To freeze your leftovers, I would shred the remaining turkey and store in an airtight container. You can also store the turkey in individual sized containers for easier thawing. It will last up to 4 months. Thaw either in the microwave or in a skillet over medium heat with a splash of chicken broth.
- Save the bones! These will make the most delicious stock that you can add as the base to many a soup!
