Roasted Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe
OK, guys, I’m about to get serious about an issue I’ve been avoiding for too long. I’ve done lots of Thanksgiving recipes here before, but they’ve all been side dishes: potatoes, stuffing, cranberries, veggies, pies. All of which is great stuff, but it’s sort of ignoring the elephant in the room – or to be more accurate, the turkey in the room.
Because, unless you’re planning a vegetarian Thanksgiving, the centerpiece of your meal is almost certainly going to be a roast turkey. And cooking a big bird like that is, let’s face it, an intimidating task. There are so many questions: how long do you cook it? How do you keep it from drying out? How do you get all the parts of it to be done at the same time, without any part being overdone? Should it be brined? Buttered? Herbed? Covered in foil? What works, for crying out loud?
Well, have no fear. I’m about to answer all these questions and more. With this recipe, you’ll know exactly how to cook the perfect Thanksgiving turkey: moist and juicy throughout, with beautiful, crisp, golden-brown skin. It’s a bird that you can be proud to put on your table – and a fitting companion for all those yummy sides.
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Recipe Tips
How big of a turkey do I need?
A good rule of thumb is one pound (before cooking) for each person at the table. You can go up to a pound and a half if you want to make sure you have loads of leftovers.
If I get a frozen turkey, how long does it need to thaw before I start preparing it?
Plan on 24 hours for every 5 pounds. So that’s two full days for a bird up to 10 pounds, three days for up to 15, and so on. And that’s in addition to the brining time. You can thaw your turkey either in the fridge or in a jumbo-sized insulated cooler.
Why should I brine my turkey?
Soaking the turkey in salt water overnight does two things. First, the meat absorbs some of the water from the brining liquid. And second, the salt breaks down some of the proteins in the muscles, so it doesn’t contract as much as it bakes. Both these things help keep it moist and flavorful.
What about the herb butter on the breast meat? What does that do?
It keeps the breast moist, so it doesn’t dry out before the rest of the bird is fully cooked. And the herbs make it extra yummy.
OK, how do I do a foil tent? And why?
It protects the bird from over-browning. However, you have to make sure there’s room under the foil tent for air to circulate, or the turkey will steam instead of roasting. Aim for an inch of clearance between the top of the turkey and the foil. You can find instructions on the Reynolds Wrap site.
What can I do with the inside bits (giblets) of the turkey besides throw them out?
The bits tucked inside the bird are the neck, heart, liver, and gizzard. There might also be a sauce packet, which you really should throw out, because you don’t need it. If you like to make stock from the carcass of your Thanksgiving turkey, you can toss the neck, heart, and gizzard into the pot along with the bones. And, if you happen to like liver, you can use the turkey liver in any recipe that normally calls for chicken livers.
Roasted Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe
How to Brine the Turkey
- In large pot add all ingredients and bring to a boil and simmer for about 15 minutes, remove from heat and cool.
- Before brining, remove insides of turkey and discard.
Submerge turkey, or add to brining bag with turkey and brine for 12-18 hours.
How to Roast the Turkey
Directions:
- Remove your turkey from brine and rinse and let sit at room temp for an hour before roasting.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- When ready to roast in bowl mix together your butter, garlic, sage, rosemary, thyme, tarragon, salt and pepper, set aside.
Stuff your turkey with aromatics. NOTE: We used 1 orange, sliced, 1 lemon quartered, 1 onion quartered, 4 garlic cloves, peeled, rosemary and thyme sprigs (use as much as will fit in turkey). - Loosen the skin over the breast and spread about 1/4 cup of your herb butter under skin. Rub the turkey with the remaining butter until fully covered.
- Place in roasting pan and cook in oven for about 15-16 minutes per pound or until the internal temperature of 165 °F as measured with a food thermometer. Check the internal temperature in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast.(Our 15 lb bird took a 4 hours).
- IMPORTANT NOTE: If after an hour, your turkey is golden, it is suggest to tent your turkey with foil.
When there is an hour remaining, start basting your turkey with turkey juices. Remove from oven and carve.
TOOLS USED TO MAKE THIS ROASTED THANKSGIVING TURKEY RECIPE
Brine Pot: The big ole’ pot is perfect for this recipe.
Carving Set:Effortlessly cut meats: cutting a turkey, ham or roast beef can be a big undertaking with a basic carving knife. The oscillating, double blade and power of the electric knife simplifies this task, letting you make precise cuts with little work.
Digital Thermometer: This thermometer measures temp range of -58°F ~ 572°F (-50°C ~ 300°C), accurate to ±0.9°F; Perfect for indoor outdoor cooking, grilling, BBQ and so on.
Measuring Cups and Spoons: Each cup’s “ml” and cup sizes have passed clearly engraved marking, and you can quickly identify the cup scale according to the color of the handle.
Roasting Pan: This easy clean up roasting pan is perfect for your holiday roast.
Turkey Baster: The secret to beautiful roasted poultry, served moist and golden brown, is constant basting. But basting isn’t just for turkeys! Master this technique for better scallops, pork chops, chicken, a pot roast or fish!
Roasted Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe
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Ingredients
Brine:
- 1 gallon water or vegetable broth
- 1 cup kosher salt
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 tbs peppercorns
- 1/2 tbs whole cloves
- 2 tsp dried rosemary
- 2 1/2 tsp dried thyme
Roasted Thanksgiving Turkey
- 1 15 lb turkey we used 15ish lb
- 1 1/2 cup butter softened
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tbs fresh sage chopped
- 1 Tbs fresh rosemary chopped
- 1 Tbs fresh thyme chopped
- 1/2 Tbs tarragon chopped
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Aromatics:
- 1 orange sliced
- 1 lemon quartered quartered
- 4 garlic cloves peeled
- rosemary and thyme sprigs (use as much as will fit in turkey).
Instructions
How to Brine the Turkey
- In large pot add all ingredients and bring to a boil and simmer for about 15 minutes, remove from heat and cool.Before brining, remove insides of turkey and discard.
- Submerge turkey, or add to brining bag with turkey and brine for 12-18 hours.
How to Roast the Turkey
- Remove your turkey from brine and rinse and let sit at room temp for an hour before roasting.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- When ready to roast in bowl mix together your butter, garlic, sage, rosemary, thyme, tarragon, salt and pepper, set aside.
Stuff your turkey with aromatics. NOTE: We used 1 orange, sliced, 1 lemon quartered, 1 onion quartered, 4 garlic cloves, peeled, rosemary and thyme sprigs (use as much as will fit in turkey).Loosen the skin over the breast and spread about 1/4 cup of your herb butter under skin. Rub the turkey with the remaining butter until fully covered.Place in roasting pan and cook in oven for about 15-16 minutes per pound or until the internal temperature of 165 °F as measured with a food thermometer. Check the internal temperature in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast.(Our 15 lb bird took a 4 hours). - IMPORTANT NOTE: If after an hour, your turkey is golden, it is suggest to tent your turkey with foil.
When there is an hour remaining, start basting your turkey with turkey juices. Remove from oven and carve.
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer: Family Fresh Meals is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
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From BRINE to putting the turkey in the oven is not clear and do you wait when the brine is cool and how long do you brine, overnight???? or what??? Being I know cooking I will decide about the brining if I do this recipe, not happy, I don’t find fault in recipes but this ——–
Hi Marie,
The steps for brining are in the first section, times for brining are in step 2. As I directed in the post, 12-18 hours.
Best roast turkey I’ve made in 20 years! Found this in your recipes last year and everyone went crazy over it. I read the whole article and then the recipe card and you’ve made it so easy! I have everything ready to make the magic happen again in the next couple of days;) Both last year and this year I have a 20+ lb. turkey. I bought a 5 gallon Lowes Bucket and used that for my 18 hour brine. It takes up a lot of space in the fridge but I am fortunate to have an extra fridge. Thank you so much for this recipe and all the other recipes of yours I’ve used over the years. Happy Thanksgiving!!!
You are so welcome Stephanie! Thank you for all the kind words. We love this recipe so much too! I am happy to hear that your family does too! Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family as well 🙂