Brined and Roasted Turkey With Rye Bread Stuffing Logs

Name: Brined and Roasted Turkey With Rye Bread Stuffing Logs
Prep time: 24 h
Cook time: 4 h
Total time: 28 h
Yield: 8-10 serving(s)
Ingredients: 1 turkey, 12-20 lbs, brined for a minimum of 12 hours; 1 lb light rye bread, day old, cubed; 1 lb dark rye bread, day old, cubed; 1/2 cup butter; 1 1/2 cups diced onions; 2 large cooking apples, peeled and chopped; 1 cup celery, chopped; 3 garlic cloves; 3/4 cup salted mixed nuts; 2 tablespoons dried parsley; 1 tablespoon dried thyme; 2 teaspoons salt; 1 teaspoon rubbed sage; 1 teaspoon dried rosemary; 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper; 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg; 2 cups chicken broth; 2 tablespoons oil, divided; 1 lb thick cut bacon; 1 (12 ounce) bottle beer or 1 (12 ounce) bottle ale; 1 (16 ounce) bottle syrup or 1 (16 ounce) bottle honey

Submitted by Irishgal523

"A little trial and error resulted in this lovely recipe that is fairly easy to prepare and was a huge hit this year at my holiday party. Brining makes the turkey taste lightly salty and very tender and is relatively easy to do with the right tools. I used the following guide: http://whatscookingamerica.net/Poultry/BriningPoultry.html and added in 4 oranges, salt, and an entire box of brown sugar. The rest of the recipe is as follows:"

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Ready In:: 28hrs
Ingredients:: 21
Serves:: 8-10

ingredients

1 turkey, 12-20 lbs, brined for a minimum of 12 hours
1 lb light rye bread, day old, cubed
1 lb dark rye bread, day old, cubed
¹⁄₂ cup butter
1 ¹⁄₂ cups diced onions
2 large cooking apples, peeled and chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
3 garlic cloves
³⁄₄ cup salted mixed nuts
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1 tablespoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon rubbed sage
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
¹⁄₂ teaspoon ground pepper
¹⁄₄ teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons oil, divided
1 lb thick cut bacon
1 (12 ounce) bottle beer or (12 ounce) bottle ale
1 (16 ounce) bottle syrup or (16 ounce) bottle honey

directions

Remove turkey from brine. Rinse, and set aside in roasting pan. Preheat oven to 400. Place bread cubes in large bowl and set aside.
Heat butter in skillet and saute onion, apples, celery, and garlic until tender. Transfer to bowl with bread cubes. Add nuts, all seasonings, and enough broth to moisten. Mix well.
Brush turkey with 1 tsp oil. Stuff turkey with half of stuffing. Pour beer over top and baste with syrup or honey. Cover turkey in foil and place on lowest oven rack. Baste with honey or syrup every half hour or so. Bake 4 hours, or until meat thermometer indicates 180-190 degrees.
Take a large sheet of foil and butter or spray with pam. Lay strips of bacon two across with ends overlapping. Spread remaining stuffing over bacon, leaving approximately half an inch of exposed bacon at each end. Using foil to help, roll into stuffing log, place in baking dish, and place in refrigerator.
During last hour of turkey cooking, remove log from refrigerator and remove foil, set aside to use as cover. Cook log for 30 mins covered in foil, then roll the log so underside of bacon is exposed. Cook for 30 more minutes Finally, remove foil covering and cook for ten mins, assuring bacon crispness. (Cooking the stuffing log can also be done after turkey is removed and other dishes are cooking).
Pour broth from roasting pan into pot and drain with gravy strainer. Boil and add flour in small increments until desired thickness is reached.