How to Brine and Roast a Turkey
- Ready In:
- 8hrs
- Ingredients:
- 4
- Serves:
-
10
ingredients
- 1 gallon cool water
- 3⁄4 1 cup diamond crystal kosher salt or 1/2 cup table salt
- 1⁄2 cup brown sugar
- 1 (12 -14 lb) whole turkey
directions
- Mix in a plastic container or stockpot until dissolved.
- Makes 1 gallon of brining solution.
- Salinity differs!
- Determine the amount of brine needed to cover a 12-14 pound whole turkey.
- Tips: Start brining method the day before you plan to cook the turkey.
- Use a fresh or completely thawed turkey.
- Wash the bird inside and out and remove the giblet bag and neck.
- (Save for Giblet Gravy) In a large stockpot, plastic tub or cooler mix up brine and stir until the salt and sugar are completely dissolved.
- Place the turkey in the brine solution, breast down.
- Cover and chill for 6 to 8 hours.
- If you brine overnight reduce the salt and sugar by half so the turkey does not retain too much salt.
- Remove the turkey from brine, rinse inside and out under cold running water.
- Pat dry with paper towels.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Place turkey on shallow roasting pan.
- Tie legs together and tuck wings underneath the bird.
- Coat the skin with butter or olive oil.
- Cover the breast loosely with aluminum foil.
- Add 1 cup water to bottom of pan.
- Cooking time will vary depending on the size of the turkey.
- Check the wrapper to see how much the turkey weighs and determine the approximately.
- cooking time Roast the turkey until temperature in the thickest part of the thigh reaches 180 degrees or thigh juices run clear when pierced with a fork.
- During the last 1 to 1 1/2 hours of cooking time remove the aluminum foil from the breast and baste with pan juices to encourage browning.
- When the turkey is done, (180 F), allow it to set 20 minutes before carving to allow juices to saturate the meat evenly.
- Cooking time: A 12-pound turkey will take about 3 hours and 15 minutes to roast.
- Add 15 minutes for each additional pound.
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Reviews
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Perfect every time. I brine overnight. I use a roaster, and don't put any water in the bottom. I also smear some butter under the skin before cheating and using a real olive oil nonstick spray (yep, you heard that right) to mist the skin of the turkey before throwing it in the roaster. Rave reviews -- the perfect turkey! I've made this twice now!
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Thanks for posting this recipe. i had never roasted a whole turkey before this Thanksgiving. I followed your directions and the turkey was moist and wonderful. Thanks for the tip on salinity. and for giving an option other than kosher salt (which I did not have on hand). This was really helpful for a first-time turkey roaster..Thanks again!
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
Aroostook
United States
Zaar...Wow, what a place! I'm one of the old timers of Zaar. I can't count the number of wonderful dishes I cooked in the past few years since joining. Along the way I have had the pleasure of meeting several Zaar chefs. Talk about your fruits and nuts! lol. I have enjoyed meeting them all.
Family: What's to say...I have had the same sweet husband forever (Good thing....I'd hate to have to break a new one in...=) and live close to a couple of grown children. (Maybe you've met Smoke Alarm Jr. ..her brown rolls are sooo good!) Therefore, my family gets together often to enjoy each other's company and cooking. My greatest joy is six "little to tallerthanme" kids running around calling me Grammy. They wear me out! lol
For the past thirty years I have been a Special Education teacher for grades 9-12 and love it. Took some time off last year to recovery from surgery, chemotherapy and radiation for breast cancer. (Loved the radiation....I keep imagining that we are absolutely napalming the nasty cancer cells tohellandback to keep the little suckers from returning. =) My prognosis is good and now "I'm back in the saddle again". lol. Being a north country "gurl", I am happiest outside...walking, fishing, sitting in front of an outdoor fire or being on water (although in February it's a bit stiff....=0) When indoors I like to read, garden, knit, quilt and paint. During cold Maine weather I like to warm my feet on a very large ( 100 pounds of long legs and huge feet), sweet and furry golden retriever named Kerry (aka KTBRD: Kerry the big red dawg..lol) . In the summer, the dawg and I round up the grandkids, hit the local dairy bar for a Mounds Sundae that is to die for!!!=0) . Then spend a lot of long and lazy summer days at camp . All in all...Boy, Life is good! =)