With everyone staying a bit closer to home this year, experts predict that the Butterball Turkey Hotline will be busy this year. If this is your first-holiday attempt at a turkey, I’ve got you covered. My recipe is tried and true and delivers the juiciest, tender turkey. It doesn’t disappoint!
I remember cooking my first turkey dinner and to say it wasn’t successful is putting it mildly. I hadn’t defrosted the bird, no brine, and despite cooking it for the required time, it was raw (see not defrosting). Thank goodness my sides were good. Everyone continued to nosh on the appetizers while the bird continued to cook and eventually, it finished up. Since then I’ve attended a few classes and feel like I learn something new each year.
About 10 years ago I took a Thanksgiving dinner cooking class offered at one of our local restaurants, The Village Pub. Not just any restaurant, the Village Pub is a Michelin starred restaurant with absolutely incredible food. The chef taught us his turkey recipe, sides, and some tips and tricks. I walked away with the confidence to try again and am now happy to say my turkey is a hit.
Brining your turkey is one of the most important things you can do. I’ve included my recipe for homemade brine, but honestly, I just buy it at Williams-Sonoma or buy a pre-brined turkey (Trader Joes has them or your local butcher may offer this). If I don’t have to do it, it’s one fewer thing on my list.
I’ll be answering questions and would love to see your finished turkey! Be sure to tag me in your photos!
The Best Thanksgiving Turkey
Ingredients
- 3 onions, thinly sliced
- 2 fennel bulbs, thinly sliced
- 30 cloves of garlic (yep!), smashed
- 3 oranges, zest only
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 gallon of very hot water
- 1 pound of salt (yep!)
- 12 ounces of honey
- 3 tablespoons of fennel seed
- 4 bay leaves
- 3 sprigs of rosemary
- 12 sprigs of thyme
- 6 juniper berries, smashed
- 1-gallon ice
- 1 pound butter, softened at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons thyme
- 2 tablespoons rosemary
- 1/3 cup grainy dijon mustard
- 8 slices bacon
- 3 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons pepper
Instructions
- Sweat the onions, garlic, fennel, and orange zest in olive oil for 15 minutes over medium heat.
- Cover with hot water. Wisk in salt and honey until emulsified.
- Add all other ingredients except ice.
- Let the brine mix sit for 10 minutes and then add the ice.
- Rinse your turkey under cold water and place in a large vessel. I use a large trash bag (very primitive but works well).
- Pour the chilled brine over the turkey and refrigerate for 2 - 3 days. I flip the bird over every other day.
- Remove the turkey from the brine mixture and bring the turkey up to room temperature. This can take an hour, so plan accordingly.
- While your bird is coming to room temperature, cook the bacon and let it cool. Once cooled, crumble.
- Add all ingredients above(including cooled bacon) to the softened butter.
- Once the bird is room temperature, you are going to slide the butter mixture between the skin and the flesh of the turkey. To do that, I cut a very small hole in the breast and insert my fingers to loosen the skin and pull it away from the meat (careful so it doesn’t tear).
- Do this around the turkey. The butter mixture creates an even juicier turkey. If you have any butter remaining, add that to the cavity of the turkey.
- To properly roast a 15-pound turkey, I always plan on a 4 - 5 hour time span (a smaller turkey will require less time). One hour to bring it to room temperature, 2 - 3 1/2 hours to cook the bird, and a final hour to rest the bird after it has roasted. I start first thing in the morning so I know that if something goes wrong, I have time to either continue cooking or come up with another plan.
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
- Season the bird liberally with salt and pepper. If you’re a stuffing in the bird person, go ahead and stuff your bird and truss it with needles or string. If you’re not, add onions, celery and carrot to the cavity along with the butter.
- Place your bird breast side down on the roasting rack in the roasting pan. Cover first with parchment paper and then will foil.
- I add 2 cups chicken or turkey stock to the pan along with cut carrots, onions, celery, rosemary, and thyme. I will use this (along with the juices from the turkey) to baste the turkey.
- Place the bird in the preheated oven for exactly 30 minutes. Baste the turkey.
- After the initial 30 minutes, turn the over down to 200 degrees and roast for one hour. Baste the turkey.
- After one hour, pull the turkey out of the oven, take off the parchment paper and foil, and turn the turkey over so that it is now sitting breast side up. Baste the turkey. Place the parchment and foil back over the bird and continue cooking at 200 degrees for another hour. You should be very aware of the temperature of your bird (see USDA recommendations below)
- You should now have cooked your turkey for 2 1/2 hours. The focus now is on giving it that beautiful golden brown color. To get this you will take off the parchment and foil and turn your oven up to 375 degrees. I will cover the tips of the wings with foil so they don’t burn. If your bird starts getting too brown and it’s still not at the right temperature, add the parchment and foil on top and continue cooking. The foil will keep the turkey skin from getting too deep brown.
- Cook until well browned and cooked to your liking.
- Remove the bird from the oven and let it rest. The turkey will continue cooking while it rests and this allows the juices to be redistributed throughout the bird. Do not skip this step! If you cut the bird right out of the oven, all the juices will flow from the bird to the cutting board and your turkey will be dry. When you remove your turkey from the oven, let it sit for one full hour. If the foil has been removed, I add it back to keep the turkey warm.
- After that hour, carve your turkey and enjoy!
How to Use Your Thermometer To Check For Doneness
Place your thermometer deep into the inner thigh of your turkey. While the USDA recommends 180 degrees for a turkey, we like ours at 160 - 165 degrees. I cook the turkey until it is this temperature.
USDA Recommendations
Chicken, whole: 180 degrees
Turkey, whole: 180 degrees
Poultry breasts, roast: 170 degrees
Poultry thighs, wings: 180 degrees
Stuffing (cooked alone or in the bird): 165 degrees