For the brine:
- 16 cups water
- 1 cup kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon whole peppercorns
- 3 oranges or about 5 clementines – peeled. Don’t worry about the white part – leave it
- 3 lemons – again, peeled and don’t worry about the white part – leave it
- Generous handful of fresh sage leaves, chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 garlic cloves, peeled and smooshed (use the blade of your knife & flatten them)
For the turkey:
- 2 sticks unsalted butter – room temperature
- 1 tbsp fresh, finely chopped thyme OR 1/2 tbsp ground thyme
- 4 tbsp fresh, finely chopped sage OR 2 tbsp ground sage
- 1 ½ tbs poultry seasoning – you know you’ve got it in that cabinet somewhere!
- 1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
Thoroughly mix butter and herbs together. (You can make this ahead and refrigerate it. Just make sure it’s softened before you use it.
Put it all together:
Make sure you have not bought a pre-brined turkey!
Take it out of the packaging and make sure you get that little bag of giblets out of there.
You’ll need a pot or bucket large and deep enough for the whole turkey to be submerged.
Now to make the brine:
Bring the 4 cups of water to a boil. Add the salt and stir well until it’s completely dissolved. Add in the citrus fruits, chopped sage, garlic, peppercorns, and the bay leaves. Bring it all back to a boil.
Remove from heat and let cool a bit. Add the remaining 12 cups water and stir well. It should be room temp or a bit cooler by this point. Place your turkey into the pot or bucket you’ll be brining in. Pour the brine over the turkey – make sure it’s completely covered. Weigh that bird down with a heavy bowl or plate if you need to!
Pop the whole thing into the fridge – at least 12 hours, and up to 24. If no room in the fridge, you can do this in a cooler with ice packed around the pot.
Roasting time!
About an hour or so before you plan to put it into the oven, remove the turkey from its brine bath and give it a gentle rinse with cool water. Pat it dry.
Preheat oven to 325.
Place the turkey breast side up in a roasting pan – I usually just stuff the citrus and herbs from the brine into the cavity. Using your hands, very gently separate the skin from the bird – think of it like creating a pocket. Smear the compound butter under the skin, on top of the skin, and if there is any left, dab it into the cavity with the fruit and herbs.
Cook time always varies based on your oven and the size of the turkey. Think roughly 13 minutes per pound. Baste the turkey with the pan juices every 35-45 minutes.
(If you’re making gravy, it’s not a bad idea to pour some chicken stock and white wine into the pan if you’re not seeing the amount of pan juices that you’d like.)
Turkey is finished and good to go when an instant read thermometer inserted into the deepest portion of the breast reads 170. Don’t let the thermometer touch bone or you won’t get an accurate temp reading.
Let that bad boy rest for a good 20 minutes before carving.
