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Thanksgiving Turkey

Prep Time2 days 3 hours
Cook Time3 hours
Thawing time4 days
Total Time6 days 6 hours
Course: Holiday dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: brine, Thanksgiving, turkey
Servings: 10 plus more for leftovers

Equipment

  • 1 Large rimmed baking sheet
  • 1 Roasting rack
  • 1 Basting brush
  • Aluminum foil

Mise en place

  • 1 turkey About 18-20 pounds.
  • kosher salt Estimate 1 tsp per pound for dry brining.
  • 1 bunch thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 head garlic Cut cross-wise
  • 3 onions Cut into 2" pieces
  • 3 carrots Cut into 2" pieces
  • 3 celery ribs Cut into 2" pieces
  • 1/4 c ghee or clarified butter
  • canola oil

Method

Six days before T-day

  • Completely thaw the turkey. Estimate 24 hours per 5 pounds of turkey. A 20 pound turkey will take 4 days to thaw completely.

Two days before T-day

  • Dry brine the turkey. Pat dry the turkey with paper towels and place the turkey breast-side up on a rimmed baking sheet with roasting rack. Measure out how much kosher salt you will be using, then from high above the bird, rain the salt down all over and inside the cavity. Let the turkey air-dry in the refrigerator for 48 hours.

On T-day

  • On Turkey day, bring the turkey out of the refrigerator 3 hours before cooking. Pat the skin dry with paper towels.
  • Turn the oven to 450 at least 30 minutes before you're ready to put the turkey in. Remove all the racks except for the bottom one.
  • Add the carrots, celery and onions to the baking sheet and drizzle with a little canola oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Put the roasting rack with turkey on top of the vegetables. Stuff the cavity with the herbs, garlic and bay leaves and tie the legs together with kitchen twine. Brush the turkey skin with the ghee and season generously with kosher salt.
  • Roast the turkey 1 hour, then rotate the baking sheet and cook until an instant-read thermometer reaches 150F (66C) when inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, about 1 1/2 - 2 hours more. If the breast or wing tips are getting really brown and in danger of burning, place some aluminum foil over the exposed parts.
  • Let the turkey rest at room temperature for 30 minutes to allow the juices to be locked in, and the turkey to carry over to an internal temperature of 165°F.