This recipe uses one 12- 20lb turkey. Turkey is a dry meat. For best results you want to start your turkey at least 36 hours before its time to put her in the oven. This allows us to maximize the effect of our brine through food science! The salt penetrates the top layers of the meat and makes the meat able to hold onto more water on a cellular level. We then season that water to piggyback lots of flavor into the cells of our food, resulting in a deeply moist, flavorful turkey. After 24 hours of this treatment, the additional 12 hours in the dry rub results in an incredibly crisp, well seasoned exterior for the full thanksgiving package. We won’t be stuffing our turkey here, but feel free to get creative in your own home! (See the notes section for tips on stuffing)

This recipe has several moving parts and we advise you to read the entire recipe before getting started! For most seamless results, prep the dry rub and the compound butter while the turkey is brining. That way, when the turkey comes out of the brine, she is immediately ready for further seasoning. 

FOR BRINE (36 hours before cooking)

• 3 c. apple juice or apple cider
• 2 gallons cold water
• 4 tbsp. fresh rosemary leaves
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 c. kosher salt
• 2 c. brown sugar
• 3 tbsp. peppercorns
• 5 whole bay leaves
• Peel of three large oranges

DIRECTIONS:

Combine all of the ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil, stirring until the salt and sugar dissolve. Turn off the heat, cover, and allow the brine to cool completely. 

Remove turkey from packaging and remove the neck and giblets from the inside the cavities of the bird. (Reserve them for gravy, if you want, or discard them). Place the uncooked turkey in a large brining bag or pot, pour in the brine solution to cover the turkey, and refrigerate for 16 to 24 hours.

Before roasting, remove the turkey from the brine (discard the brine) and submerge the turkey in a pot or sink filled with fresh, cold water for 15 minutes. This removes excess salt from the outside. Be very aware of salt now that you have brined the turkey. Salt was already in your brine! If you feel the need to add more salt, be careful not to overdo it!

Remove the turkey from the water, pat very dry, and prep the dry rub and compound butter. Let’s start with the dry rub. 

FOR DRY RUB (12 hours before cooking)

• 2 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 tablespoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• Dash of cayenne

DIRECTIONS:

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Separate half the spice mixture. Set aside half to be rubbed on the skin of the turkey, use the other half for the compound butter base.

FOR COMPOUND BUTTER (with dry rub):

• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter (you already put salt in the brine!)
• 3 tbsp of dry rub mixture
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried sage
• 2 tsp minced fresh rosemary
• 6- 8 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp minced fresh parsley, rinsed and dried well.

DIRECTIONS:

In a small bowl combine softened butter, thyme, sage, parsley, garlic, rosemary and dry spices until well mixed.

Set aside a small amount of butter to go on the inside of the turkey. Use your fingers to loosen and lift the skin above the breasts (on the top of the turkey) and smooth a few tablespoons of the herb butter underneath. Be generous.

Cover the turkey with the dry rub and set aside in the refrigerator for 8-12 hours. This gives the turkey plenty of time for the skin to dry out (for that crisp finish we all know and love.)

Transfer any remaining butter to a ramekin or form into a log using parchment paper or plastic wrap.

Refrigerate at least 3 hours if you want to serve or slice the butter. 

PREPARE THE TURKEY (The day of):

• One (1) whole onion (quartered)
• Meat thermometer

Adjust your oven rack so the turkey will sit in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Season the cavity of the turkey with your remaining compound butter. Add quartered onion to the center cavity of the turkey (If you are stuffing your turkey this is your moment! If you decide to stuff your turkey, see our note section on properly trussing a turkey for a more even cooking experience)

Tuck the wings of the turkey underneath the turkey and set the turkey on a roasting rack inside a roasting pan.

Tent the turkey with foil and Roast at 325 degrees F for about 13-15 minutes per pound, or until internal temperature (inserted on middle of thigh and breast) reaches about 165 degrees. Once the turkey has an hour left to cook, remove the foil and let the turkey brown.

Remove the turkey from the oven once the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. Then let it rest on the counter for at least 20 – 30 minutes before carving. Reserve any dripping and juice remaining in your roasting pan to make turkey gravy.

Carve it up and enjoy!

NOTES: 

Tips for covering with tinfoil:
Start with the bird uncovered. Once the skin gets golden brown, tent the bird with a large piece of tinfoil. If you have a roasting pan, you can use the lid to the roasting pan instead. 

For disposable roasting pan:

• Place fresh chopped vegetables on the bottom of the pan to act as a rack to elevate the turkey. Use 4-5 ribs of celery and 4 large carrots, roughly chopped. The veggies will add great flavor for your dripping to use for gravy. 
• Make sure to double up your pans! Disposable pans don’t distribute heat as evenly as heavy cookware! Make sure to double up your pans and put between ¼ – ½ cup of water in between roasting pan layers. This water promotes even transfer of heat and prevents hot spots that will burn your precious turkey in places!

Trussing the turkey:

If you elect to stuff your turkey Truss your turkey. Trussing keeps the turkey wings and legs close to the body, for a more even cooking experience and is doubly important if you are stuffing your turkey. 

TO TRUSS TURKEY:

Stringless trussing method: This technique uses the loose skin of the turkey to hold the legs in place.

• Place the turkey with the cavity facing you. You should see two skin flaps on either side of the cavity, near the legs.
• With a sharp paring knife, cut a small slit in the center of each flap, going through the skin. Use your finger if necessary to widen the hole. Your finger should just be able to fit in each slit.
• Carefully tuck the end of each drumstick into the slit on the opposite side of the leg. When you’re finished, the legs will cross over each other and stay tight against the body of the bird.
• Next, grab the wing by the tip, gently twisting it away from you, and fold the tips of the wings behind the back. The weight of the bird holds them in place while everything cooks.

String method:

• Place the thawed (and brined, if applicable) turkey breast-side up, and run the center of the string under the neck in the front of the bird. Bring the string up towards the wings and legs. Use your thumbs to tuck the wings in as you bring the string around towards the legs. Keep the string tight to force the wings firmly against the body. The string should roughly follow the contours of the turkey breast.
• Bring the string around between leg and breast, then give it one overhand knot and pull tight. The wings will be solidly pinned to the body, and the turkey breast will pop up. Note that this is NOT a solid knot – we just want to be able to tighten up on the string. Bring the ends of the string down between the turkey’s legs, then cross the legs at the “ankles” above/behind the point of the turkey breast. Make sure your previous knot is still pulled tight. 
• Separate the strings, loop them around the outside of the turkey ankles, then tie a square knot to finish it off. The legs should now be cinched close to the body. Snip the extra ends of string, and discard them.