Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and if you’re like me, you’re a little behind. Although this year it’s pretty late, for some reason it totally snuck up on me.
Last year we had a fabulous turkey that I soaked in an apple cider and salt brine for about 36 hours, and it was delicious. But, hauling a 14 pound turkey around in a couple gallons of salty water with turkey juice was kind of terrible. I knew there had to be a better way. This year, I got smart; a dry salt brine!
Herb Roast Turkey
- Prep Time: 45 mins
- Cook Time: 5 hours
- Total Time: 5 hours 45 minutes
- Yield: 12 Servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
Ingredients
Scale
- Turkey
- 1/4 cup coarse Kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons dried coriander leaves
- 2 tablespoons dried parsley
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 whole turkey (12 lb), fresh or thawed if frozen
- 2 small apples
- 2 lemons
- 2 small oranges
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- Fresh herb sprigs, for garnish
- Gravy
- 1/4 cup turkey drippings (fat and juices from roasted turkey)
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups liquid (juices from turkey plus broth or water)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix salt, coriander leaves, parsley, garlic, red pepper flakes, cumin, cardamom and cloves; set aside.
- to 2 days before roasting turkey, remove giblets from the cavity. Rinse the turkey inside and out. Arrange turkey, breast side up, on a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet and set aside.
- Using paper towels, pat turkey dry (inside and out). Rub spice mixture into turkey skin. Cut one apple, lemon and orange into large pieces. Place the pieces in the turkey cavity. Tuck drumsticks under band of skin at tail, or tie together with heavy string.
- Store turkey in the refrigerator, leaving it uncovered if possible to help dry out the skin, which allows it to turn crispy when roasted. If needed, loosely cover with plastic wrap. Let sit 24 to 48 hours.
- Remove turkey from fridge 2 hours before roasting. Place rack in lower third of oven and heat to 350°F.
- Do not add water to the pan. Place meat thermometer in thickest part of inside thigh muscle so thermometer does not touch bone.
- Roast until the skin is golden brown and the thermometer registers 165°F, about 15 minutes per pound. Halfway through roasting, brush skin with melted butter. Place foil loosely over turkey when it begins to turn golden. Transfer to a cutting board and cover with foil to keep warm and let rest 30 minutes for easiest carving. While turkey is standing, prepare gravy if desired.
- To make the gravy: Pour drippings from roasting pan into bowl, leaving brown particles in pan. Return 1/4 cup drippings to roasting pan. Whisk drippings constantly while slowly adding in flour.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Stir in liquid. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute until thickened. Stir in salt and pepper.
- To serve, garnish turkey with remaining apple, orange, lemon and fresh herb sprigs, if desired. Slice turkey and serve with gravy.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Serving
- Calories: 522
- Sugar: 0g
- Sodium: 1026mg
- Fat: 30g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Unsaturated Fat: 20g
- Carbohydrates: 3g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 58g
- Cholesterol: 192mg
What’s your favorite way to prepare the Thanksgiving turkey?
Pair this turkey with…
Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Maple Glazed Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta
Persimmon and Pomegranate Salad with Pecans
