Brine-Cured Roast Turkey
Published November 16, 1999
- Total Time
- 4 hours 15 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons kosher salt
¾ cup sugar
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 large onion, peeled and diced
¼ cup diced celery
1 leek, white and light green parts only, cleaned and diced
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon fennel seeds
2 star anise
2 or 3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 12- to 14-pound naturally fed, free-range turkey
Wild Mushroom Stuffing (see recipe) or other stuffing
4 tablespoons olive oil or butter
Fresh rosemary branches, optional
Nutritional analysis per serving (15 servings)
14 grams carbs; 240 milligrams cholesterol; 561 calories; 9 grams monosaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 23 grams fat; 1 gram fiber; 862 milligrams sodium; 73 grams protein; 11 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
In 16-quart or larger stockpot, bring 2 gallons water to a boil. Add salt and sugar, and stir until completely dissolved. Turn off heat, and add carrot, onion, celery and leek. Add bay leaves, peppercorns, coriander, red pepper, fennel seeds, star anise and thyme. Refrigerate until cold.
- Step 2
Remove giblets from turkey. Cover and refrigerate liver if using in stuffing. Discard remaining giblets or reserve for another use. Add turkey to stockpot. If necessary, weight it with a plate so that it stays below the brine's surface. Refrigerate for 72 hours, then remove from brine and allow to come to room temperature.
- Step 3
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Loosely fill the turkey at both ends with stuffing, and truss as you would a chicken.
- Step 4
Place turkey in a large roasting pan, and roast until it starts to brown, about 25 minutes. Reduce oven setting to 350 degrees, and roast for 12 minutes more per pound, until internal temperature at the deepest part of the leg reaches 130 degrees. (Total roasting time will be about 3 hours.) Baste frequently with olive oil or butter and pan juices, using rosemary branches as a brush if desired. If the bird begins to darken too much, cover it loosely with a piece of foil. Before serving, remove turkey from oven and leave covered with foil. Allow it to rest for 20 minutes before carving and spooning the stuffing into a serving dish.
Private Notes
Comments
I use this method and have no problems but I cool my brine concentrate (use less water) by setting the pan outside for several hours, use a 7 day cooler, dump in the cooled brine and mix ice with the water to measure the water I left out of the concentrate. I used qt. jars filled with ice and water to set in the cooler and take up empty space. 3 days later, I open the cooler and there is still ice in the jars and some in the brine. Best turkey I ever had and will always fix it this way!
The flavor of the brine was really delicious. Brined an 11 Lb turkey in a bag in the refrigerator for about 48 hours, turning the bird every 12 hours or so. Took just a little over 2 hrs for a stuffed bird. Very flavorful :)
I've been making this turkey every year since the article came out. It's perfect every time. And I do cook some of the stuffing inside the bird, not overpacked. This is not advice, just my experience: in 26 years no one has suffered.
As someone involved in public health, I strongly recommend the stuffing be cooked outside the bird. It is much safer. I make mine in a slow cooker, adding Turkey broth and schmaltz. It comes out great.