1. 24 hours before baking your turkey, unwrap, rinse and discard
all the giblet stuff, but save the neck for basting! In pot big
enough to hold your turkey (or the roasting pan which is what I
use) stir 1 cup of hot water from the tap with sugar until dissolved.
Add the apple juice and mix well. Place turkey into pot breast side
down. Add herbs, garlic and onion to pot then add enough cold
water from the tap to cover the turkey (or the best you can—I’ve
never had a pot big enough to submerge the turkey). Cover and
refrigerate for 24 hours.
2. The next day, just before roasting, remove turkey from brine
and pat dry (do not rinse!). Discard brine. Place turkey breast-
side-up in roasting pan (I use a rack so the turkey won’t stick), if
the turkey legs are not pre-tied, tie them together with kitchen
string and tuck wings under back.
3. Massage softened butter all over turkey (this is my Dad’s trick
and he calls it the turkey massage). Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Roast turkey in pre-heated 325F oven for approximately 3 ½ to 4
hours using roasting instructions below and basting every 30-45
minutes (with basting liquid—see recipe below). When meat
thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh reads 185F,
remove from oven, transfer to serving platter, tent with foil and let
stand for 15-20 minutes prior to carving (just enough time to
make the perfect gravy recipe below). PERFECT ROASTING
INSTRUCTIONS- I roast for the first hour without the lid, then
cover the turkey for the next 2 to 2 ½ hours and finally uncover for
the last ½ hour of roasting. When uncovering the turkey for the
last ½ hour you may need to cover the drumsticks with tin foil
(shiny side down) to prevent browning/drying out (at least that’s
what my Grandma tells me).
BASTING LIQUID
Neck from Turkey
1 cup chicken stock
½ cup white wine
1 rib celery, sliced
½ tsp. dried poultry seasoning
Add all ingredients to sauce pan, bring to a boil, reduce heat to
low and simmer. Use to baste turkey until finished (usually 3
bastings) then add neck to roasting pan and use juices from in pan
for remaining basting.
Originally Submitted
10/14/2013
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