Hosting a big Thanksgiving get-together? You’ll love this amazing turkey recipe – and so will all your guests.
The Best Roast Turkey Recipe… of All Time
Thaw your turkey in the fridge or in a cooler at about 38 degrees F.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup kosher salt
- 5 cups light brown sugar
- 1 gallon vegetable stock
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorn
- 5 teaspoons allspice berries
- 5 teaspoons chopped, candied ginger
- 1 gallon ice water
Mix the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir the mixture occasionally until all the solids are dissolved, and bring to a boil. Remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.
(You can tackle this part of the cooking the day before Thanksgiving.)
On the big day, combine brine, water and ice and place the thawed turkey breast-side down in the brine. Make sure it’s fully covered! Refrigerate or put in a cool area for at least 8 hours – and turn the turkey once, halfway-through brining.
Heat your oven to 500 degrees F.
Rinse the turkey (inside and out) with cold water, and throw out the remaining brine.
Put the turkey inside a half-sheet pan, on a roasting rack, and pat it dry with paper towel. Coat the skin with olive oil.
Roast on the oven’s lowest level for 30 minutes. Then, reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Cook according to the turkey’s size (a 14-pound turkey typically takes between 2 and 2.5 hours of roasting).
