Source: Alton Brown
14-16 lb frozen turkey
Brine:
1 cup kosher salt
½ cup brown sugar
1 gallon vegetable stock
1 Tbsp black peppercorns
1 ½ tsp allspice berries
1 ½ tsp candied ginger
1 gallon heavily iced water
Aromatics:
1 red apple, sliced
½ onion, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup water
4 sprigs rosemary
6 sage leaves
Canola oil
Thaw turkey in refrigerator or in a cooler kept at
38° F for 2 to 3 days.
Combine all brine ingredients, except for water in a
large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir to dissolve solids and bring to a
boil. Remove from heat, cool to room temperature.
Combine the brine water and ice in a 5-gallon
bucket. Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in the
brine. Weigh the bird down if necessary, until fully immersed. Cover and
refrigerate for 8-16 hours, or keep in cool place, keeping consistently iced. Turn bird once half way through brining.
Preheat the oven to 500°F. Remove the bird
from the brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.
Place the bird on roasting rack inside a roasting
pan, pat dry with paper towels.
Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup
of water in microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add steeped aromatics to the
turkey’s cavity along with the rosemary and sage. Tuck the wings underneath the
bird and coat the skin liberally with canola oil.
Roast the turkey on lowest level of oven at 500
degrees F for 30 minutes. Cover the turkey breast with a triangle of foil, to
avoid dryness. Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and
reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Set thermometer to 160° F (if
available.) A 14 to 16 pound bird should take 2 to 2 ½ hours of roasting. Let
the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil at least 15 minutes, ideally for 1
hour.
*This is kind of an unconventional way to roast
turkey, but the result is the most moist delicious turkey ever! Getting a
smaller turkey is part of the key, so sometimes I roast 2 if I’m cooking for a
crowd.
