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Perfect Roasted Turkey

Crispy skin and juicy meat make for a perfect roasted turkey.

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: roasted turkey, turkey
Ingredients
  • 1 12-16 pound turkey frozen
For the Dry Brine:
  • 2 tablespoons sea salt
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder *make sure it is fresh
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
For the Aromatics:
  • 1 lemon cut in half
  • 1 onion cut in half
  • 2 carrots peeled and cut into chunks
  • 2 stalks celery cut into chunks
  • 1 head garlic cut in half cloves exposed *optional
For the Herb Butter:
  • 1 stick salted butter room temperature
  • 1 packet fresh herbs: oregano, thyme and rosemary chopped
Optional Garnish:
  • fresh herbs: sage and rosemary
  • 1 small bag fresh cranberries
  • fresh citrus fruit
  • green leaf lettuce
Instructions
Thaw your turkey:
  1. If your turkey was purchased frozen, allow it to thaw in the fridge. Please see our guide for thawing the turkey depending on the size of the turkey.

Dry Brine:
  1. Mix the salt, pepper and baking powder together. Sprinkle and pat the mixture all over the entire thawed bird. Now is a good time to remove the neck and giblets that are in the inside cavity of the bird. Hang onto those. We will use them to make gravy. The baking powder in this dry brine is the key to crisping up the skin during the roasting process. Move the turkey back into the fridge for another 24 hours for this mixture to do it’s magic.

Prepare your Oven:
  1. Move your oven rack to the bottom and place a baking stone or baking steel on the bottom rack. Take out the second rack.

  2. Preheat oven to 500 F. for 45 minutes.

  3. While your oven is preheating, let your turkey sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Herb Butter & Aromatics:
  1. In a glass bowl with a fork, combine the softened stick of salted butter with the chopped fresh herbs. Mix up the herb butter until it is combined well.

  2. Rub the herb butter all over the turkey skin. Slide your fingers under the turkey skin and gently move the herb butter up under the skin. This can be a little tricky, but if your turkey is thawed well, the skin will loosen up and you can move the butter all over underneath the skin.

  3. Add aromatics into the inside cavity of the turkey: lemon, garlic, onion, carrots and celery.

Roast the turkey:
  1. Place turkey onto a V roasting rack on a aluminum sheet pan lined with foil. Move your turkey into the oven and place the sheet pan directly onto the baking stone. Close the oven door and reduce the oven temperature to 325.

  2. See our guide for how long to roast your turkey, depending on the size. For a 12-16 pound turkey: roast for 3 1/2 to 4 hours.

  3. After one hour in the oven add a piece of aluminum foil over the top of the turkey to prevent it from over browning.

  4. Your turkey will be done cooking when the instant read thermometer reads: 150 F for the breast meat and 165 F for the leg meat.

  5. Take the turkey out of the oven and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before carving into it. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

This recipe is based on a 12-16 pound turkey, please adjust measurements and times to accommodate a larger or smaller bird.