Susie's Roasted Turkey

I never knew how dry my turkey was until I had this one!!! This is the BEST turkey I ever made and now, it is a family standard.

Susie's Roast Turkey
For Brine
1 cup coarse salt, plus more for seasoning
2.5 cups sugar
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped
1 dried bay leaves
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tsp whole black peppercorns, plus freshly ground pepper
14 lb. turkey, thawed
For Roasting
2 sticks unsalted butter, divided.
6 fresh bay leaves
4 stalks celery, sliced
2 medium onions, sliced
2 lemons, zested
12 fresh sage leaves
1/2 cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc
salt and pepper

1. For Brine

2. Put salt, sugar, onions, carrots, celery, bay leaves, thyme, parsley, peppercorns, and 5 cups water in a large stockpot. Bring to a boil, stirring until salt and sugar have dissolved. Remove from heat; let brine cool completely.

3. Add turkey, breast first, to the brine. Add enough water to cover the turkey. Cover; refrigerate 24 hours. Remove from brine; pat dry with paper towels. Let stand at room temperature 2 hours.

4. For Roasting

5. After you prepare the brine, in a small sauce pan, melt 1 stick of butter and bay leaves. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Chill along side the brine so it returns to solid form.

6. Preheat oven to 425 degrees, with rack in lowest position.

7. Take bay leaf perfumed butter out to soften.

8. In a large bowl, mix the remaining celery and onion with the lemon zest, sage leaves and salt and pepper. Remove neck and giblets from the turkey.

9. Place turkey, breast side up, on a rack set in a roasting pan. Fold wing tips under turkey. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper inside turkey. Loosely fill body and neck cavities with stuffing. Tie legs together with kitchen twine. Fold neck flap under; secure with toothpicks. Rub turkey all over with softened bay leaf perfurmed butter.

10. Stir together the last stick of butter melted and wine in a medium bowl. Fold a very large piece of cheesecloth into quarters so that it is large enough to cover breast and halfway down sides of turkey. Immerse cloth in butter mixture; let soak.

11. Remove cheesecloth from butter mixture, squeezing gently into bowl. Reserve butter mixture for brushing. Lay cheesecloth over turkey. Place turkey, legs first, in oven. Roast 30 minutes. Brush cheesecloth and exposed turkey with butter mixture. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees. Roast, brushing every 30 minutes, 2 1/2 hours more; cover with foil if browning too quickly.

12. Discard cheesecloth; rotate pan. Baste turkey with pan juices. Roast, rotating pan halfway through, until skin is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 180 degrees and stuffing reaches 165 degrees, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a platter. Let turkey stand at room temperature at least 30 minutes. Garnish, if desired.

Servings: 20

Cooking Times
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 3 minutes
Inactive Time: 24 minutes
Total Time: 4 minutes

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1/20 of a recipe (14.7 ounces).
Percent daily values based on custom values.
Nutrition information calculated from recipe ingredients. 3 of the recipe's ingredients were not linked. These ingredients are not included in the recipe nutrition data.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 761.78
Calories From Fat (48%) 369.11
% Daily Value
Total Fat 41.45g 74%
Saturated Fat 18.19g 165%
Cholesterol 306mg 153%
Sodium 2117.55mg 88%
Potassium 966.65mg 28%
Total Carbohydrates 28.96g 11%
Fiber 0.76g 3%
Sugar 26.3g
Protein 65.35g 103%

Recipe Type: Main Course, Thanksgiving, Turkey

Source
Author: Susan Ewing

Recipe Cost: $30.94
Serving Cost: $1.55



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