thanksgiving turkey--salted version |
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This is the 2010 update. A new riff using salt. Brining definitely makes a turkey moist, but here is a great alternative that uses olive oil instead of butter. And because we usually make a 20+ pound turkey for Thanksgiving, the sheer volume of bird + brine was getting a little unwieldy.
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1 22 pound turkey
Salt rub 1/2 cup kosher or sea salt (white, big crystals) 2T chopped fresh oregano 2T finely grated lemon peel 2-3 cloves chopped garlic 1T black pepper 1 turkey-sized oven bag (we used the LARGE size) |
Stuff to Put into the Turkey
3 lemons, coarsely chopped 3 stalks of celery, chopped 1 onion, chopped 2t fresh oregano 2t fresh thyme (we used lemon thyme) 1/2 olive oil, divided into 1/4 cup each 6T fresh lemon juice, divided into 3T each Hawaiian salt and pepper, to taste 3-4 cups chicken broth |
Salting the Turkey
Take all the guts out of the turkey. Sprinkle about 4T of the rub inside the turkey. Stick the turkey into the oven bag, and rub the rest of the salt over the outside of the turkey. Seal up the bag, refrigerate, and let sit for about 24 hours. If your fridge is full of Thanksgiving yummy stuff, you can keep the turkey in a closed ice chest with ice above and below it. We stored the ice chest in our garage to keep it even cooler. *The caveat here is that we did this in November in the San Francisco Bay Area.* If you live in a warmer climate, opt for traditional refrigeration.
Roasting the Turkey
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Take the turkey out, rinse and pat dry. Toss lemons, celery, onion and spices together with 1/4 cup olive oil and 3T lemon juice. Stuff this into the turkey and use turkey pins to seal it in. Mix the rest of the lemon juice and oil and brush the turkey with some of it.
Pour 2 cups of chicken stock into the bottom of the roasting pan. Put the turkey on a rack, breast side down, in the roasting pan and cook for an hour. Take it out and brush it with the rest of the the lemon oil. Cook for 45 more minutes, and pour 1 more cup of chicken stock into the pan. Flip the turkey after about 2 hours. Check again in 45 minutes and add more chicken stock if necessary. Cook for about 15 minutes/pound.
Take the turkey out and cover the top with foil. Let it sit about 30 minutes and then carve.
Take all the guts out of the turkey. Sprinkle about 4T of the rub inside the turkey. Stick the turkey into the oven bag, and rub the rest of the salt over the outside of the turkey. Seal up the bag, refrigerate, and let sit for about 24 hours. If your fridge is full of Thanksgiving yummy stuff, you can keep the turkey in a closed ice chest with ice above and below it. We stored the ice chest in our garage to keep it even cooler. *The caveat here is that we did this in November in the San Francisco Bay Area.* If you live in a warmer climate, opt for traditional refrigeration.
Roasting the Turkey
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Take the turkey out, rinse and pat dry. Toss lemons, celery, onion and spices together with 1/4 cup olive oil and 3T lemon juice. Stuff this into the turkey and use turkey pins to seal it in. Mix the rest of the lemon juice and oil and brush the turkey with some of it.
Pour 2 cups of chicken stock into the bottom of the roasting pan. Put the turkey on a rack, breast side down, in the roasting pan and cook for an hour. Take it out and brush it with the rest of the the lemon oil. Cook for 45 more minutes, and pour 1 more cup of chicken stock into the pan. Flip the turkey after about 2 hours. Check again in 45 minutes and add more chicken stock if necessary. Cook for about 15 minutes/pound.
Take the turkey out and cover the top with foil. Let it sit about 30 minutes and then carve.
