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To roast a juicy, succulent turkey, without using any butter or oil, soak your turkey in a brine bath overnight, you will never want to cook a turkey another way.

How to Roast a Brined Turkey

4.75 from 4 votes
To roast a juicy, succulent turkey, without using any butter or oil, soak your turkey in a brine bath overnight, you will never want to cook a turkey another way.
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • Citrus and Herb Brine:
  • 1 cup kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup cane sugar (you can use brown)
  • 4 sprigs rosemary (or 1/4 cup dry)
  • 1 tbsp black peppercorns
  • 1 tbsp green peppercorns
  • 1 tbsp red peppercorns
  • 10 sage leaves (or 3 tbsp dry)
  • 2 tbsp thyme
  • 6 bay leaves (chopped)
  • 1 lemon peel
  • 1 orange peel
  • 2 gallons water total
  • one fresh turkey (any size (If frozen, thaw 4 days before in the refrigerator))

Instructions

  • The night before you plan on cooking the turkey, remove the innards and rinse the turkey inside and out with cold water.
  • Boil 1 gallon of water and brining blend for 2 - 3 minutes, remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature. To speed things up you can add some ice to it.
  • Combine cooled brine with 1 gallon of ice water and submerge the turkey in the brine bath so that it is completely covered. I used a brining bag to do this, but a large container or a 5 gallon bucket would even work.
  • Refrigerate overnight. If your brine doesn't completely cover the turkey, turn the turkey over half way through brining.
  • Next day, an hour before you are ready to cook the turkey, remove the turkey from the brine and discard the brine. Rinse the turkey well with cold water and pat dry. Place in a roasting pan, I used a cheap disposable aluminum one to show you that it doesn't have to be fancy. Let the turkey come to room temperature for one hour.
  • Preheat oven to 325°F.
  • Place the turkey, breast side up in the center rack on a flat rack in a shallow roasting pan 2 to 2½ inches deep. Roast in the oven for about 13 minutes per pound for an un-stuffed turkey, or until the internal temperature of the deepest part of the breast reaches 170°F.
  • Baste the turkey with the pan juices every 45 minutes. When the thermometer reaches 170°F in the deepest part of the breast, remove from oven and let it rest for 15 - 20 minutes before carving.