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Best Roasted Turkey
Roasting the perfect turkey can be very tricky as it is easy to end up with tasteless, dry meat. Especially the turkey breast. This turkey turns out flawless because it soaks in brine for 24 hours and then it is roasted.
Check out how to brine a turkey here:
http://thefrugalchef.com/2009/11/how-to-brine-a-turkey/
You need to remove the turkey from the brine, rinse it and then pat dry it well with paper towels. I then like rubbing the inside of the breast meat and all of the outer skin with a mixture of garlic salt, sage and freshly ground black pepper. I never stuff my bird as I find that it takes too long to cook and dries up the meat. However, I like to place a quartered, seeded red apple, a quartered, medium yellow onion, 2 celery stalks halved and 1 carrot halved into the cavity. I find this enhances the flavor overall. I then tie the legs with kitchen twine. Once that is done the turkey must sit at room temperature for 25 minutes.
In the interim, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. You are going to cook your turkey at this temperature, breast side down, for one hour. Remove the bird from the oven and baste it with a melted stick of butter mixed with 1 teaspoon ground sage and salt and pepper. Flip it over in the roasting pan so that you now have it breast side up. Lower the heat in your oven to 375 degrees and cook the turkey until a thermometer registers 175 degrees when inserted in the thickest part of the thigh.
Make sure to baste the turkey every hour with the pan juices. Cover it with foil of it is getting too dark. This turkey was 15 pounds and it cooked for four hours. I tented it the last hour. Remove the turkey from the oven and let it sit for 40 minutes before carving it so that the juices readjust themselves. Serve and enjoy a nice piece of tasty, juicy and scrumptious turkey!
Rene Fernandez
November 7, 2009 at 5:53 pm
Lovely done! Kudos, MaryAnn!
theFrugalChef
November 7, 2009 at 9:50 pm
Thank you Rene! Thanks for coming by!
lilian
November 24, 2009 at 9:32 pm
I love the way you coock! thank you, I always check your webside.
theFrugalChef
November 24, 2009 at 9:46 pm
Thank you Lillian! I really appreciate you coming by. Happy Thanksgiving!
Mary Ann
Lovely
November 18, 2011 at 6:58 am
Hi Mary Ann!! First of all I want to tell you that you are my savior. We are newly weds and thanks to you my husband thinks I’m a great cook
But today I need your help more than anything!! We are going to gather with friends and I’m doing the turkey the stuffing and gravy. But I saw that in your video the turkey is 15 pounds mine is over 25!!! What do I do?? Do I use more ingredients?? Do I have to cook it longer than 4 hours?? Now I am so lost starting from brining do I use more quantity of ingredients? Or should I use all the same as your video?? Helpp!! I don’t want to ruin this thanksgivings
theFrugalChef
November 18, 2011 at 9:49 am
No worries sweetie pie! Everything will be perfect! Let’s see – first of all when you brine a turkey you want it to be completely submerged so you will have to add some more salt, brown sugar and spices to the extra water. I you are going to stuff the turkey you will definitely need to make more. However, if you do not stuff it, the quantity you make will depend on how many people you have.
Now, about the cooking. You will definitely have to cook this for longer. You have to calculate that a bird that big will probably cook for about six hours. You will have to check it after 5 1/2 hours by inserting a meat thermometer in the deepest part of the turkey thigh 180 degrees. If you stuff it the center of the stuffing should register 165 degrees. Just make sure you tent it loosely with foil once the skin starts browning so it does not over brown or burn.
Your turkey will be perfect! Don’t worry about it. Just start it with time, relax and be happy! Remember that your turkey needs to sit for a good 30 minutes before you carve it because that way the juices have time to settle. Good luck!
Carlo Garcia
November 21, 2012 at 8:01 pm
Deicioso, lo preparare para navidad. Saludos!
barbara
November 22, 2012 at 4:49 pm
hi Mary Ann i tried your brine and recipe and it turned out great. this was my first thanksgiving and it was hit thanks to you. Thank You!!! Happy Thanksgiving!!! hope you had a good one.