Sean' Perfect Roast Turkey ~ No Basting Needed!

This method produces a wonderfully
moist and delicious roast turkey!

Ingredients:

 1 (14 - 16 pound) frozen turkey

1 gallon (4 quarts or 16 cups) vegetable broth

1 cup kosher salt (or 1 1/4 cups regular salt)

1/2 cup brown sugar (light or dark)

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

1 1/2 teaspoons whole allspice berries or 5 teaspoons ground allspice

1 1/2 teaspoons candied ginger or 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

12 cups ice and water to make 1 gallon

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, sliced into tablespoon portions

fresh rosemary sprigs

minced garlic (optional)

Method:

Three days before roasting, transfer the turkey from the freezer to the refrigerator. 

The night before roasting, prepare the brine. Add the vegetable broth, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice and candied ginger to a large pot. Stir over medium-high heat to dissolve the salt and sugar. Bring to a boil and then remove from the heat. Allow to cool to room temperature and then refrigerate to finish cooling completely. 

Rinse the thawed turkey and remove the neck and innards. Add the brine, water and ice mixture to a five gallon bucket. Place the turkey, breast side down, into the brine mixture. Make certain that the turkey is completely immersed. (If necessary, weigh it down with a block of ice or a dutch oven filled with ice.) Refrigerate or place in a cool area for 8 to 16 hours.

Preheat oven to 500*. Remove the turkey from the brine. Rinse inside and out with cold water. Place in a roasting pan and pat dry with paper towels. (If using a disposable roasting pan, place the pan on a baking sheet with sides.) If desired, fill the chest cavity with your favorite dressing.

Use your fingers to loosen the skin from the meat. Work the tablespoons of butter between the skin and meat. Add sprigs of of rosemary and if desired, also add some minced garlic.

Roast on the lowest rack of the oven at 500* for 30 minutes. Cover the turkey loosely with a foil tent and reduce the heat to 350*. The turkey does not require basting! Roast for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until a pop up thermometer raises to show it's done or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the breast measures 161*. Remove from the oven and allow to rest, loosely covered for 15 minutes before carving.

Notes: This method produces a very moist perfect roast turkey! (The recipe is also very forgiving; even if you overcook the bird it still turns out great.)  

The inspiration for this recipe for this recipe came from Alton Brown's Brined Turkey Recipe. Sean made his own additions and changes that truly make this a no fail method for a delicious bird.