Good Eats Roast Turkey

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown

Show: Good EatsEpisode: Romancing the Bird (A Good Eats Thanksgiving)

Rated: 5 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (2793)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(2793)

Cook Time:
2 hr 30 min
Level:
Easy
Yield:
10 to 12 servings

Times:

Prep: 15 min
Inactive Prep: 7 hr 0 min
Cook: 2 hr 30 min
Total:: 9 hr 45 min

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Ingredients

1 (14 to 16 pound) frozen young turkey

For the brine:

1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 gallon vegetable stock
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 1/2 teaspoons allspice berries
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped candied ginger
1 gallon heavily iced water

For the aromatics:

1 red apple, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup water
4 sprigs rosemary
6 leaves sage
Canola oil

Directions

Click here to see how it's done.

2 to 3 days before roasting:

Begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F.

Combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.

Early on the day or the night before you'd like to eat:

Combine the brine, water and ice in the 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.

Place the bird on roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels.

Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add steeped aromatics to the turkey's cavity along with the rosemary and sage. Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with canola oil.

Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl for 15 minutes before carving.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Good Eats Roast Turkey
Patrick Mesa, AZ 02-06-2010
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NO leftovers for sandwiches...
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

People that don't brine their turkey are like a blind man in a dark room looking for a black cat that left the room weeks... ago...Alton's brine recipe is incredible. I have made it EVERY year (except one...I didn't cook that year...big mistake...!) - however, I have made some minor additions to the brine - I add 2 or 3 large bay leaves to the stock; I love that flavor. I also go a little heavier on the amount of black peppercorns and allspice berries. I also crack both of those berries to release just a little more flavor. Also, when it comes to adding the ice, I tend to cut back just a teeny bit on the water and add a few containers of frozen orange juice concentrate. Just a little more flavor...I also sometimes put some oranges, along with the apple and onion, in the turkey cavity to get just that little more boost of citrus I like in my poultry...it doesn't overpower the taste, but it DOES add just a hint to make it a little different...in order to make everything fit in the cavity you'll need a bigger bird, obviously, but hey...there's nothing wrong with MORE turkey! (And it's weird...as I write, I'm waiting for my wife to come back from the grocery store with my missing brine ingredients...yep, I'm making it for Superbowl Sunday!) And on another note, if you've never tried Alton's shrimp brine, make sure you try that out as well...it works best for U-10 to 25 count shrimp. Read more
recipe Good Eats Roast Turkey
Caitlin Jamison, PA 02-05-2010
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Always Amazing
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I've used this recipe for the last few years (it seems like forever). I was 19 years old the first time I made this bird and... it was the first time I ever made a turkey. The bird looked so delicious when it came out of the oven my uncle (a hunter) grabbed me and kissed me on the cheek. It tasted just as good as it looked, super moist and flavorful. I make this turkey every year now and it's always as good as the first time I made it. It's definitely NOT my grandmother's turkey.Read more
recipe Good Eats Roast Turkey
Jennifer Fairfax, VA 01-25-2010
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Awesome
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I made my first turkey for Thanksgiving last year (2009) and i made Alton's turkey. It was so good that not a single bit was... left over (and i made 2 turkeys). Although i was very flattered by all the compliments, i was sad that i didn't have left overs. Read more
recipe Good Eats Roast Turkey
Barbara Vernon, FL 01-23-2010
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Best Turkey Ever
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

Made this turkey Thanksgiving, my family loved it. This will be my only Turkey recipe. Thanks Alton,
recipe Good Eats Roast Turkey
Bonnie Orleans, VT 01-23-2010
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Best Turkey Ever but...
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This is certainly the best turkey I've ever made and certainly worth the extra work. Only comment is that at 500 degrees,... the juices burned in the pan and created a lot of smoke. I added extra water in the pan which took care of the problem.Read more
recipe Good Eats Roast Turkey
d destin, FL 01-23-2010
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The Best of the Best!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

The rating speaks for itself. I followed the recipe exactly. Amazingly moist leftover meat--no dried out turkey sandwich... here. Try it once, you'll never try another.Read more