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 (2723)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(2723)

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
Beth Austin, TX 12-22-2009
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Moistest turkey ever!!!.....and I don't even brine it
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I've used this recipe for 3 years and it always always always come out very moist and perfect---even without the brining... step. This past Thanksgiving, I added a lemon into the aromatics b/c my husband saw another cooking show where they did that. You couldn't taste the lemon, but it was even juicier than I remember in the past. I also didn't have cinammon sticks so I just added some ground cinammon to the water and put that in the microwave. So good! You can't go wrong with this recipe. Read more
recipe Good Eats Roast Turkey
Melody Savannah, TX 12-19-2009
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Yummy & FUN!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I had never cooked a turkey in my life and volunteered to do so for my husband's family the first year we were married. ... SUPER easy and so loved that the bird travels in a bucket. How awesome is that? Totaly tripped the in-laws :-). Everyone loved it, 'best ever'. After 'bucket shock', I have snce become desiganted 'turkey cook' every year. I sub extra ground ginger since I haven't found the candied kind. Keep an eye on it while at 500 deg. Otherwise you will get lots of smoke. Thanks a million, Alton!Read more
recipe Good Eats Roast Turkey
Annette West Portsmouth, OH 12-16-2009
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good eats roast turkey
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

it came out really great and moist,the only problem i had is having to make the vegetable stock and candied ginger myself... because i couldn't find it any place Read more
recipe Good Eats Roast Turkey
David Boise, ID 12-15-2009
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Absolutely Perfect
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I have always enjoyed cooking, but turkey has been the perpetual disappointment. I tried this recipe because it looked like... fun and something I had never tried before (brine, turning the oven up to 500, etc.). It was amazing! My wife, who used to claim she hated turkey, now looks forward to it. I have even been volunteered by the in-laws to make Christmas dinner. And I'm excited to do it! Thanks Alton.Read more
recipe Good Eats Roast Turkey
Ryan Elk Grove, CA 12-15-2009
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Great Tasting and Moist
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

Its a great all around turkey. The brine is the only way to go and not stuffing a turkey is great (as I have gotten sick... from my grandma's stuffing twice in the past.Read more
recipe Good Eats Roast Turkey
Clementine Columbus, OH 12-15-2009
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Fall off the bone!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

Used this Brine for my turkey this year, and after only a few hours it was done! I always use a bag as well, just to make... clean up easier, left the bag open for the 1st 20 to 30 mins and then just closed it. After letting the Turkey rest for about a half hour we went to carve it, as soon as we put the fork in the leg just fell off...we didn't even need to use the knife to carve the turkey at all!Read more