Recipe courtesy of
Amanda Neal
for
Food Network Kitchen
Recipe courtesy of
Amanda Neal
for
Food Network Kitchen
Watch how to make this recipe.
Buttermilk Ranch Roast Turkey
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- Level: Easy
- Total: 12 hr (includes brining)
- Active: 45 min
- Yield: 8 servings
This moist, tender turkey has picture-perfect browned skin and is packed with the crowd-pleasing flavor of ranch seasoning. You won’t want to wait until Thanksgiving to make this bird and our trick to giving it maximum ranch flavor is to infuse it with the seasoning in three ingenious ways. First, the turkey is brined in a tangy buttermilk mixture loaded with fresh herbs, onion and garlic and a generous amount of ranch seasoning. The buttermilk tenderizes the meat, and the ranch flavors the bird from the inside out. Then the turkey is brushed with ranch-infused butter before roasting to encourage browning. Lastly the whole bird is basted with prepared ranch dressing halfway through roasting, adding even more flavor to the skin. The result is a beautifully tender and juicy turkey with deeply browned, incredibly tasty skin.
- Level: Easy
- Total: 12 hr (includes brining)
- Active: 45 min
- Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients
Turkey and Brine:
Roasting:
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Directions
Special equipment:
kitchen twine; an instant-read thermometer- For the turkey and brine: Brings 2 cups of water, 1 cup salt, the brown sugar, halved garlic head and thyme sprigs to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the salt and sugar, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and add 6 cups cold water; let cool to room temperature. Whisk the buttermilk, sliced onion, parsley and ranch seasoning in a large bowl, then whisk in the salt-sugar mixture. Place the turkey in a brining bag or extra-large pot. Pour the brine over the turkey, seal or cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.
- For roasting: Position an oven rack in the lowest part of the oven; remove the other racks and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Set a roasting rack in a large roasting pan. Remove the turkey from the brine, letting the excess drip off as much as possible, and place the bird breast-side-up on the rack. Pat the turkey dry; discard the brine. Let the turkey sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Season the cavity of the turkey with 2 teaspoons of salt and several grinds of black pepper, then stuff the cavity with the onion, garlic, thyme and parsley. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine. Tuck the wings under the body. Stir the melted butter and ranch seasoning packet together in a small bowl. Season the outside of the turkey all over with 1 teaspoon of salt and several grinds of black pepper, then brush all over with the ranch butter.
- Roast the turkey until it starts to turn golden brown all over, about 1 1/2 hours. Brush the skin with the prepared ranch dressing. Continue roasting until the turkey is a deep golden-brown color and an instant-read thermometer registers 155 degrees F when inserted in the thickest part of the thigh, another 45 minutes to 1 hour. It will carry over closer to 165 degrees once it has time to rest. Transfer the turkey to a cutting board and let rest 30 minutes before carving.
