Roasting the Turkey – my favorite part and the riskiest part! There is a lot of pressure to ensure the Turkey turns out fabulous. A couple years ago I brined for 24 hours and it literally fell of the bone as we were taking it out of the oven. It was fabulous! This year, I will brine again and not use salt (I don’t care for the taste of salt).
ORGANIC INGREDIENTS
4 quarts water
2 quarts apple cider
3 whole bay leaves
1 t ground cloves
1 t ground allspice
1 T poultry seasoning
1 T whole allspice
1 T whole cloves
1 T black peppercorns
1/2 cu kosher salt
2-3 cu chicken broth
DIRECTIONS
Boil all ingredients for 5 minutes and let cool. Place turkey in a bpa-free roasting pan and pour room temperature brine over the turkey. Cover with lid and place in refrigerator or outside if cold enough and no local wildlife! Brine 1 hour per pound (thus our 26 pound turkey will brine for 26 hours). Turn turkey every so often to ensure juices absorb around entire turkey.
Remove the turkey from the brine and rinse well under cold water. Pat dry with paper towels, inside and out. Season lightly inside and out with salt and pepper. Stuff the turkey with apples, onion, orange, celery, carrot, bay leaves, and thyme. Loosely tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wings. Add 1 cup chicken broth. Optional for self-basting while roasting: slip Organic butter under the skin.
Roast your turkey for 1 hour per 5 pounds (thus our 26 pound turkey will roast for 5+ hours). Place turkey breast side up in a bpa-free roasting pan, uncovered. Brown the skin at 450 for ~45 minutes to seal in juices. Remove from oven and baste with 1 cup of chicken stock. Flip breast side down. Lower to 325 degrees and roast for 1 hour. Remove from oven and baste with 1 cup of chicken stock. Flip breast side up and roast for remaining time. Baste once every hour (optional as this fluctuates oven temperature). If your turkey starts to overbrown, cover those areas in tinfoil to avoid burning. Your turkey is done when the largest section of thigh (avoiding the bone) registers 165 degrees.
Remove from the oven and place on a platter. Let the turkey sit for 30 – 60 minutes (no worries – it will stay oven hot). Do not tent or cover the turkey with foil as this will make the skin soft. Remove the wish bone first, pop off legs, cut the breasts and le voila your carved turkey.