Perfect Turkey

By á-482

From Saveur magazine no. 106

Ingredients

• Brine:
• 1 Cup Kosher Salt
• 1/3 Cup Dark Brown Sugar, packed
• 1/3 Cup Ancho Chile Powder
• 8 Cups Apple Cider
• 35 Cloves Garlic
• 4 Granny Smith Apples, cored and coarsely chopped
• 4 Quarts Water
• Turkey:
• 12 - 14 lb Turkey
• 3 Large Celery Ribs, halved crosswise
• 3 Large Carrots, halved crosswise
• 3 Large Yellow Onions, cut into 1/2" rounds
• 2 Granny Smith Apple, cored and coarsely chopped
• 2 Cups Basil Leaves, lightly packed
• 4 cups Dry White Wine
• 4 Tablespoons softened Butter

Details

Servings 10

Preparation

Step 1

1 day before serving, brine the Turkey, calculating 1 hour per pound. In a large plastic brining bag or stockpot, combine 1 cup kosher salt, 1/3 packed cup dark brown sugar and 1/3 cup ancho chili powder. In a food processor, puree 2 cups fresh apple cider, 35 cloves garlic and 4 unpeeled, cored and coarsely chopped Granny Smith apples. Add pureed mixture to brining bag along with 6 cups apple cider and 4 quarts of cold water. Whisk to dissolve the salt and sugar. Put the Turkey into the brining bag and pack in ice, in a large cooler.

Remove one rack from your oven and preheat to 450 degrees. In a large, shallow roasting pan, add 3 ribs of celery, 3 large carrots and three large yellow onions, cut into 1/2 in slices so that the vegetables become the rack for the Turkey. Scatter 1 unpeeled, cored and coarsely chopped Granny Smith apple and 1 1/2 lightly packed cups of fresh basil. Add 4 cups of dry white wine to cover the bottom of the pan to a depth of 1/2 inch.

Remove the Turkey from the brine and pat dry with paper towels. Position the Turkey, breast down, into the pan and tuck 1 unpeeled, cored and coarsely chopped Granny Smith apple and 1/2 lightly packed cup of basil into the cavity. Dot the Turkey with 4 Tablespoons of butter and generously dust with fresh-ground black pepper. Begin roasting.

As the bird cooks, baste it with pan juices every 20 minutes. After 1 hour, remove the roasting pan from the oven and, using two oven mitts, carefully rotate the Turkey, breast side up. Baste and return the pan to the oven. Continue to baste every 20 minutes until an instant read thermometer, inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, exceeds 165 degrees. Tent the Turkey as it approaches the desired color, approximately 90 minutes. Add additional wine to the pan, as it evaporates. Approximate cooking time: 10 minutes per pound.

When the Turkey is done, extract clear fats from the pan to use in making your gravy.