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Ingredients
- 16 to 18 - 16 to 18 pound turkey
- 1.5 - 1.5 cups kosher salt
- 1.2 - 1.2 cup dark brown sugar
- - 6oz can frozen orange juice concentrate
- 1 - 1 gallon water
- 1 - 1 gallon ice cubes
- - canola oil
Details
Servings 10
Preparation
Step 1
To brine the turkey: Dissolve the salt, sugar, and juice concentrate in 1 quart of hot water. Cool the solution with 3 quarts of cold water. Remove the giblets from the turkey interior and place in the cooler. Pour in the brine mixture to cover. IF the bird is not completely submerged, add more liquid (use canned chicken broth, if possible).
Cover with ice, close the lid, and soak the turkey for 6 to 8 hours (exact soak time will vary per your taste. Start with 6 hours and make changes to subsequent birds).
When the bird has 30 minutes left to soak, move the oven rack to the lowest level and preheat the over to 500F. Remove the turkey from the brine and pat dry with paper towels. Rub the turkey liberally with canola oil. (Be sure to get all the nooks and crannies around the wings.) Discard the brine and thoroughly wash the cooler. Place the turkey on a roasting rack inside 2 disposable aluminum roasting pans.
Roast at 500F for 30 minutes. Remove the bird from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 350F.
Cover the turkey breast with a double layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil foil folded into a triangle. Insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the breast (push it right through the foil) and set the thermometer to 161F. A 16- to 18-pound bird should arrive at the target temperature in 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Remove the turkey from the over, cover the bird and the pan loosely with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 15 minutes before carving.
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