Thanksgiving Turkey

By Dianewaldron

Roasted turkey for holiday dinners. Recipe is from Michael Symon's Turkey 101: The Best Turkey Yet.

Ingredients

• 1 10-pound turkey (neck & gizzards reserved)
• 2 T kosher salt
• 1 head of garlic, halved through its equator
• 4 sprigs of fresh oregano
• 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 1 lemon, quartered
• 1 onion, peeled and quartered
• 1 fennel bulb, quartered
• 1/4 C picked fennel fronds
• 8 T (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/4 C chicken stock or turkey stock or water

Details

Cooking time 120mins

Preparation

Step 1

The Day Before Roasting: Rinse the turkey inside and out with cold water, set on a clean kitchen towel, and pat dry. Season the turkey inside and out with the salt. Wrap the turkey in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours.

The Day of Roasting: Remove the turkey from the refrigerator 1 to 2 hours prior to roasting to bring to room temperature.

Preheat the oven to **425 degrees (see below) with the oven rack set to the lowest rung.

In the turkey's neck cavity, place a few cloves of the garlic, a few sprigs of oregano, a few sprigs of thyme, and a quarter of the lemon. Wrap the neck skin over and around the cavity to enclose the seasoning ingredients. In the body cavity, place half of the remaining garlic, half of the onion, half of the fennel, the fennel fronds, 2 lemon quarters, and half of the remaining oregano and thyme. Place the turkey, breast side up, on a rack set into a large roasting pan. Fold the wings and tuck the tips underneath the bird.

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the remaining garlic, onion, fennel, lemon, oregano, and thyme to the pot with the stock or water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat so that the liquid simmers, and continue to food at a low simmer for 10 minutes. **Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. When cool enough to handle, soak a double layer of cheesecloth big enough to cover the bird in the butter mixture and drape over the breast and legs o the turkey. Pour the remaining contents of the pan over the bird, pushing the pieces of the vegetable and herbs in the bottom of the roasting pan. Add the neck and gizzards to the bottom of the roasting pan.

**Place the turkey in the oven and roast for 45 minutes (there will be the distinct possibility of smoke depending on how clean your oven is). Turn the oven temperature down to 375 degrees, and continue to roast for another 15 to 20 minutes (removing the cheesecloth for the final 10 minutes to brown, if needed), or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a thigh registers 160 degrees. Remove the turkey from the oven and allow to rest for 20 minutes before carving.

**Alternate method: Use a basting brush to coat the bird with the butter mixture and roast at 325 degrees, brushing the butter mixture on the turkey every 30 to 40 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a thigh registers 160 degrees. Cover with foil if bird begins to brown, especially on the wings and legs. Calculate cooking time at butterball.com. Use gizzards and neck for gravy recipe.