Good Eats Roast Turkey-Alton Brown

By amaliana

Ingredients

• For the brine:
• 1 14 to 16-pound frozen young turkey
• 1 gallon vegetable stock
• 1 cup kosher salt
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 1 1/2 teaspoons allspice berries
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped candied ginger
• 1 gallon heavily iced water
• For the aromatics:
• 1 red apple, quartered
• 1/2 onion quartered
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 cup water
• 4 sprigs rosemary
• 6 leaves sage
• Canola oil, for coating

Details

Servings 10
Preparation time 40mins
Cooking time 245mins

Preparation

Step 1

1. Two to three days before roasting: Begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or cooler kept at 38 Degrees. Combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve the solids and bring to a boil. Remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature and refrigerate.

2. The night before or early on the day you'd like to eat: Combine the brine, water and ice in a 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey(with the innards removed) breast-side down in the brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed. Cover and refrigerate or set in a cool area for 8 to 16 hours, turning the turkey once halfway through brining.

3. Preheat the oven to 500F. Remove the bird from the brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine. Place the bird on a roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels.

4. Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick and 1 cup of water in a microwave-safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add the steeped aromatics to the turkey's cavity along with the rosemary annd sage. Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with canola oil.

5. Roast the turkey on the lowest level of the oven at 500F for 30 minutes. Insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350F. Set the thermometer alarm(if available) to 161 degreees. A 14-to16-pound bird should require a total of 2 hours to 2 hours, 30 minutes roasting.Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl, for 15 minutes before carving.