Any good turkey starts with a good brine!

Brine

Ingredients

  • 1 – 3 Star anise (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
  • 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
  • 1 tablespoon Dried Thyme
  • 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
  • 1 tablespoon dried sage
  • 1 tablespoon peppercorns (you can crush them if you want)
  • 5 whole bay leaves (optional)
  • 1 to 1.5 cups of sea salt
  • 2 onions
  • 2 leeks
  • 2 – 3 celery sticks

Instructions

  1. In a pot of water roughly 4 to 5 cups. Get it nice and hot and mix the following ingredients.
    • 1 to 1.5 cups of sea salt
  2. After the salt is dissolved, Turn off the heat and add the following:
    • 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
    • 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
    • 1 tablespoon Dried Thyme
    • 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
    • 1 tablespoon dried sage
    • 1 tablespoon peppercorns (you can crush them if you want)
    • 5 whole bay leaves (optional)
  3. Let the water cool down.
  4. After its cooled down mix it in a 5 gal bucket (clean) with a couple gallans of cold water.
  5. Throw in the following:
    • 1 – 3 Star anise (optional)
    • 2 onions, cut in chunks
    • 2 leeks, cut in chunks
    • 2 – 3 celery sticks, cut in chunks
  6. Place the turkey in the water. If you need to, add more water to cover turkey. The turkey should float barely.
  7. Let it chill in refrigerator temps (35f) for a couple days.

Herb-Roasted Turkey

Ingredients

  • 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 6 cups chicken stock
  • 3 large carrots, cut into chunks
  • 3 large stalks celery, cut into chunks
  • 2 large onions, cut into chunks

Instructions

  1. Make herb-butter: Combine the butter, parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme in a food processor and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
  2. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
  3. Put 4 cups of the chicken stock in a medium saucepan and keep warm over low heat. If you have no plans for your gizzards, put them in the pot with the stock. They will get cooked after 1 hr or so and you can munch on delicious gizzards.
  4. Season the cavity of the turkey with salt and pepper and fill the cavity with half of the carrots, celery, and onions. Rub the entire turkey with the herb butter and season LIBERALLY with salt and pepper.
  5. Scatter the remaining vegetables on the bottom of a large roasting pan. Fit a rack over the vegetables and put the turkey on top of the rack. Pour the remaining 2 cups stock into the bottom of the roasting pan and carefully put the pan in the oven. Roast until the turkey is light golden brown, about 45 minutes. Do not open the oven, leave it alone.
  6. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and continue roasting, basting with the warm chicken stock every 15 minutes.
  7. Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thigh registers 160°F, about 2 1/2 hours longer. Guesstimate about 15 minutes of cooking time per 1 lb of turkey.
  8. Let your turkey rest! Poor thing had a tough time getting cooked. Rest for 30 minutes or so, covered in foil if possible, to keep it moist.
  9. Strain the stock in the bottom of the roasting pan through a strainer lined with cheesecloth or paper towels into a medium saucepan. Discard the solids. Boil the stock until reduced to a sauce consistency. Arrange the turkey on a large platter and drizzle with the reduced stock. If you feel like it, you can add 1 tbsp of of cornstarch dissolved in 2 tbsp of cold water and mixed in with the hot liquid to thicken it. This makes a delish gravy.

After 3 days of hard work, your turkey is ready. Enjoy!