Traditional Roast Turkey

INGREDIENTS

16 lbs

14 to 16-pound frozen natural, young turkey

1 gal

vegetable broth, homemade or canned

1 cup

kosher salt

1/2 cup

packed brown sugar, light or dark

1 tbsp

whole black peppercorns

1 1/2 tsp

allspice berries

1 1/2 tbsp

candied ginger, chopped

1 gal

water, iced

Ice

Canola oil, for roasting

NOTES

We have had good success brining for up to 2 days vs. the recommended 8-16 hours. The brine will work fine without the allspice berries and candied ginger. We use a roasting pan with a lid vs. the foil shield approach that Alton Brown outlines: do the 500 degree portion of the cooking with the lid off and the remainder with lid on. It is critical to remove the bird from the oven when the internal temp reaches 155 and to let it rest for at least 15 minutes before carving to ensure moistness. Williams Sonoma brining mix works really well. We use a small cooler for the brining process.

Chandler Horsley • 2018-11-03