I don’t think there is something more festive than having a juicy roast turkey on special occasions. It’s a classic special dish that you don’t just serve on an ordinary day. So here’s my special recipe you can try at home:
Juicy Roast Turkey
Print RecipeIngredients
- Turkey Ingredients
- 1 medium-sized whole turkey
- Herb butter, for basting
- Brine Ingredients
- 1 litre of water for dissolving the sugar and salt
- 3 cups of salt
- 1 ½ cups of sugar
- 3 cups of chicken or turkey stock
- ½ cup of fresh peppercorns
- 5 bay leaves
- 2 cups of mixed fresh herbs, rosemary, thyme, sage, oregano, on the stem, no need to chop
- 3 to 4 litres of cold water
- 1 medium bag of ice
- Turkey Stuffing Ingredients
- 2 lemons, quartered
- 2 apples, quartered
- 2 red onions, quartered
- 2 celery stalks, 4-inch-long pieces
- Handful fresh herb
Instructions
- In a large soup pot, mix 1 litre of water, salt, sugar, broth and spices and heat over high heat. Continue stirring until the sugar and salt dissolve. Bring it to a boil and set it aside to cool to room temperature.
- Place the turkey gently inside a large cooler or bucket and pour in the remaining 3 to 4 litres of water, along with the sugar-salt solution. Mix well. Add the bag of ice.
- Cover and place in a cool room for at least 2 hours. You can leave the turkey to brine for about 8 hours if you want to make it in the morning and forget about it until you get home from work or even the night before – make sure it’s completely sealed and remains cool.
- Now you are ready to toast.
- Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius.
- Remove the turkey from the cooler and discard the brine mix. Next, rinse the bird well under cool, running water. Pat dry with some paper towel, then place on clean cutting board and stuff all stuffing ingredients into the turkey’s cavity.
- Holding the drumstick bones together tightly, breast-side up, tie the 2 drumstick bones together with cooking string. Rub the softened herbed butter under the skin. Do not puncture the skin.
- Put the turkey in a large roasting pan on a rack, so it doesn’t touch the bottom of the pan. If your roasting pan doesn’t have a built-in elevated rack, roll about 3 logs of foil and place the turkey on that, so it’s slightly elevated.
- If you have a meat thermometer, jab it into the meatiest part of the turkey, usually the thigh. Then, place the roasting pan onto the lower rack of the preheated oven for 30 minutes. The turkey will be raw but start to harden and very lightly brown. Take out, cover with foil and return to the oven for another 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes.
- With a baster, spread the drippings all over the turkey. Then, return to the oven again, covered, for 30 minutes.
- Remove and re-baste for the last round and uncover for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Make an incision in the thigh and ensure it’s no longer pink to check it’s cooked through.
- Take out the turkey from the oven and rest for at least 30 minutes. Remove the string and transfer to a serving platter. Serve with the sauce or simple gravy on the side.
