The Best Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe
The bay leaf-black pepper dry rub on this roasted turkey is truly the Best Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe I've ever made. This recipe will walk you step-by-step on how to make the turkey for your Thanksgiving dinner absolute perfection.
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Servings: 10
Calories: 168kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup kosher salt
- 1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
- 14 dried bay leaves, 10 crushed, 4 left whole
- 1 12-16 pound whole fresh or frozen turkey, neck and giblets removed
- 3/4 cup olive oil, divided
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1-2 cups aromatics, like onion, garlic, celery leaves, fresh herbs, etc. for stuffing inside the turkey
Instructions
- Brine the turkey. Combine 2/3 cup kosher salt, 1 tablespoon black pepper and 10 crushed bay leaves in a small bowl. Remove turkey neck and giblets (the package of heart, liver, and kidneys) and save for making gravy. If the legs are being held together with plastic, cut that off and remove. Pat inside and outside of the turkey dry with paper towels. If the wings are not tucked behind the turkey's back do that now. Set turkey on a baking sheet lined with a rack. Rub the salt mixture all over the turkey, inside and out, back and front. You don't need to worry about getting it under the skin though. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 24 hours and up to 48 hours.
- Make the basting elixir. Remove turkey from refrigerator 1 hour before roasting. Combine 1/2 cup of the olive oil, 1 cup wine and 4 whole bay leaves in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Prep turkey for roasting. Heat oven to 325°F and arrange rack in the lowest position. Drizzle remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil all over turkey. Stuff turkey cavity with some aromatics this can be whatever you have that you are already prepping. Celery leaves, fresh herbs, a head of garlic, onion, just something to perfume the inside of the turkey. Place turkey in a rack set over a roasting pan and tie legs together with twine.
- Roast turkey. Place turkey, legs first into the oven (if it will fit this way. If not, just put it in sideways and make sure to rotate from side to side). Roast for 30 minutes, then spoon the basting elixir over the top and legs, rotate pan and return to oven. Continue rotating pan and basting every 30 minutes, for 3 hours or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh without touching any bone reads 165°F. The cooking time will vary depending on the size of the turkey. If it is a little less than 165°F, that's okay it will continue to cook after you take it out of the oven.
- Let rest. Remove from oven and let sit 30 minutes before carving.
- Carve. Before you ever carve a turkey make sure you transfer it to a cutting board with a moat to collect the juices. Remove the breast meat as a whole piece then slice the turkey breast into individual slices. Remove the thigh and drumstick as two whole pieces. Slice the thigh meat and leave the drumstick whole or slice that as well if large.
- Serve! Arrange all the pieces on a warm platter, spoon up any sauce from the cutting board and spoon over the turkey and serve.
Notes
- Make Ahead: You can roast and carve the turkey up to a day in advance. Make the turkey all the way through, carve it then put the pieces back in the roasting pan, add a bit of turkey stock or chicken broth, cover with foil and refrigerate until you're almost ready to eat. Rewarm covered in a 350°F-400°F oven for 30 minutes right before dinner, arrange on a platter and serve.
- Thermometer Placement: Check temperature in two distinct areas: the deepest part of the breast (target 150°F–155°F) and the thickest part of the thigh away from the bone (target 165°F). Breast meat dries out quickly once it passes 160°F.
- Carryover Cooking: Pull the bird when the thigh reads 160°F. During the mandatory 30-minute rest, residual heat will carry the internal temperature right up to the USDA-safe 165°F without draining moisture.
- Do Not Tent Tightly with Foil: While resting, leave the bird un-tented or loosely drape foil over the top like a loose tent.Tightly wrapping foil traps escaping steam and softens the crisp skin you spent two days achieving.