To Brine or not to brine the turkey
December 9, 2007
Those of you who had perused my blog prior to “server interuptus”, know I had brining information courtsey of Cook’s Illustrated. It’s such good information that I am going to put it all in again. Call it good typing practise.
All-purpose guide to roasting turkey.
Quick Brine Overnight Brine
Table Salt 1 cup 1/2 cup
Regrigeration time 4-6 hours 12 hours (max 14)
Use the brining formulas below no matter the size of your turkey. 2 gallons of water will be sufficient for most birds. Larger birds may require 3 gallons.
Use the times below as guidelines. Gauge doneness according to internal temperatures. Roast the turkey until the legs move freely and the thickest part of the breast registers 165 degrees and the thickest part of the thigh registers 170-175 degrees on an instant read thermometer.
If cooking an 18-22 pound bird you may choose not to rotate the bird. In that case, roast it breast-side up for the entire cooking time.
12-15 lb. 15-18 lb. 18-22 lb.
# of servings 10-12 14-16 20-22
Oven Temp. 400 deg. 400 deg. 425;reduce to 325 after 1 hr
Breast side down 45 min. 45 min. 1 hour
Breast side up 50-60 min. 1 hr., 15 min. 2 hours
Resting time 30 min. 30 min. 35-40 min.
Rotating the bird from a breast-side down position to a breast-side up position midway through cooking helps to produce evenly cooked dark and white meat. If making gravy, scatter 1 cup each of coarsely chopped onion, celery, and carrot as well as several fresh thyme springs in the roasting pan at the outset. Add 1 cup water to keep the vegetables from burning.
1. Dissolve desired amount of salt (see table above) in cold water. Add turkey and refrigerate for predetermined amount of time.
2. Before removing turkey from the brine, adjust oven rack to lowest position; heat oven to 400 degrees (or 425 degrees – see above). Set large V-rack into large roasting pan.
3. Remove turkey from brine and rinse well under cool running water. Pat dry inside and out with paper towels. Tuck tips of drumsticks into skin at tail to secure; tuck wing tips behind back. Brush turkey breast with 2 tablespoons butter. Set turkey breast-side down on V-rack. Brush back with remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Roast for the times listed above.
4. Remove roasting pan with turkey from oven (make sure you shut the oven door to retain heat). If using a 18-22 lb. bird, remember to reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees at this point. Otherwise, leave the temp. at 400 degrees. Using clean potholders or kitchen towels, rotate turkey breast-side up; continue to roast until done (breast 165 degrees, thigh, 170-175 degrees). Move turkey to a carving board and let rest appropriate amount of time. Don’t skip the rest period and do rest it the recommended period of time. Resting allows for the redistribution and absorption of the juices in the meat. Carve and serve.
Get Updates by Email
I’ve invited the whole family to ours this xmas for a big dinner, so obviously the roast is pretty central to that.. I found a lot of recipes at this roast recipe site, but cant decide on one in particular – there’s so many to choose from! It’s fun planning such a big christmas dinner though!
Thanks for finding the great roast recipe site, although I’d NEVER use margarine! Butter not only tastes so much better, it is better for you too! K