{{ :recipes:roasted_brined_turkey_043.jpg?direct&200|}} ====== Brined Roasted Turkey ====== /* Description */ **Why This Recipe Works** Big birds and small birds, kosher birds, and self-basting birds—with all of these choices, and more, on the market, how can the home cook make the right choice and then know how to make turkey properly? Our roasted turkey recipe allows for a brined or an unbrined turkey (we found you should never brine a kosher or a self-basting bird because it will become too salty) and for a turkey brined for four hours or overnight (the shorter the soak, the saltier the brine). It also provides timing and temperature guidelines for small (12- to 15-pound), medium (15- to 18-pound), and large (18- to 22-pound) birds (large birds get a hotter oven to start out, then a cooler oven to let them cook through without burning the skin). {(rater>id=100|name=Brined Roasted Turkey|type=rate|headline=off)} |**Preheat:** 400°|**Yield:** 1 turkey|| |**Prep:** 0:15|**Wait:** 0:00|**Cook:** (See table)| ====== Ingredients ====== - turkey, (12 to 22 pounds gross weight), rinsed thoroughly, giblets and neck reserved for gravy, if making - 4tablespoons unsalted butter, melted ====== Directions ====== * Dissolve 1 cup salt per gallon cold water for 4- to 6-hour brine or 1/2 cup salt per gallon cold water for 12- to 14-hour brine in large stockpot or clean bucket. Two gallons of water will be sufficient for most birds; larger birds may require three gallons. Add turkey and refrigerate for predetermined amount of time. * Before removing turkey from brine, adjust oven rack to lowest position; heat oven to 400 degrees for 12- to 18-pound bird or 425 degrees for 18- to 22-pound bird. Line large V-rack with heavy-duty foil and use paring knife or skewer to poke 20 to 30 holes in foil; set V-rack in large roasting pan. * 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, and tuck wing tips behind back. Brush turkey breast with 2 tablespoons butter. Set turkey breast-side down on prepared V-rack; brush back with remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Roast 45 minutes for 12- to 18-pound bird or 1 hour for 18- to 22-pound bird. * Remove roasting pan with turkey from oven (close oven door to retain oven heat); reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees if roasting 18- to 22-pound bird. Using clean potholders or kitchen towels, rotate turkey breast-side up; continue to roast until thickest part of breast registers 165 degrees and thickest part of thigh registers 170 to 175 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 50 to 60 minutes longer for 12- to 15-pound bird, about 1 1/4 hours for 15- to 18-pound bird, or about 2 hours longer for 18- to 22-pound bird. Transfer turkey to carving board; let rest 30 minutes (or up to 40 minutes for 18- to 22-pound bird). Carve and serve. ^Size^1st Temp^1st Time^2nd Temp^2nd Time^Rest^ |12-15 lb|400°|0:45|400°|0:55-0:60|0:30| |15-18 lb|400°|0:45|400°|1:15-0:60|0:30| |18-22 lb|425°|0:60|325°|0:55-2:00|0:40| ====== Notes ====== **NOTE FROM THE TEST KITCHEN** We offer two brine formulas: one for a 4- to 6-hour brine and another for a 12- to 14-hour brine. The amount of salt used in each brine does not change with turkey size. If you’re roasting a kosher or self-basting turkey, do not brine it; it already contains a good amount of sodium. 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 you’re roasting a large (18- to 22-pound) bird and are reluctant to rotate it, skip the step of lining the V-rack with foil and roast the bird breast-side up for the full time. If making gravy, scatter 1 cup each of coarsely chopped onion, celery, and carrot as well as several fresh thyme sprigs in the roasting pan at the outset; add 1 cup water to keep the vegetables from burning. /* Nutrition block - remove the slash-asterisk and asterisk-slash from just above and below the following block */ /* ====== Nutrition ====== |Calories (kcal): ||Fat Calories (kcal): |Cholesterol (mg): | |Fat (g): |Saturated Fat (g): |Mono Fat (g): |Poly Fat (g): | |Protein (g): |Carbohydrates (g): |Sodium (mg): |Fiber (g): | */ {{tag>Recipes Holiday MainDish/Poultry AmericasTestKitchen }} /* Recipe Tags - Copy and paste tags from the list below to the tag list in the above line, replacing the "TagsNeeded" tag and separated by spaces. */ /* ---Recipe Types--- Appetizer Beverage Beverage/Cocktail Bread Bread/Muffin Bread/Quickbread Brines-Marinades-Rubs Breakfast Casserole Canning-Freezing Condiment CrockPot Dessert/Bar-Brownie Dessert/Cake Dessert/Cake/Frosting Dessert/Candy-Chocolate Dessert/Crisp-Buckle Dessert/Cookie Dessert/Custard-Curd Dessert/IceCream Dessert/IceCream/Topping Dessert/Pie Dip-Spread Entertaining Fondue Grilling-BBQ Holiday MainDish/Poultry AmericasTestKitchen Kid-Friendly MainDish MainDish/Beef MainDish/Poultry AmericasTestKitchen MainDish/Pork MainDish/Seafood Pasta Pizza Roast Salad Salad/Dressing Sandwich Sauce/Gravy Seasoning Side Snack Soup Stew-Braise Stir-Fry Vegetarian ---Recipe Cuisines--- American American/Cajun-Creole American/Southern American/TexMex Asian Asian/Chinese Asian/Indian Asian/Japanese Asian/Korean Asian/Thai Asian/Vietnamese European European/Belgian European/Czech European/Dutch European/English European/French European/German European/Greek European/Polish European/Irish European/Italian European/Portuguese European/Russian European/Scandinavian European/Spanish European/Swiss Latin Latin/Brazilian Latin/Mexican MiddleEastern MiddleEastern/Ethiopian MiddleEastern/Jewish MiddleEastern/Lebanese ---Recipe Sources--- 365Recipes 365Recipes/Grilling 365Recipes/Chicken 365Recipes/Pasta AmericasTestKitchen AmericasTestKitchen/CooksCountry AmericasTestKitchen/CooksIllustrated BetterHomesGarden Bon Appetit Chowhound FineCooking FoodWine GoodEats Gourmet HDawson AMarcos DMarcos JMarcos KMarcos JPhalen ---Recipe Ratings--- 5★ 4★ 3★ 2★ 1★ No★ ---Recipe Alerts--- RecipeNeeded RecipeIncomplete RecipeWrong RecipeFails TagsNeeded */ ~~DISCUSSION~~