The time has come...turkey day is almost here. Do you know how to cook your dinner? Follow our easy instructions in our turkey roasting guide for a moist and delicious Thanksgiving dinner!
This turkey was cooked following all steps below!
TIMELINE
Tuesday: BRINE that bird!
Wednesday: Let it REST!
Thursday: Get COOKIN'!
If you follow us on Facebook and Instagram, you can see our stories and reels for a step-by-step guide on this process, starting at 10 AM on Tuesday. Have questions? Send us a message on social media and we will help as soon as possible! Even on Thanksgiving Day, we'll be posting updates and reading messages. Have the best Thanksgiving ever with Gaiss' Market!
BRINE
Let's start with the brine. Leaving your turkey in a brine for just one day creates an extremely juicy turkey. You'll want to use one cup of Kosher salt per gallon of water. Now, most people don't have an empty gallon jug hanging around...that's 16 cups of water. We like to add cloves, crushed whole garlic, one quartered onion, sliced apple, sliced orange, apple cider vinegar, sage, bay leaf, and one cinnamon stick. You can add anything you'd like. Add everything to a brine bag, squeeze the bag to release the air, and tie it tight. Store in the fridge for 24 hours, or longer.
REST
When the 24 hours are up, remove the bird from the brine and discard the brine. Dry the turkey very well. You need the turkey as dry as the desert! The brine moistened the turkey from the inside out...for crispy skin and a tasty turkey, the bird needs to be completely dry on the outside. Separate the skin from the body and dry underneath, dry on top, dry inside the cavity, etc. Line a baking sheet with a kitchen towel and put the turkey on top. Leave the turkey in the fridge, uncovered or covered with a kitchen towel, for 24 hours.
PREP
One hour before roasting (two hours for birds over 14 lbs), remove the turkey from the fridge and let it get to room temperature. Pat the turkey down again to ensure it is fully dry. Don't forget to dry under the skin. We like to stuff the cavity of the turkey with half an apple, half an orange, a quarter of an onion, and some cloves of garlic. Stuff closer to the neck cavity to prevent a longer cook time and tie the legs tight.
While that's coming to room temp, let 1-2 sticks of butter soften. For a larger bird, use 2-3 sticks. Once soft, combine the butter with poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper. Take the butter mixture and spread it under the skin of the turkey and on top. Massage the butter around to make sure it's evenly distributed.
Alternatively, for a very juicy turkey you can soak cheesecloth in melted butter, with white wine or this can be omitted, and roast on top of the bird. The photo in this blog is of a turkey that was roasted with the cheesecloth on top for most of the cooking. We still put butter under the skin of the bird. In the last half hour of cooking, the cheesecloth is discarded.
BASTE
We've tried basting and not basting our turkeys, and have found that if you are going to baste the bird it needs to be done every 30 minutes. If you don't want the hassle of basting, you can just omit this step. If you are using the cheesecloth method, baste after the first 45 minutes, then again in 30 minutes, then check every 60 minutes afterwards to make sure the cheesecloth is not burning.
COOK
Preheat your oven to 350°. Place the turkey on the rack of the roasting pan, breast side up, and add a cup of water to the bottom. Place into the oven for 45 minutes. For turkeys 8-16 lbs, after 45 minutes drop the temp to 250° and slow cook for 20-25 minutes per pound until the temp is 165° in the thickest part of the breast. For turkeys over 16 lbs, slow
roasting is not advised! Cook your turkey at 350° for 13-15 minutes per pound, or start at 450° for 30 minutes, then 350° for 10-12 minutes per pound.
USE A THERMOMETER! Insert into the thickest part of the thigh, avoiding the bones. The temp should be 180°. In the breast, the temp should be 165°
REST
This is THE most important step to make sure your turkey is moist. If you slice into the bird too early, you will loose all of the juices. Let the turkey rest 45-60 minutes before carving. Cover the turkey completely with foil during this time. You can also place a towel on top of the foil to really trap the heat inside.
CARVE and ENJOY!
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