Looking for the best way to cook a turkey? Try this recipe that always results in a perfectly seasoned and juicy turkey. Use your own judgment for vegetable amounts, etc. I usually err on the side of more is better!
Ingredients
- whole turkey, neck and giblets removed: 1 piece (18 pound)
- kosher salt: 2 cups
- butter: 0.5 cup (melted, divided)
- onions: 2 piece (chopped, divided)
- carrots: 4 piece (chopped, divided)
- stalks celery: 4 piece (chopped, divided)
- sprigs fresh thyme: 2 piece (divided)
- bay leaf: 1 piece
- dry white wine: 1 cup
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Rub turkey inside and out with kosher salt; place in a large stockpot and cover with cold water. Cover and refrigerate to allow turkey to soak in brine solution for 12 hours, or overnight.
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Thoroughly rinse the turkey; discard the brine mixture. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
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Brush turkey with 1/2 of the melted butter. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
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Place breast-side down on a roasting rack in a shallow roasting pan. Stuff turkey cavity with 1/2 the onion, 1/2 the carrots, 1/2 the celery, 1 sprig of thyme, and bay leaf. Scatter remaining vegetables and thyme in the bottom of the roasting pan; pour white wine over vegetables. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
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Roast turkey in the preheated oven, uncovered, until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Carefully turn turkey breast-side up about 2/3 through the roasting time, and brush with remaining butter. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone, should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
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Allow turkey to rest for 30 minutes before carving. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
