The simple secret to a truly juicy roast turkey is to season the turkey with a rub a couple of days before roasting. This is called dry brining and it makes the flesh beautifully moist, and you can even do it while the turkey is still FROZEN!
It cooks faster, has crispy golden buttery skin, and your turkey is going to be so amazing it’s going to be remembered for years to come!!!
🍁 2020 Thanksgiving timeline🍁
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Start Thaw Fridge Thaw turkey 24 hrs per 2 kg / 4 lb (or quick thaw in water)
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Tuesday 24th Nov: Rub turkey with seasoning, wrap and refrigerate upside down
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Wednesday 25th Nov: Turn so turkey is right side up
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Thursday 26th Nov: THANKSGIVING! Roast for lunch or dinner
What you need to know
10 years ago, dry brining was still relatively unknown but these days it’s a pretty broadly known fact that dry brining yields superior results to wet brining as well as being far more practical.
Because I want to arm you with everything you need to make the ultimate perfect roast turkey, this is a fairly long post, covering off on (hopefully!) all your questions. So starting off with a summary:
Summary:
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Brining is the path to moist turkey flesh
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Dry brining is far more practical and easier than wet brining
- Partially thawed turkey can be dry brined – handy!
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Brine time:
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1 (bare minimum)
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2 – 3 days (ideal)
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4 days (extra day adds nothing)
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Works with turkey breast (2 days)
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Start turkey roast upside down for extra juicy breast
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Roast turkey cook time 12 minutes per 500g / 1 lb (brined turkey cooks faster)
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75°C / 165°F using a meat thermometer inserted between leg and thigh
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30 minutes resting essential!
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Served with turkey gravy or Cranberry Sauce
Juicy Roast Turkey Guide!
This is a long post, to arm those who are new to roasting turkey with all the information they need. For the experienced, you can skip straight to the recipe or the section you are interested in!
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Internal temperature of cooked turkey (and how to do it)
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Jump to Recipe
Brining = JUICY Roast Turkey
I think we can all agree that there is nothing more devastating than labouring for hours over the Thanksgiving or Christmas table centrepiece only to find that it’s dry – especially the breast meat. Even drowning it in gravy can’t completely compensate.
And in this day and age, there’s pretty much full consensus amongst all the greatest food authorities of the world that brining is the path to Juicy Roast Turkey. It doesn’t matter how much butter you use, whether you roast upside down, spin it around, baste 50 times – if you don’t brine, your turkey won’t be as moist.
Full stop. End of story!!
Take a close look at the turkey slice below – look how juicy it is!!!
What is brining?
Brining is the method whereby meat (turkey, in this case) is soaked in a salty water mixed with aromatics like bay leaves, peppercorns and garlic for a couple of days. This has the effect of trapping moisture in the flesh while it roasts, yielding super juicy turkey.
The method of soaking turkey in a giant bucket of salty water is called wet brining. Dry brining has the same effect, but is done by rubbing the turkey with a seasoned salt then left to “marinate” for a couple of days before roasting.
Dry brining is easier, more effective and tastier than wet brining!
Why dry brining is best
Wet Brining is more well known than Dry Brining. While both methods will yield a juicy roast turkey, there are a number of very important advantages of dry brining:
1. No mopping – I guarantee if you’re manhandling a bucket large enough for a 6 kg / 12 lb turkey AND bringing solution, there will be mopping involved at some stage…. Not to mention the question of whether your fridge has space for said bucket!! (Note: If you’re determined to wet brine, use your vegetable crisper! Genius idea from TheKitchn.)
2. The turkey tastes like turkey. Not water. One of the grievances of wet brining is that while the turkey is moist, the moisture tastes bland – not like turkey. Which makes sense, right? The turkey sucks in the brine and unless it is heavily flavoured with broth, the turkey is sucking in largely flavourless liquid. Whereas with dry brining, the turkey releases its own juices then sucks its own juices back in. Turkey on turkey flavour!
3. The roasting juices aren’t too salty to use for gravy. Another problem many people have with wet brined turkey is that the roasting juices can be too salty to use for gravy. You can compensate by plonking in raw potatoes into the gravy to suck out the salt, but….it’s just one more thing you can avoid by using dry brining!
4. You can start brining while the turkey is still partially frozen. It takes 3 days – yes, 3 WHOLE days – to defrost a 10 pound / 5kg turkey in the fridge. Whereas with this recipe I’m sharing, I accelerate the partial defrosting of the turkey in cold water then it finishes defrosting WHILE it is brining.
5. It roasts faster. It takes 1 hour 45 minutes to roast a 5.5 kg / 10 lb turkey. Compared to 2 1/2 hours for un-brined turkey.
Before we roast, we brine. And before we brine, we must thaw!
Turkey THAWING
A frozen turkey is a formidable block of ice that takes days to thaw. So you must factor this into your turkey-feasting timeline!
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Thaw in fridge (long thaw) – allow 24 hours for every 1.5 – 2 kg / 3 – 4 lb of turkey (my 5.5 kg/11 lb turkey took 3 days)
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Fast thaw in water – 30 minutes per 500g / 1 lb. Turkey needs to be in a leak proof bag / wrapping. Submerge in large sink of water, keep it submerged. Change water every 30 minutes.
Partially frozen turkey can be brined!
DRY BRINE CAN BE APPLIED WITH PARTIALLY THAWED TURKEY. You just need the turkey skin to be thawed enough to rub the salt in. Then brining + thawing will occur at the same time.
Cook times for turkey in the oven
How long to cook turkey in the oven:
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5kg / 10 lb: 1 hr 45 min – 2 hrs
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6 kg / 12 lb: 2 hrs 15 min
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7kg / 14 lb: 2 hrs 30 min
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8 kg / 16 lb: 2 hrs 45min
These are the cook times for a dry brined turkey (loosely stuffed with herbs and garlic) which cooks faster than un-brined turkey. Add an extra 15 – 20 minutes if your turkey is stuffed.
This is the total roasting time, including initial 30 minutes at high temperature. It works out at around 12 minutes per 500g / 1 lb.
Internal temperature of cooked turkey
75C / 165F using a meat thermometer inserted between the leg and the breast (see photo below for point to insert). This is the USDA recommended internal cooked temperature of turkey.
How to take the internal temperature?
Take the temperature of the turkey straight out of the oven. Insert the thermometer between the leg and the breast. Insert straight down until you hit bone, then pull back a bit. Hold still until the temperature registers on your thermometer and stays at the internal temperatures specified above.
How to make juicy roast turkey
I promised you easy, and easy you shall have! Here’s a rundown on the recipe:
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Rub with a simple seasoned salt mixture – salt, thyme, paprika, garlic powder and pepper;
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Wrap like a mummy in cling wrap (holds in all those juices!) and refrigerate for 2 days;
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Stuff with herbs, garlic and pour in a good slosh of butter;
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Slather with butter then roast upside down for 30 minutes (get those juices pooling in the breast);
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Roast right side up for 45 minutes;
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Baste with Garlic Herb Butter then roast for a further 30 minutes. (I do this at this stage to avoid burnt garlic-herb bits on the turkey)
When the internal temperature is reached (see section above), the most important thing to do is to rest the turkey for 30 minutes. This gives the turkey a chance to relax the fibres (ie more tender meat) and even more importantly, the juices get sucked back into the flesh (equals even juicier meat!).
Styling the turkey platter
Even if the turkey is only on the platter for a fleeting moment before being whisked away to be carved, I still feel like it’s worth making a wee bit of an effort so the turkey can have it’s moment spotlight.
While many opt for herb garnishes, I have a thing about making everything on a platter edible. So I create a bed of green leafage – watercress in this case (cheap, right shape, nice to “fan out” around edges) – with pops of colour from orange wedges (also for those creatures who like fruit with meat) and cranberries (thawed frozen ones).
How to Carve Turkey
I had ambitions to include a video of how to carve turkey, but doing such a video by yourself proved to be somewhat of a challenge. Turkey juice squirting everywhere, greasy hands, the challenge of new cameras and most frustrating, the hot breath of a fur ball under the table panting with excitement at the mere experience of being so close to such a giant hunk of meat.
Said video was a total fail. Will attempt again next year. In the meantime – this video is a good tutorial. 🙂
To Stuff or Not to Stuff?
This turkey is not stuffed with stuffing, just with garlic, herbs and a good slosh of melted butter (which does all sorts of good things to the breast when roasted upside down).
I do not stuff turkey because in order for the stuffing to be safe to eat, it needs to reach 75C / 165F – the same internal temperature of the turkey. The stuffing cooks last, so that means in order for the stuffing to be cooked enough to be safe enough to eat, the turkey is overcooked.
No thanks! Besides, stuffing baked separately SO much more delicious – here’s my all time favourite Stuffing recipe!
Cranberry Sauce or Gravy?
Why choose? Serve BOTH! Cranberry Sauce keeps for ages – make it well in advance.
As for gravy…. it’s not an option around these parts. My view is that it’s criminal to to waste those pan juices and NOT make a gravy!
What to serve with Turkey
A classic centrepiece for holiday occasions like Thanksgiving and Christmas, here are my favourite sides to serve with turkey!
Thanksgiving sides for Turkey
Christmas sides for Turkey
So here’s my recipe for the Juicy Roast Turkey made by dry brining. It is based on this recipe from the LA Times which has a cult following – with good reason! I’ve added extra tips and tricks to help make this a breeze for you.
I have a feeling this Thanksgiving is going to be your BEST EVER!!! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
Here’s the recipe video for the Juicy Roast Turkey. See below for gravy!
And here’s the video for the turkey gravy:
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Juicy Roast Turkey
Ingredients
- 10 lb / 5kg whole turkey , thawed (plain not pre brined) (Note 1)
Dry Brine Rub:
- 2.5 tbsp salt (Note 2)
- 2 tsp dried thyme , or other herb of choice
- 1 tsp paprika , sweet or ordinary
- 1 tsp garlic powder (optional)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
For Roasting
- 150g / 10 tbsp unsalted butter , melted
- 1 tbsp (in total) sage, rosemary and thyme , finely chopped (Note 3)
- 3 garlic cloves , minced
- 2 heads of garlic , halved horizontally
- 1 onion , halved (brown, yellow, white)
- 2 small bunch mixed herbs , sage, rosemary, thyme, parsley (optional, Note 3)
- 1.5 cups / 375 ml dry white wine , or water (Note 4)
- Salt & pepper
Gravy (~ 4 cups/1L)
- 4 cups (1 litre) chicken broth / stock , low sodium
- 5 tbsp (60g) flour , plain / all purpose
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
Dry Brining Preparation.
- Rub: Mix together the Rub.
- Prep Turkey: Pat the turkey dry with paper towels., inside and out. Remove giblets or anything else inside the turkey. (Note 5)
- Sprinkle: Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of salt inside and use you hand to spread it (roughly is fine). Turn the turkey upside down, then rub 1 teaspoon of the salt mixture on the underside.
- Turn the turkey upright and rub the remaining salt on the turkey, using most on the breast - even some under the skin if you can.
- Wrap turkey mummy-like in lots of cling wrap or place the turkey in a sealable plastic bag (Note 6).
Brining (Note 7):
- Place turkey upside down in baking pan. Refrigerate.
- 24 hours later: Flip turkey so it's right side up.
- 24 (to 48 hours) later: unwrap turkey. The skin should be moist but not wet. If wet, pat dry. Leave out for 30 min before roasting.
Prepare for roasting:
- Preheat oven to 220C/425F (standard) or 200C/390F (fan).
- Place the onions and garlic in a roasting pan. Place a roasting rack on top - if you have one (Note 8 for sub).
- Stuff bunch of herbs + 2 garlic halves + 3 tbsp butter (45g) inside the turkey. Tie drumsticks together with kitchen twine (optional).
- Place turkey UPSIDE DOWN on the rack. Twist the wings so they are on top - see video. Brush with a bit of melted butter. Sprinkle with a tiny bit of salt and pepper.
- Pour wine in roasting pan.
Roasting:
- Roast for 30 minutes.
- Use a tea towel to turn the turkey over. Brush with butter, sprinkle with a tiny bit of salt and pepper.
- Turn oven down to 165C/325F (standard) or 150C/300F (fan). Roast turkey 45 minutes.
- Mix remaining butter with garlic and herbs. Brush turkey generously with butter.
- Roast turkey for a further 30 minutes or until a) the thermometer that comes with the turkey pops up (America) b) a thermometer inserted between the breast and leg reads 165F/75C. (Notes 9, 10). Cover loosely with foil if browning too much.
- Remove turkey onto serving plate, cover loosely with foil and rest for 30 minutes before transferring to platter for presentation and carving (see in post for styling idea).
- Serve turkey with gravy and/or Cranberry Sauce.
Turkey Gravy
- Place roasting pan (with garlic, onion etc still in it) on the stove over medium high heat. Add flour and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add broth and use a potato masher to mash the onion and garlic into the mixture. Use a wooden spoon to scrap the bottom of the pan. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until thickened.
- Strain into a bowl, pressing down to extract all the flavour out of the onion and garlic. Transfer to gravy boat.
Recipe Notes:
* Fast thaw in water – 30 minutes per 500g / 1 lb. Turkey needs to be in a leak proof bag / wrapping. Submerge in large sink of water, keep it submerged. Change water every 30 minutes. Rub can be applied to partially thawed turkey as long as skin is pliable enough to rub salt in. Add 1 tsp extra salt. Expect lots of juices from the thaw/brining process - ensure turkey is patted dry before roasting. As it brines, liquid may be red from blood from the inside of the turkey thawing - do not worry. Won't affect end result at all. Do not rinse, just pat dry with paper towels. DO NOT:
* Use this recipe for "self basting" or pre marinated turkeys, will be too salty. Check ingredients or nutrition - if there's salt or flavourings, the turkey has already been brined. Typically these include boxed and frozen turkeys at the supermarkets in Australia. **See HOW TO COOK PRE-BRINED TURKEY box below recipe.** 2. SALT - Use 1 tbsp salt for every 2 kg / 4 lb turkey. Use kosher / cooking salt. If using fine grain table salt, reduce by 1/4 tsp PER 1 tbsp of salt called for in the recipe. Do not use salt flakes (too hard to measure equivalent). 3. HERBS - I used an equal mix of sage, rosemary and thyme to make up 1 tbsp in total for basting partway through cooking. Can also use dried herbs of choice - use 2 tsp. Doesn't sound like much but we don't want to put herbs on the skin until partway though cooking otherwise it just burns. So by the time we baste with the herb butter, there's not much butter left. Just imparts a subtle fragrance more than anything, could even be skipped. Need one bunch to stuff inside the turkey, the other for the pan. 4. WINE - I use sauvignon blanc, pinot gris (I get discount wine for cooking). Any white wine is fine as long as it's not too sweet or woody / oaky. 5. Giblets are a parcel of turkey offcuts that are usually stuffed inside the turkey and are used to make the gravy. It usually comprises of: neck, heart and liver. Use the neck and heart for turkey gravy. 6. BAG - you can get resealable bags in America that are big enough for turkey. But I've found that cling wrap is the most effective - keeps the brine right up against the turkey skin. 7. BRINE TIME: 48 hours (2 days) is my base recipe, 3 days also great (a bit more seasoned). Even overnight is better than not brining at all! I even did 4 days last year and it not any different to 3 days, from what I could tell. 8. RACK SUB: Need to keep turkey skin elevated out of liquid in pan. Get a long strip of foil, scrunch to make a thick "rope". Loop to make a circle and secure. Place on top of onion, place turkey on top. Just need something to keep turkey a bit elevated off base of pan and the onion. If skin is in contact with onion when upside down, the skin will brown unevenly once you flip. 9. ROASTING TIME:
- 5kg / 10 lb: 1 hr 45 min – 2 hrs
- 6 kg / 12 lb: 2 hrs 15 min
- 7kg / 14 lb: 2 hrs 30 min
- 8 kg / 16 lb: 2 hrs 45min
How to cook pre-brined turkey
If you went to use this recipe only to realise you have a pre-brined turkey (see Note 1 in recipe), do not use this recipe as the brining will make your turkey too salty. Instead, make this recipe as follows:
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Add better flavour – Make the Herb Garlic Butter in this Roasted Turkey Breast but only use 1/4 of the salt. Scale the recipe to your turkey weight – click on servings and slide until the turkey weight changes to the weight of your turkey. (Yeah, it’ll be a lot of butter! You can scale down if you want 🙂 ). Watch the video to see how I loosen the skin, then slather about 2/3 of the butter under the skin.
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Flip turkey then rub just a bit of butter on the underside sprinkle with salt and pepper,. Roast per this recipe for 30 minutes on higher temp.
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Flip turkey right side up then slather skin with 1/2 of the remaining butter sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast per this recipe for 45 min, then slather with remaining butter. Roast to finish cooking per this recipe. ,Voila!
Life of Dozer
That turkey leg is the size of his head!
Jessica says
Hi Nagi! I can’t seem to find a frozen turkey that is not pre-brined. Can I use a fresh turkey? Thanks!
Nagi says
Yes, fresh is better Jessica!
Sima Sadoughi says
I have been hosting thanksgiving dinner for past 14 years . This year I used your recipe for my turkey and by far it was the BEST ever . I am recipe junky but youR recipes are my favorite ones .
Doris Saiki says
Hi, Nagi👋 Our Christmas dinner is really special because I live (until recently) in Hawaii and am Japanese! Our main include always include Kalua pork (pork butt seasoned with Hawaiian salt, wrapped first in lau lau and ti leaves, then finally bananas leaves which is baked (in a modern kitchen) in a 350° oven. Second main usual is a roast Turkey or/and baked ham with guava jelly glaze. From the Japanese side we always have either maki sushi rolls or chirashi sushi. Sides include lomi lomi salmon (salted, shredded salmon with chopped tomatoes and sweet Maui onion), namasu (Japanese vinegared cucumber, daikon and seaweed salad), potato salad, local style with just potatoes, hard boiled eggs and mayo. Can’t forget the local macaroni salad…we eat that here in Hawaii with EVERYTHING!! Of course we must have poi and plain white rice! Let’s see, what else?! Mochiko chicken, shrimp and vegetables tempura, squid (Hawaiian for tako…octopus😋) luau, stew with lau lau leaves and coconut milk, kimchee, various tsuke mono (salted vegetables Japanese style), and desserts like passion fruit cheesecake, fruit salads, guava cake. A really special diverse holiday meal between two, sometimes more, cultures 😁!!! Only in Hawaii🤙🌴, Merry Christmas, ALOHA 🌺
Behn says
Help. I’m brining today and need to know the salt conversion. Recipe says cooking salt. And then note says 1/4 tsp table salt for 1 tbsp cooking salt. I have Costco sea salt. Is there a conversion or am I good as per recipe?
Barbara von Normann says
We so love your recipes, Nagi! You have literally changed our way of thinking and cooking! For Christmas, we will be cooking a turkey, following your recipe of course. Our family members will be providing the side dishes.
Sending you and Dozer much love from Estonia! Barbara and family
Arthur Buie says
Fried Turkey with Ham, Green beans, Mac and Cheese, Corn Bread Dressing, Gravy, Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Pecan Potato Pie.
Phoebe says
Hello 🙂
Love to try this recipe but have a couple questions.
We’re going to be out of the house (at church) for 2.5hrs before lunch. Should i cook it 1/2hr before we leave, flip it, then a lower temp while we’re out?
Then rest it as soon as we get home.
Thanks!!
Nagi says
Hi Phoebe, how big is the turkey that you’re using?
Phoebe says
5kg max 🙂
Thanks for ur speedy response during silly season
Mary says
So using the drippings wont make the gravy too salty? I am cooking an 18 pound turkey.
Nagi says
Hi Mary! That’s correct – if you use this dry brine recipe, then the drippings will NOT make the gravy too salty. If you use a wet brine, then it probably will be. 🙂 N x
Jay Wadams says
Nagi, you are actually a Christmas angel! We’ve got the whole family coming for Christmas this year and this beautifully detailed recipe is a lifesaver. Thank you so much! I’ll be sure to let you know how it goes!
Nagi says
You’ll nail it Jay!!!!
Suzy says
I made your dry brined, juicy turkey recipe for Thanksgiving. I was a bit nervous as my bird was 20 lbs., so I had to wing it on the time factors of how long to bake upside down, etc. But it worked out just fine. The rub made it such a beautiful color, and really flavored the drippings for the gravy. We all loved this juicy bird and the gravy. Delicious. I made a home made stock to make the gravy–so good and lots of it. I think this is the first time we had enough gravy for hot turkey sandwiches for everyone the next day, and still had extra. Your savory sweet potatoes with brown butter and fried sage were a huge hit with everyone also. Thanks, Nagi. You rock!
Nagi says
Wahoo! That’s great Suzy!!
Michelle Wood says
First time making a Thanksgiving turkey. 17lb. Just adjusted a little not much. Dry brine wasn’t that hard. Just follow directions.
Nervous, I followed directions, watched the video. It was so amazing! Not only juicy, but so flavorful. Incredibly flavored! I have tasted turkey for years at holiday gatherings and literally had to pour tons of gravy. But this one was so tender and juicy. Did I mention the incredible flavor? The gravy was so delicious. I got worried because I read the temp wrong, put it on 375 after the 475 time. But then turned it down to the proper 325 after 30 minutes, but it didn’t hurt it. Another thing I did was when pouring the butter in the cavity, I goofed and turned the turkey over, some of the butter spilled out lol! But that just added taste to the gravy! So, even though I ran into my own hiccups It still turned out perfect. Thank you so much Nagi. You gave such easy directions, you provided every little “troubleshooting and tips”. What I thought would be ruined, became the most beautiful and tasty turkey. I didn’t use the beautiful presentation but my family was ready to dig in lol. So now, I am in charge of the turkey every year! 🙂
Nagi says
This is the best Michelle! I’m so so so happy it worked out for you!!! – N x
Amy says
Made this for Thanksgiving yesterday and everybody raved how it was the most flavorful turkey. I’ve tried a different recipe for turkey every year for the past 10 years and they said this one was the best. The meat actually had flavor and didn’t even need the gravy! The only difference I did was I didn’t brine or cook the turkey upside down because I didn’t want to wrestle with my 18.5 lb turkey to flip it over.
Nagi says
That’s one big turkey! I’m so glad it worked out for you Amy! N x
Diane Pekrul says
I volunteer at a soup kitchen and this week I’ve already made your Creamy Carrot Soup, Sausage Bake with Potatoes and Gravy, Just a Great Marinade Chicken and Lemon Potato Salad. I don’t have a question for you right now, just a simple statement: I am so very thankful to you for helping me to provide delicious food to those in need. Thank you Nagi, from the bottom of my heart!
PS: Sometimes I skip a recipe because I am not sure of the best way to mass produce….what is the best way to reach you? Once I left a message to you like this one on your Paella recipe but I didn’t know where to check for your answer! Thanks again for all your efforts….I am such a better cook because of you!
Nagi says
That’s so lovely of you Diane, what a great thing to do! You can always shoot me an email if you need to reach me! – N x
Diane says
Thank you Nagi, You will definitely be hearing from me from time to time! Oh, I almost forgot… I made your juicy turkey and stuffing for home and both were beyond delicious…even the stuffing made with gluten free bread (husband gets major headache when he gets ‘glutened’) I would give you 10/10 stars if I could!
Diane
Lisa says
I didnt brine for 3 days. I only started about 26 hours before cooking- so I did about 12 hours down and the rest up. I followed the turkey recipe pretty to the “T” and it came out pretty amazing! Turkey is usually blah to me but this was so tasty and moist. I was able to make gravy with the drippings using just a bit of flour/water mix. I didnt even need to add any seasoning to it! My kids even loved the turkey. Thanks for a great recipe, I look forward to making it again next year.
Chu says
The Turkey came out so moist and juicy. Thank you for the recipe
Nagi says
You’re so welcome, I’m so glad it worked for you! – N x
Mommy Homemaker says
I was scrolling thru Google to look for a turkey recipe that won’t be dry and just happened to see yours. I remember seeing alot of your recipes play on pintrest and thought to myself, i gotta try your recipes one day.
Thanksgiving is THE day. I did as instructed, minus the fresh herbs and I completely forgot to flip it (was busy renovating the guest bathroom before the big day). It still came out absolutely delicious! I never knew I could dry brine and the ingredients are simple, yet tasty. This is a keeper. Thanks sweetie! Big thumbs up from my boys
Nagi says
WOOT! Well done, I’m so glad it was a hit!!
Dee says
Hi Nagi
I’m panicking. I brined the turkey accordingly to the recipe. My turkey is 19lbs though so I’m confused about converting the roasting time. How long do i cook it uoside down then right side up then the additional time after basting. According to the roasting time i should cook it for about 3 hours but below that it says that it should work out to be 12 minutes a pound but then that would be about 4 hours. Please help.
Nagi says
Hi Dee, cook for 30 minutes, then flip – cook a further 3 hours. Best to check with a thermometer to make sure it’s cooked through 🙂 Enjoy!
Dee says
Thank you so much. This was the first time that I’ve ever made a turkey. Came out to perfection. Very simple to make including the brining, Very tasteful and everyone agreed. Tastiest turkey ever. Will be referring to this recipe everytime i cook a turkey. Thank you so mich
Chelsea says
How do I adjust the time for an almost 15 pound turkey? I’m figuring it needs to cook for about 2 hours and 40 minutes ish. But I’m not sure if I roast longer in the first steps or after the garlic butter?
Nagi says
Hi Chelsea, its 12 minutes per pound – so 3 hours. Cook for 30 minutes in the first step then flip for the remaining 2.5 hours – N x
Virginia Alfonso says
Approximately how much of each, minsed herb, to TOTAL 1 tbsp?
Nagi says
Hi Virginia, just a small bunch of each – N x
Sandra says
Hi
For the juicy turkey how High or low should I position the rack?
Nagi says
Hi Sandra, they are big birds, I just place mine in the middle/lower section of the oven – N x