Turkey Dinner
Quarterly

Turkey Dinner

5 days
Serves 9
turkeyholidayroast

A 12–15 lb turkey brined overnight in brown sugar, kosher salt, soy sauce, and rosemary, stuffed with Stove Top, roasted at 325°F to 165°F breast and 180°F thigh, and served with all the sides.

The Story

Turkey dinner is a five-day project. Four days of thawing in the refrigerator, then the brine. The brine is the step that separates a good turkey from a great one — cold water, brown sugar, kosher salt, soy sauce, and rosemary, with the ratio calibrated to the actual volume of water needed to cover the bird. Fill the bucket with the turkey in it, measure the water line, pull the turkey out, then dissolve the sugar and salt into that measured water at a 1 cup per gallon ratio (the soy sauce counts toward the salt). Add the rosemary and the turkey back in, then into a cooler packed with ice overnight — or the refrigerator if it fits. The next day: pull the turkey, pat it dry, stuff it with cooled Stove Top stuffing, season the outside with garlic powder, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning, and set it on a bed of rosemary on an elevated roasting pan with 2 cups of water in the bottom to keep the drippings from burning. Into a 325°F oven at 20 minutes per pound. Pull at 165°F in the breast and 180°F in the thigh. Rest 30 minutes before carving. Serve with mashed potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, and dinner rolls. Bacon strips laid over the bird during the roast help baste it and make for a great turkey club the next day.

Equipment

  • 5-gallon bucket (for brine)
  • Large cooler with ice (or refrigerator)
  • Elevated roasting pan
  • Instant-read thermometer
  • Oven @ 325°F

Ingredients

  • 12–15 lbswhole turkey
  • 3 gallonscold water (or as much as needed to cover the turkey)
  • 3 cupsbrown sugar (1 cup per gallon of water)
  • 2 1/2 cupskosher salt (1 cup per gallon, adjusted for soy sauce)
  • 1/2 cupsoy sauce (counts toward the salt ratio)
  • 12 sprigsfresh rosemary (plus extra for the roasting pan bed)
  • 30 lbsice (for cooler brine method)
  • 2 boxesStove Top Stuffing, Turkey variety
  • to tastegarlic powder, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning (for the outside of the turkey)
  • 2 cupswater (for the bottom of the roasting pan)
  • optionalstrips of bacon (for basting during roast)

Pudgy's Notes

The brine ratio is 1 cup sugar and 1 cup salt per gallon of water — but measure the actual water volume with the turkey in the bucket first, then pull the turkey and dissolve into that measured amount. Don't guess. The soy sauce counts toward the salt; reduce the kosher salt by roughly the equivalent. The stuffing must be fully cooled before it goes into the bird — hot stuffing in a raw turkey is a food safety problem. Pat the turkey completely dry after the brine; wet skin steams instead of roasting and you won't get a good crust. The elevated roasting pan is important — it lets heat circulate under the bird. The 2 cups of water in the pan bottom keeps the drippings from scorching and ruining your gravy base. Bacon strips on top baste the breast as they render and keep it from drying out — and the leftover turkey with bacon makes an excellent club sandwich the next day.

Instructions

  1. 1

    Thaw the turkey in the refrigerator for four days.

  2. 2

    Place the turkey in a 5-gallon bucket. Fill with cold water until the turkey is covered. Remove the turkey and measure the amount of water in the bucket. This is your brine volume, about 10 minutes.

  3. 3

    Add brown sugar and kosher salt to the measured water at a 1 cup per gallon ratio. The soy sauce counts as part of the salt — reduce the kosher salt accordingly. Stir to fully dissolve. Add the soy sauce and rosemary sprigs.

  4. 4

    Return the turkey to the bucket. Place the bucket in a large cooler and surround with ice. Brine overnight (at least 12 hours), keeping the temperature cold. If the refrigerator has room for the bucket, use that instead.

  5. 5

    Prepare the Stove Top Stuffing according to the box directions. Fluff with a fork and let cool for 45 minutes, about 1 hour total.

  6. 6

    Remove the turkey from the brine and pat completely dry. Stuff the cavity with the cooled stuffing. Season the outside generously with garlic powder, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning, about 30 minutes.

  7. 7

    Place a bed of rosemary sprigs on an elevated roasting pan. Set the stuffed turkey on top. Add 2 cups of water to the bottom of the pan to prevent drippings from burning. Optional: lay strips of bacon across the top of the turkey, about 5 minutes.

  8. 8

    Roast at 325°F for approximately 20 minutes per pound, until the breast reaches 165°F and the thigh reaches 180°F internally, about 4 hours.

  9. 9

    Remove from the oven and let rest for 30 minutes before carving.

  10. 10

    Carve and serve with mashed potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, and dinner rolls.

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