Roast Turkey

This is Alton Brown’s Good Eats Roast Turkey, the recipe I’ve used for the past couple of years for our Thanksgiving Turkey. It makes excellent turkey stock afterwards too.
– Terry, Feb. 2012

Ingredients

• 1 (14 to 16 pound) frozen young turkey

For the brine:

• 1 cup kosher salt
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 gallon vegetable stock 
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 1 1/2 teaspoons allspice berries
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped candied ginger
• 1 gallon heavily iced water

For the aromatics:

• 1 red apple, sliced
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 cup water
• 4 sprigs rosemary
• 6 leaves sage
• Canola oil

Instructions

1. In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.
2. Early on the day or the night before you’d like to eat: Combine the brine, water and ice in a clean 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 16 hours (up to 20 hours), turning the bird once halfway through brining.
3. Preheat the oven to 500° F.
4. Remove the bird from brine and rinse thoroughly inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.
5. Place the bird on roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels.
6. Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes.
7. Add steeped aromatics to the turkey’s cavity along with the rosemary and sage. Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with canola oil.
8. Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven for 30 minutes.
9. Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350° F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 161° F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2½ hours of roasting.
10. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl for 15 minutes before carving.