Spiced and Super-Juicy Roast Turkey
| Summary | |
|---|---|
| Prep time | 45 min + overnight |
| Cook time | 2-3 hrs (depending on size) |
| Source | Feast - Food to Celebrate Life by Nigella Lawson (pg 10) |
| Yield / serves | 8-10 servings |
| Rating | Very Good |
Ingredients
- 24 c water, approximately
- 1 c sea salt or 1/2 c table salt
- 3 T black peppercorns
- 1 bouquet garni
- 2 T white mustard seeds
- 1 c superfine sugar
- 2 onions, peeled and quartered
- 2-3 inches of ginger, cut into 6 slices
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 T caraway seeds
- 4 cloves
- 2 T allspice berries
- 4 star anise
- 1 orange, quartered
- 1/4 c maple syrup
- 1/4 c honey
- stalks from a medium bunch of parsley, optional
Basting
- 3/4 stick butter or goose fat
- 3 T maple syrup
Preparation
Put the water into your largest cooking pot or bucket/plastic basin and add all the other brine ingredients, stirring to dissolve the salt, sugar, syrup and honey. Squeeze the juice of the orange quarters into the brine before you chuck the pieces in.
Untie and remove any string or trussing from the turkey, shake it free, remove the giblets and put them in the fridge (for the gravy), and add the bird to the liquid, topping up with more water if it is not completely submerged. Keep in a cold place, even outside, overnight or for up to a day or two before you cook it, remembering to take it out of its liquid and wipe dry with a kitchen towel 40-50 minutes before it has to go into the oven. Turkeys should be at room temperature before being put in the preheated oven.
For the basting, melt the butter and syrup together slowly over a low heat. Paint the turkey with the glaze before roasting, and baste periodically throughout.
Preheat the oven to 425° and give the bird half an hour's roasting at this relatively high temperature, then turn the oven down to 350° and continue cooking, turning the oven back up to 425° for the last quarter of an hour if you want to give it a final browning boost. A 10-12 lb turkey will take about 2 - 2 1/2 hours total. Check for done by piercing the flesh between leg and body with a small sharp knife; when the juices run clear, the turkey's cooked. The temperature should be 165° in the deepest part of the thigh or breast.
When the turkey goes in the oven, it is a good time to start the broth for the gravy.
Let the turkey rest for a good 20 minutes before carving it.
