Alton Brown's Brined and Roasted Turkey

Ingredients

Instructions

1. 1Place wrapped 1 frozen turkey (up to 18-lb.) in a 5-gallon cooler with a drain spout. Place cooler in a bathtub and cover turkey with cold water. Drain and replace water every 2–3 hours, keeping water temperature below 40°, until turkey has thawed, 8–10 hours.
2. 2Clean cooler with soap and water, then pour in 1 lb. kosher salt, ⅔ cup sugar, and ½ gallon hot tap water. Stir thoroughly to dissolve salt and sugar. Add 8 lb. ice (which is a gallon of water) and 4 qt. vegetable broth.
3. 3Unwrap thawed turkey and remove giblets and any other parts (such as neck, etc.) that may be inside cavity; these may be saved for gravy if desired. Place turkey in brine breast side up. If turkey floats, fill a 1-gallon resealable plastic bag with ice water and place it on top of turkey. Set cooler, lid closed, in a cool place, turning turkey over once if possible, 8–12 hours. Check brining liquid periodically with probe thermometer; if temperature is above 40°, add a few freezer packs that have been enclosed in resealable plastic bags.
4. 4Remove all oven racks except for one set in the next-to-the-lowest position; preheat oven to 500°.
5. 5Remove turkey from brine and pat dry (inside and out) with paper towels. Fill turkey cavity with aromatics including fresh herbs (such as fresh thyme, rosemary, and sage), 2 large carrots, coarsely chopped, 2 celery stalks, coarsely chopped, and 1 onion, coarsely chopped. Keep packing loose.
6. 6Place turkey, breast side up, on a V-shaped rack set inside a large roasting pan. Cut a piece of foil big enough to cover the turkey’s breast. Mold piece to breast. Remove foil, then grease with nonstick vegetable oil spray and set aside.
7. 7Rub 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter between your hands until liberally greased (you may use disposable gloves if desired). Rub butter all over turkey. You may need to re-butter your hands a couple times in order to get a nice, even coating.
8. 8Place turkey in oven, neck end first and breast up. Roast turkey until nicely browned, 30–40 minutes. Apply greased foil to turkey breast. Insert a probe-style thermometer through foil into the thickest part of breast. Reduce oven temperature to 350° and return turkey to oven, foil securely in place. Do not open oven to baste turkey. Roast until probe registers internal temperature of 161° for breast and 181° for thigh, 2–2½ hours.
9. 9Transfer turkey to carving board and let rest 30 minutes. Reserve drippings for gravy.
10. 10Set roasting pan across two burners over medium heat. Add 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth and whisk to scrape up pan drippings. Whisk 1 Tbsp. cornstarch into 1 cup cold water. Add cornstarch mixture to pan and whisk until glossy and thickened. Taste before seasoning with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Editor’s note: This recipe was first printed in November 2011. Head this way for more of our best Thanksgiving recipes →