Ingredients
- 1 10-12 pound turkey
- 1/2 cup olive oil or melted butter
- 1/4 cup Sous Salt Smoked Paprika
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon crushed black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Sous Salt & Herb
- 1 onion sliced
- 2 stalks of celery sliced
- 2 carrots sliced
- 1 – 2 tablespoons of olive oil
Directions
- Have your butcher butterfly the turkey for you…it’s so much easier and they really do like to help! Make sure they include the backbone and giblets for your gravy preparation.
- If you would like to brine the turkey this is the time to do it or you can prep and roast the turkey right away. Recipe for an optional Bourbon Brine is below. (I do love a brined turkey!)
- Add the onion, carrots and celery to the bottom of the sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil and 1 teaspoon of Sous Salt & Herbs and toss to coat. Place the sheet pan rack over the vegetables.To roast the turkey, tuck the wingtips under the breast. Place the turkey on a sheet pan rack on the sheet pan. Mix the herbs, Sous Salt Smoked Paprika, pepper to taste and either oil or butter whichever you prefer. Pat the skin dry, rub the turkey all over with the mixture, both sides and all crevices.
- Roast skin side down at 350º F for 30 minutes, then flip the turkey so the breast is up, baste and roast for an additional hour basting every 30 minutes. Increase heat to 400º F and roast for an additional 15 minutes to further crisp up the skin. Use a meat thermometer inserted at the thickest part of the thigh the thigh should be at 165 degrees.
- Remove the turkey to a platter or cutting board and tent it loosely with foil. Let it sit 15 minutes. All ovens cook differently so the best way to check for a correctly cooked Turkey or Chicken is the thigh temp of 165 degrees.
Brine (optional)
I use Ree Drummond’s recipe for her Bourbon Turkey Brine it’s just beautiful to make with the tricolor peppercorns and the orange peels:
Ingredients
- 2 gallons cold water
- 3 cups apple cider
- 1 cup Bourbon
- 2 cups packed brown sugar
- 3/4 cup kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons tricolor peppercorns
- 5 whole bay leaves
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- Peel of 3 large oranges, cut into large strips
- 4 fresh rosemary sprigs, leaves stripped off
- 1 uncooked fresh turkey
Directions
Combine the water, cider, Bourbon, brown sugar, salt, peppercorns, bay leaves, garlic, orange strips and rosemary leaves in a large pot. Stir until the salt and sugar dissolve. Bring to a boil, and then turn off the heat and cover. Allow to cool completely, and then place into the fridge to chill.
Place an uncooked, fresh turkey in the chilled brine solution, and then refrigerate for 16 to 24 hours. (You may add more cold water if you need more liquid for the size of turkey you have.)
When you’re ready to roast the turkey, remove the turkey from the brine. Submerge the turkey in a pot or sink of fresh, cold water. Allow to sit in the clean water for 15 to 20 minutes to remove excess salt from the outside. Discard the brine.
Remove the turkey from the water, and then rinse again, pat dry and cook according to your normal roasting method.
Gravy
Ingredients
- 6 turkey wings, neck, back, giblets
- 2 medium onions, peeled and quartered
- 1 cup white wine
- 2 quarts chicken broth, divided
- 3/4 cup chopped carrot
- 3/4 cup chopped celery
- 3 sprigs of fresh thyme (stems t00)
- 3 sprigs of fresh parsley (stems too)
- 1 teaspoon Sous Salt Grey Herb
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup bourbon or cognac
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Arrange a single layer of turkey wings in a large roasting pan. Scatter the onions over the top of the wings sprinkle the wings and onions with 1 teaspoon of Sous Salt Herb and a drizzle of olive oil. Roast in the preheated oven for 1-1/4 hours or until wings are browned.
- Place browned wings and onions in a 5 quart stockpot. Deglaze the roasting pan with the cup of white wine scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Pour the the wine and lovely little bits of heaven from the pan into the stockpot. Stir in 6 cups broth, carrot, celery and thyme. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 1-1/2 hours.
- Remove wings from the pot and place on a cutting board. When the wings are cool, pull off the skin and meat. Discard the skin and save the meat for another use. Strain contents of stockpot through a large strainer into a 3 quart saucepan. Press on the vegetables to extract any remaining liquid. Discard the vegetables and skim the fat off the liquid. Bring the contents of the pot to a gentle boil at this time I would add 1/2 cup of bourbon or cognac letting it simmer for 5 minutes.
- At this point you can either serve the gravy as an au jus or if you prefer a thicker gravy…mix 1/2 cup of flour with 2 tablespoons of butter to form a paste. Whisk this into the simmering gravy and let it bubble nicely until the gravy reaches the consistency your family loves!