My mom is an excellent cook and usually handles the cooking for our family holidays. It’s an arrangement that works out well–she likes to cook and we love her cooking. This is why I didn’t make my first turkey until 2008 when I hosted my first Thanksgiving. I used my Roasted Earl Grey Turkey recipe and it came out perfectly. Even my notoriously picky niece had second helpings, which is the ultimate seal of approval in my book.
Defrosting
Usually, I purchase a frozen turkey on the Friday before Thanksgiving, then put it in the fridge and let it defrost until Tuesday. This is for a 14-pound turkey. The bigger the turkey the longer the defrosting time.
Brining
On Tuesday, I begin the brine, about 48 hours prior to roasting. Making the brine was just like making a big batch of tea. I boiled the water and then turned down the heat and put in the tea, lemon peel, and rosemary and let it steep for 20 minutes.
When the time was up, I removed the tea, lemon, and rosemary, and added in sugar and salt and stirred to dissolve. At this point, nothing was even cooked, but the house smelled amazing. The aroma of lemons, rosemary, and bergamot was out of this world.
The brine needed to cool, so I covered the brine, and set it outside to cool on our patio table. Northern California it typically isn’t that cold this time of year, about 55 degrees Fahrenheit. At that temperature, it took about two hours for the brine to cool down. I made sure it was no warmer than lukewarm because I didn’t want to cook the turkey once I submerged it in the brine.
When the brine was cool enough, I went back to my tupperware bin and lined it with two garbage bags. Then, I removed the turkey from the packaging and removed the neck and giblets, which were tucked inside the cavity. (If you are going to make Turkey Matzo Ball Soup from the leftovers, save the neck.) I placed the turkey in the garbage bags, breast-side down, and then poured the brine over the turkey. I made sure to seal up both bags so that it was air tight, and placed it in the fridge to soak for 48 hours.
Let the Roasting Begin
On Thanksgiving day, I started roasting the turkey about four hours prior to dinner. The turkey needed three hours to cook, and a half hour to rest after pulling it out of the oven. By the time it was carved, about four hours had passed.
To roast the turkey, I heated the oven to 350 degrees, Fahrenheit. I took the turkey out of the brine and dried it off with paper towels, discarding the brine. I placed it in a rack in the roasting pan. You can line the roasting pan if you aren’t making gravy from the drippings. I was making Earl Grey Turkey Gravy, so I didn’t use foil.
I rubbed olive oil into the turkey and stuffed it with rosemary, lemons, and a chopped up onion.
Then, I covered it with foil, tenting it, and then set the timer for two hours.
After two hours, I took the foil off and poured chicken broth over the top every 15 minutes. The skin started to brown and crisp.
At three hours, I used a meat thermometer to check the thigh to ensure it registered at 160 degrees Fahrenheit, which it did. Then, I took out the turkey out and let it stand for 30 minutes before carving. The size of the turkey will dictate how soon to take it out. Smaller turkeys, like the one I cooked (shown below, at 13 pounds) will be ready slightly under three hours. Bigger turkeys will take slightly longer.
Roasted Earl Grey Turkey came out perfectly, with moist, flavorful meat and crispy crackling skin.
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Roasted Earl Grey Turkey
Equipment
- 6-quart stock pot
- 10-quart stock pot
- Roasting pan
- Meat thermometer
Ingredients
- 14 pound turkey, defrosted
- 6 quarts water
- 10 bags Earl Grey tea
- 6 lemons three for brine/three for stuffing
- 6 sprigs 9" rosemary
- 1 cup kosher salt
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups chicken stock
Instructions
Brine Turkey
- Bring the water to boil in a 6-quart stock pot and then set aside. Add the tea, peel from three lemons, and three sprigs of rosemary. Cover and steep for 20 minutes.
- Remove peel, tea bags, and rosemary. Add sugar and salt and stir until dissolved.
- Let it cool, approximately two hours.
- When brine is ready, line a large 10-quart stock pot with two 13-gallon kitchen garbage bags. (Even three won't be over-doing it.) The turkey needs to be sealed tight and the wings can't be able to poke through.)
- Remove wrapping from turkey. If it is still frozen, run it under water a bit. Remove giblets and neck.
- Place in bag-lined 10-quart stock pot, breast side down. Pour brine over turkey and press turkey down to submerge.
- Twist out any extra air and tie off. Let brine in refrigerator for 48 hours.
Roast Turkey
- Allow for two hours of steady cooking while the third for basting every 15-20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees, Fahrenheit.
- Line the bottom of a roasting pan with aluminum foil to catch drippings and make cleanup easier. (If you are making Easy Turkey Gravy, do not use foil.)
- Place a roasting rack in the roaster.
- Take turkey out of brine, drain, and pat dry. Discard brine. Position in roasting rack, breast up.
- Stuff turkey with three punctured lemons, three rosemary sprigs, and a large onion that is cut in chunks so that it fits.
- Rub olive oil all over turkey and place on rack, tucking legs and wings. Using kitchen shears, remove plastic leg clamps.
- Pour about two cups water on the bottom of the roasting pan.
- Cover turkey (tent it) with aluminum foil; place in oven and roast for two hours.
- After two hours, remove the foil and pour a little chicken stock over the turkey. Repeat this process every 15-20 minutes for an hour.
- Using a meat thermometer, check the temperature of the bird. When the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees Fahrenheit, remove and let stand for about 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
Recipe was given to me by my mother, but a quick internet search revealed that it originated on the label for Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt.
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