Super Juicy No Brine Roast Turkey Recipes

SUPER JUICY NO BRINE ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Begin to thaw the turkey in the refrigerator 2-3 days before roasting.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).
• Pull the neck and giblets out of the cavity. Wash and dry the turkey with paper towels. Carefully run your hand under the breast skin to create a pocket.
• In a small mixing bowl, combine 1 stick of butter, garlic, parsley, rosemary, sage, thyme, salt and lemon juice. Mix until well combined.
• Smear the butter evenly all over the turkey and under the breast skin. (If the skin is wet, butter won't stick. So make sure to dry the skin with paper towel well.) Place the turkey breast side up on a V rack in a large roasting pan.
• Fill the turkey with carrots, apples and fresh herbs.
• If desired, tie the legs of the bird with twine. (I prefer this method over whole trussing, because it's easier.)
• Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter in a bowl.
• Using a marinade injector, slowly inject each thigh and breast halves with about 1 tablespoon of melted butter.
• Pour champagne and chicken stock over the turkey and into the cavity.
• Roast the turkey until it's golden brown, about 3.5 hours for 14lbs turkey, basting it every hour using a turkey baster. (Check on turkey after 2 hours. If skin isn't browning fast enough, increase oven temperature by 50°F/10°C. If the skin is browning too much, cover with a foil.)
• The turkey is cooked, when the deepest part of breast and legs registers 165°F (74°C) on an instant-read thermometer.
• Remove the turkey from oven, cover with foil and let rest at least 30 minutes before carving.
• Reserve pan juices to make gravy. But add the drippings into the gravy little at a time, as the champagne is reduced and flavors are concentrated. So adjust it to your taste.

JUICY ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients. Brush over turkey. Place turkey on a platter. Cover and refrigerate for 1-24 hours. , Preheat oven to 325°. Place turkey on a rack in a shallow roasting pan, breast side up. Add the onion, celery and parsley to turkey cavity. Tuck wings under turkey; tie drumsticks together. Arrange bacon over top of turkey breast. Spread butter over turkey. Pour broth and water into pan., Bake, uncovered, until a thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh reads 170°-175°, 3-1/2 to 4 hours, basting occasionally. Remove turkey from oven. If desired, remove and discard bacon. Tent with foil; let stand 20 minutes before carving. If desired, skim fat and thicken pan drippings for gravy. Serve with turkey.

SPICED AND SUPER-JUICY ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• For the turkey:
• Place the water into your largest cooking pot or bucket/plastic bin and add all the turkey ingredients, stirring to dissolve the salt, sugar, syrup and honey. (Squeeze the juice of the orange quarters into the brine before you chuck in the pieces.) Untie and remove any string or trussing attached to the turkey, shake it free and add it to the liquid. Add more water if the turkey is not completely submerged. Keep the mixture in a cold place, even outside overnight or for up 1 or 2 days before you cook it, remembering to take it out of its liquid (and wiping it dry with kitchen-towel) a good 40 or 50 minutes before it has to go into the oven. Turkeys - indeed this is the case for all meat - should be at room temperature before being put in the preheated oven. If you're at all concerned - the cold water in the brine will really chill this bird - then just cook the turkey for longer than its actual weight requires.
• For the basting glaze:
• Place the butter and syrup into a saucepan and cook over a low heat, while stirring, until the ingredients have melted and combined. Brush the turkey with the glaze before roasting, and baste periodically throughout the roasting time. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Cook the turkey for 30 minutes at this relatively high temperature, then turn the oven down to 350 degrees F and continue cooking, turning the oven back up to 425 degrees F for the final15 minutes or so if you want to give a browning boost to the skin. For a 9 to 11-pound turkey, allow 2 1/2 to 3-hours in total. But remember that ovens vary enormously, so just check by piercing the flesh between leg and body with a small sharp knife: when the juices run clear, the turkey is cooked. Just as it's crucial to let the turkey come to room temperature before it goes in to the oven, so it's important to let it stand out of the oven for a good 20 minutes before you actually carve it.