Whether you're a seasoned home cook or a novice in the kitchen, preparing the perfect roast turkey can be a daunting task. With so many recipes and techniques out there, it can be difficult to know where to start. But fear not! In this article, we'll guide you through the process of creating a mouthwatering Alton's Roast Turkey that will be the star of your next special occasion or holiday meal. From selecting the right turkey to mastering the art of roasting, we'll provide you with all the tips and tricks you need to ensure that your turkey turns out juicy, flavorful, and golden brown. So, let's get started on your culinary adventure and discover the secrets to making the ultimate Alton's Roast Turkey!
Let's cook with our recipes!
TRADITIONAL ROAST TURKEY
Provided by Alton Brown
Categories main-dish
Time 3h15m
Yield 10 to 12 servings
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- Two to three days before roasting: Begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F.
- Combine the broth, salt, sugar, peppercorns, allspice and ginger in a large stockpot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir until the salt and sugar dissolve. Remove from the heat. Cool to room temperature and refrigerate the brine.
- The night before you'd like to eat: Truss the legs of the turkey with kitchen twine if desired. Combine the brine, water and ice in a 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey, with innards removed, breast-side down in the brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover and refrigerate or place everything in a cooler. Turn the bird once halfway through brining.
- Day of roasting: Heat the oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the bird from the brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.
- Place the bird on a roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels. Rub the bird with canola oil. Roast the bird on the lowest rack of the oven for 30 minutes.
- While the bird is cooking, fold and shape a double thickness of aluminum foil into a closely fitting breastplate.
- After 30 minutes, decrease the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the breast and cook until the temperature reaches 155 degrees F. Use the breastplate at any point during cooking should the bird become too brown.
- Rest the bird, covered lightly with aluminum foil, for 15 to 30 minutes. Carve and serve.
SPATCHCOCK'D ROAST TURKEY
Before you begin, gather ingredients and equipment. Measure out ingredients.
Provided by Alton Brown
Categories main-dish
Time P4DT3h5m
Yield 12 to 16 servings
Number Of Ingredients 6
Steps:
- Four days before cooking, make the rub mixture and season the turkey: Coarsely grind the peppercorns and allspice berries by pulsing 3 to 4 times in a blade-style coffee/spice grinder. Add the dried thyme and pulse 3 more times. Combine the salt, rubbed sage and ground spices in a small bowl and set aside.
- Position the turkey, breast-side down with the tail facing you, on a silicone mat or other stable surface set inside a large sheet pan. Use heavy-duty kitchen shears to cut up one side of the backbone. Turn the bird and cut back down the other side of the spine. Reserve the backbone for stock or gravy. Discard any fat pockets or excess skin found inside the bird. Flip breast-side up and use the heel of your hands to press down on both breasts, until you hear a cracking sound and the bird flattens.
- Place the turkey breast-side up on a rack (I use a standard cooling or cake rack) set inside a sheet pan, and turn the wings backwards, tucking the tips under the forewings. Flip the turkey breast-side down and season with half of the rub mixture. Then flip the bird back breast-side up and season with the remaining mixture.
- Store, uncovered, on the lowest level of your refrigerator for 4 days.
- When ready to cook, allow the turkey to sit at room temperature for 1 hour. Place one oven rack in the center of the oven and a second one just below it. Place an empty roasting pan or large rimmed sheet pan on the lower rack. Crank the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Place the turkey, still on the cooling rack, directly on the center oven rack. Add a cup of water to the pan below to prevent any drippings from smoking. Roast for 30 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and continue to roast the bird until a probe thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers 155 degrees F, an additional 40 to 50 minutes.
- Remove the turkey and its rack and rest for 15 minutes before carving. Carryover heat will take the final temperature close to 165 degrees.
THANKSGIVING LIVE ROAST TURKEY
Provided by Alton Brown
Categories main-dish
Time P3DT2h50m
Yield 10 to 12 servings
Number Of Ingredients 16
Steps:
- Two to three days before roasting, thaw the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler at 38 degrees F, tops.
- Combine the vegetable broth, salt, sugar, peppercorns, allspice and ginger in a large stockpot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir until the salt and sugar dissolve. Remove from the heat. Cool the brine to room temperature, then refrigerate.
- The eve before roasting, combine the brine, cold water and ice in a cooler. Place the thawed turkey (guts, neck and whatnot removed) breast-side down in the brine. Seal up the cooler and use it as an ottoman. Target brine time: 12 hours; flip the bird once about halfway through.
- Roasting day: Heat the oven to 500 degrees F.
- Remove the bird from the brine and rinse inside and out. Discard the brine.
- Place the bird on a roasting rack and place the rack inside a roasting pan. Pat the bird dry inside and out with paper towels. Allow the bird to sit at room temperature for at least an hour.
- Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon and water in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 5 minutes. Drain and add to the turkey's cavity, along with the rosemary and sage. Truss, if you like. Lightly coat the bird with canola oil. Tuck the wings. Roast the bird on the lowest rack of the oven for 30 minutes.
- Insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
- Roast until the thermometer registers 155 degrees F, about 2 1/2 hours.
- Remove the bird from the oven, cover loosely with aluminum foil and let rest for at least 15 minutes before carving.
GOOD EATS ROAST TURKEY
This holiday season, serve Alton Brown's most-popular recipe: a brined and roasted turkey from Good Eats on Food Network.
Provided by Alton Brown
Categories main-dish
Time 9h45m
Yield 10 to 12 servings
Number Of Ingredients 15
Steps:
- Two to three days before roasting: Begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F.
- Combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.
- The night before or early on the day you'd like to eat: Combine the brine, water and ice in the 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining.
- Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.
- Place the bird on roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels.
- Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add steeped aromatics to the turkey's cavity along with the rosemary and sage. Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with canola oil.
- Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl for 15 minutes before carving.
ROAST TURKEY - ALTON BROWN/GIADA DE LAURENTIIS
A fusion of recipes from Alton Brown and Giada DeLaurentiis. Like Alton, I believe that Stuffing Is Evil - bake it separately for food safety!
Provided by DrGaellon
Categories Whole Turkey
Time 7h15m
Yield 12 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 21
Steps:
- Combine all brine ingredients, except ice water, in a stockpot, and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve solids, then remove from heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.
- Early on the day of cooking, (or late the night before) combine the brine and ice water in a clean 5-gallon bucket or 20-quart stock pot. (If you make the brine the same day you need to use it, just use a 7 lb bag of ice and 2 cups of cold water to chill it down fast.).
- Place thawed turkey breast side down in brine, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area (like a basement) for 6 hours. Turn turkey over once, half way through brining. If not refrigerated, add a couple pounds more ice halfway through to keep it good and cold.
- A few minutes before roasting, heat oven to 500 degrees. Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes.
- Remove bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard brine.
- Place bird on roasting rack inside wide, low pan and pat dry with paper towels. Add steeped aromatics to cavity along with rosemary, sage, oregano, lemon and orange. Tuck wings under breasts and coat whole bird liberally with canola (or other neutral) oil.
- Roast on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F. for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, pour in 3 cups of broth and scrape up any fond (browned bits) on the bottom of the pan. Cover breast with double layer of aluminum foil, insert probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and return to oven, reducing temperature to 350 degrees F. After 45 minutes, add 1 more cup of broth. Set thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let turkey rest, loosely covered for 15-30 minutes before carving.
- For the gravy, strain the turkey pan juices from the roasting pan through a sieve and into a 4-cup glass measuring cup; discard the solids. Spoon off the fat from atop the pan juices. Add enough chicken broth, about 1 to 2 cups, to the pan juices to measure 4 cups total. Melt the butter in a heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the flour and whisk for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the broth. Simmer until the gravy thickens slightly, whisking often, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve the turkey with the gravy.
Tips:
- Dry-brining: Dry-brining the turkey helps to evenly distribute the seasonings and results in a more flavorful and moist bird.
- Use a cooking rack: Placing the turkey on a cooking rack allows the air to circulate around it, resulting in a more evenly cooked bird.
- Baste the turkey: Basting the turkey periodically helps to keep it moist and prevent it from drying out.
- Use a meat thermometer: Inserting a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh is the best way to ensure that the turkey is cooked to a safe internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Let the turkey rest: After cooking, let the turkey rest for at least 15 minutes before carving. This allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat, resulting in a more tender and flavorful bird.
Conclusion:
Alton Brown's roast turkey recipe is a great option for a delicious and moist holiday meal. By following the tips above, you can ensure that your turkey is cooked to perfection. So gather your family and friends, and enjoy a memorable Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner with this classic dish.
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