The Perfect Turkey

Ahhhh...its almost here and I am so excited! Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays! Most of my childhood thanksgivings were spent at my Aunt and Uncles house in Tulsa, OK.  It was always a blast! The food was amazing...from smoked and oven roasted turkey to Amish noodles and those amazing rolls! And lets not forget my Aunt's famous Wassail..my favorite! There is so much to love about Thanksgiving for me because I really enjoy cooking...but for some I know it can be a bit overwhelming and challenging. This post is solely dedicated to help make your time in the kitchen a success this Thanksgiving with a one perfect bird! 

The Perfect Turkey

Two years ago I made a turkey that was fabulous! Why not last year? Well last year I was dead to the world...I had 4 month old twins - need I say more. (: Anyways, this turkey it was good and the gravy was really yummy! 

Ingredients 

1- (13-14lb) Fresh Turkey - serves 10-12 people

1 lemon

1 garlic bulb

4 sprigs of fresh Rosemary

4 sprigs of fresh thyme

2 Tbsp Butter or Olive oil

Kosher salt and black pepper

1 1/2 c. chicken broth

1st step - One to Two days before Thanksgiving: Remove turkey from packaging and remove giblets from the turkey. Rinse turkey under cold water and blot dry with paper towels. Place on a roasting rack in a roasting pan. Rub turkey (outside and inside) with 2 tbsp of Kosher salt. Place in the refrigerator uncovered for one to two days. If your turkey was previously frozen: #1 make sure it was not previously brined - if so skip this step, #2 the turkey will need to be thawed before dry brine can take place - place turkey in refrigerator to thaw 3 days before thanksgiving. The day before thanksgiving place dry brine on turkey. Please thaw your turkey in the refrigerator and not in a sink - no one wants to die from food poisoning on Thanksgiving! (; 


2nd step - Thanksgiving Day: Truss the Turkey - Just watch Alton Brown (:


http://www.foodnetwork.com/how-to-truss-a-turkey/video/index.html


3rd step - Thanksgiving Day: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Rub turkey with olive oil or butter and season with black pepper - on outside and inside of cavity. NO salt needed since dry brine has already taken place. Cut lemon in half and stuff in cavity. Cut entire bulb in half so that all of the garlic cloves are open and exposed and stuff in cavity of bird. Stuff rosemary and thyme sprigs inside the cavity as well. Pour chicken broth in bottom of roasting pan and place in oven immediately lowering the heat to 350 degrees. Rotate turkey halfway through cooking. For a 13-14lb turkey, cooking time should be approximately 2 1/2 - 3hours. Baste turkey with drippings every 30-45minutes for a pretty evenly golden brown bird. Insert an instant-read thermometer into the thigh of the bird, careful not to hit bone; it should read 170 degrees. 


The Best Turkey Gravy
Pour all juices off of the turkey and into the roasting pan. Pour juices in a gravy separator to remove the fat. Discard fat. Add chicken broth to the juices to make approx 2 cups of liquid. Pour all juices back into the roasting pan and place on two burners on the stove on medium heat. Mix 2 tbsp cornstarch to approx 1/4 milk or water. This will make a thin paste. Once broth and drippings begin to simmer add the cornstarch mixture slowly stirring until gravy starts to thicken. Season with salt and pepper. Enjoy! The garlic, lemon, and herbs from the turkey drippings adds amazing flavor to this gravy!