Here is what I did-
I had a 12+lb organic (blah, blah, blah) turkey that I got out of the packaging, washed under cool water (inside and out) and pulled the neck and innards out, and any pin feathers that may be remaining. In case you don't know, in a turkey the innards usually come in a paper or plastic bag in one of the cavities of the bird. The neck is also in there, but not in a bag. Set those to the side. Then, I make the brine!
Brine-
I bought some brine bags from the store, they come with a twisty tie to seal them off and I put the bag inside of a 5 gallon stock pot.
In a pot on the stove, I heat 1/2 gallon of chicken stock with 1 cup kosher salt, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup splenda. Once those have dissolved.... Add 1/2 a gallon of room temperature chicken stock and 1 pitcher of ice. In the bag, add a palm full of multi-colored peppercorns, 2 onions- quartered, 8 garlic cloves- smashed, 4 stalks celery- rough chopped, 6 bay leaves, handful of fresh oregano, handful of fresh thyme, and a handful of fresh basil. Put all of this in the bag inside the stock pot, then submerge the turkey into the mixture. Go on... shove him down! Then seal the bag up, and put it all in the fridge. I recommend brining for at least 12 hours, but I had mine in for 16!
Next, take the bird out of the brine and pat it dry inside and out.
Then, I spent some time loosening the skin over the breasts-
Next comes the stuffing!
I made stuffing using 3 cups of celery, 2 cups of onions, some fresh Italian herbs that I grow (basil, oregano, thyme) and enough chicken stock to cover it all. Once the veggies are transparent, allow to cool for a bit and then add 2 packages of stuffing mix- I use Pepperidge Farm. and mix thoroughly. Add poultry seasoning to taste. If it is too dry, add some more stock or some water to get it to the right texture. Then stuff both ends of the turkey- yep... BOTH... and cover with the excess skin and secure with metal skewers. Once on the rack, coat with butter all over!!! This gives you that crispy skin! Also, make sure you cook the bird, breast side up and that you tie the drumsticks together or tuck them under extra skin if available. For the wings, they are best tucked under the bird as shown below.
If you have extra stuffing, put it in a greased pan and bake off later. Some people are odd about eating stuffing that was in the bird!
Put on a greased rack in a roasting pan. Then cover the bottom of the pan with chicken stock, water, white wine (WHATEVER YOU HAVE!) and whatever else you want in there! Kind of like the brine, this is all personal choice! I used chicken stock and water, with some herbs (same as previously listed) and some chopped onion and smashed garlic. Put in an oven that is set to 450 degrees. Once you put the turkey in, the temp will naturally drop. Once you close the door, allow the temp to get back to 425, then turn it to 325 degrees WITHOUT OPENING THE DOOR! If you open the door, you let the heat and steam out... and that would ruin all your work to this point! Turkey is notorious for being difficult to keep moist and this is an IMPORTANT step!
I cooked mine for about 16 minutes a pound. It is important to check the temp of your turkey and your stuffing prior to taking it out of the oven. However, remember that the temp will raise about 10 degrees after you take it out of the oven so if you wait too long, it will be over cooked!
If you follow these steps... you will end up with a delishous turkey that will make you and your family proud!
For slicing, we cut the legs and thighs off, then cut the entire breast in one cut and then sliced it. This way, everyone gets a bit of that indulgent crispy skin and the well seasoned meat. I HIGHLY recommend this!!!
