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Perfect Turkey

SUBMITTED BY: Shelly White PHOTO BY: Lori G.

"A perfectly seasoned and juicy turkey. My friend from France taught me to cook turkey like this, but she never measures anything so use your own judgment for vegetable amounts, etc. I usually err on the side of 'more is better'!"
RECIPE RATING:
The reviewer gave this recipe 281 stars. This recipe average a 4.8 star rating.
Read Reviews (241)
PREP TIME  30 Min
COOK TIME  4 Hrs
READY IN  17 Hrs
Original recipe yield 1 (18 pound) turkey

SERVINGS

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Servings
 

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 (18 pound) whole turkey, neck and giblets removed
  • 2 cups kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 2 large onions, peeled and chopped
  • 4 carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 4 stalks celery, chopped
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 cup dry white wine

DIRECTIONS

  1. Rub the turkey inside and out with the kosher salt. Place the bird in a large stock pot, and cover with cold water. Place in the refrigerator, and allow the turkey to soak in the salt and water mixture 12 hours, or overnight.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Thoroughly rinse the turkey, and discard the brine mixture.
  3. Brush the turkey with 1/2 the melted butter. Place breast side down on a roasting rack in a shallow roasting pan. Stuff the turkey cavity with 1 onion, 1/2 the carrots, 1/2 the celery, 1 sprig of thyme, and the bay leaf. Scatter the remaining vegetables and thyme around the bottom of the roasting pan, and cover with the white wine.
  4. Roast uncovered 3 1/2 to 4 hours in the preheated oven, until the internal temperature of the thigh reaches 180 degrees F (85 degrees C). Carefully turn the turkey breast side up about 2/3 through the roasting time, and brush with the remaining butter. Allow the bird to stand about 30 minutes before carving.
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REVIEWS

The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 0 star rating.
Reviewed on Jan. 10, 2006 by melissa1977
Had to downsize recipe since I only had a 12lb turkey. This is the only way I will do turkey... MORE
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 0 star rating.
Reviewed on Dec. 31, 2005 by Gracibabi
I highly recommend this turkey recipe! Made it for Thanksgiving and it's the best one and the... MORE
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 0 star rating.
Reviewed on Jan. 25, 2006 by Jenny
I will never cook a turkey any other way. Tres Bien! MORE
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 0 star rating.
Reviewed on Jan. 1, 2006 by samantha
All I can say is OMG!! What a GREAT turkey!!! We enjoyed it for Chirstmas dinner and couldn't... MORE
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 0 star rating.
Reviewed on Dec. 25, 2005 by krisfriz
Hands down the best turkey ever. MORE
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 0 star rating.
Reviewed on Dec. 11, 2005 by gfkitchnwitch
This is outrageous. My husband was a serious skeptic of the brining process... until carving... MORE
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 0 star rating.
Reviewed on Jan. 25, 2004 by cookin'mama
This really does make the juiciest turkey. Cooks Illustrated magazine recommends letting the... MORE
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 0 star rating.
Reviewed on Dec. 26, 2006 by Shelley
Delicious! But I was wondering... are you supposed to roast this with a rack in the roasting... MORE