Brine the turkey or season it ahead of time.

It will add so much flavor and keep it juicy too. (If you don't want to brine it, I have an easy roast turkey recipe that doesn't require brining.)

How long do you have to brine the turkey?

At least 8 hours, or up to 16 hours. I usually make the brine in the evening and brine the turkey overnight.

Do not overcook the turkey.

Overcooking the turkey will make it dry and leathery. This is where a thermometer comes in. If you overcook it, the turkey will be dry. This thermometer * is really inexpensive and I've had it for years. (*affiliate link) The turkey should be 160-165 degrees Fahrenheit in the breast meat and 170-175 degrees Fahrenheit in the thigh meat.

Let it rest before carving.

It's very tempting to take the turkey from the oven straight to the table and dig right in. Not so fast! Are you worried that it will get too cold before you eat it if you let it stand at room temperature? As the turkey roasts, the muscles get very tight and push out the moisture from the bird. If you let it rest, the muscles relax and the juices redistribute into the meat. If you cut right it, all those juices will leak right out and pool under the bird instead of in it. Give it a good 30 minutes. Don't worry about the turkey getting cold too soon. It will stay warm for more than an hour.

Do you need to roast the turkey breast side down first?

I've done this in the past and it works well, but it's really hard to wrestle a 20 pound turkey, especially when it's really hot. I have found that it cooking the turkey breast side up is much easier and will give you really fantastic results. As long as you don't overcook the turkey, it will be very juicy.

The Best Turkey Brine (Video Recipe)

The Best Turkey Brine

Print Recipe

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5 from 2 reviews

This is the best turkey brine recipe that will give you the juiciest and most flavorful turkey that will wow all your guests. Not only is the turkey golden and crisp on the outside, it’s moist and tender on the inside too.

Author: Olga's Flavor Factory
Prep Time: 10 hours
Cook Time: 2-4 hours
Total Time: 0 hours
Yield: 1 turkey 1x

Ingredients

Scale

1 (12-20) lbs turkey

Brine:

1 gallon vegetable broth
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 Tablespoon black peppercorns
3 dry bay leaves
1 gallon heavily iced water
1 head garlic, cloves slightly smashed

Aromatic Stuffing:

1 onion, cut in half or quarters
1/2 head garlic
1/2 – 1 orange, cut in half or quarters
1 lemon, cut in half or quarters
thyme, parsley (small handful)

For the roasting pan:

3 onions, coarsely chopped
3 carrots, coarsely chopped
3 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
1 garlic head, cloves separated but not peeled
a handful of fresh herbs (parsley, thyme, rosemary, etc.)
1 1/2 – 2 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 lemon, cut in quarters, optional

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Prepare the Turkey Brine:

Combine 4 cups of the vegetable broth, salt, sugar, bay leaves and peppercorns in a large pot. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring until the salt and sugar dissolves.
Pour the hot brine mixture into a large container that you will use to brine the turkey. Add the rest of the cold vegetable broth, the garlic cloves and the iced water. (Heating up only part of the broth, then adding cold vegetable broth and ice water will cool it off really quickly so you can brine the turkey right away.)
Submerge the turkey in the brine. Fill a gallon ziplock bag with ice, close and place on top of the turkey. I put my container inside a large cooler and place all around it and brine it overnight. You want the turkey to brine for at least 8 hours, and up to 16 hours. When the ice in the ziplock bag melts, discard and add more ice in the ziplock bag.

Roast the Brined Turkey:

Preheat the oven to 350-400 degrees. (See note about the oven temperature.)
Prep the turkey. Remove the turkey from the brine. (Discard the brine.) Pat it dry on all sides with a paper towel. Tuck the wings behind the back of the turkey. Tie the drumsticks together with kitchen twine.
Fill a large roasting pan with the vegetables and herbs, then pour in the broth. Place a v-rack inside the roasting pan. Place the turkey on the rack, breast side up. Fill up the cavity of the turkey with the Aromatic Stuffing (onion, garlic, lemon, orange, herbs).
Roast the turkey in the preheated oven until the turkey reaches 160-165 degrees Fahrenheit in the breast meat and 170-175 degrees Fahrenheit in the thigh meat. The time will vary significantly based on the oven temperature and the size of the turkey. A small turkey (12 lbs or so), can take as little as 1 1/2 hours to cook through, while a larger turkey (20 + pounds), roasting at 350 degrees can take 3 – 3 1/2 hours to roast.
Remove the turkey from the oven and let it rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before carving it. It will still be hot up to an hour after you take it out of the oven. (Save the drippings and broth to make turkey gravy.)

Notes

Oven Temperature

If you roast the turkey at 400-450 degrees, the turkey will roast quicker and will give you a crisp golden color faster. However, you have to be more vigilant about watching the turkey. You will most likely need to cover the breast meat up sooner with foil to protect it from burning.

Roasting the turkey at 350 degrees Fahrenheit will cook it more consistently and more slowly. Since it’s such a big bird, it will still get a lovely color, it will just take a little bit longer, but you don’t have to watch it as closely.

More Tips

Let the turkey come to room temperature before putting it into the oven. Since it is submerged in really cold brine, it needs about 20-30 minutes to warm up a bit. Preheating the oven, then prepping the turkey and all the vegetables should give you some time to warm it through.
If the turkey starts to get too brown on the outside but isn’t cooked through on the inside, cover the breast with aluminum foil to prevent the turkey from browning too much. (This can sometimes happen because turkey is so big and needs a long time to cook through.) Spray the foil that’s going to be touching the turkey skin with oil spray or use a pastry brush to spread the oil on the foil.

Find it online: https://www.olgasflavorfactory.com/autumn-favorites/brined-roast-turkey/