Yummy Turkey Recipe

Below is the turkey recipe I used for Thanksgiving last year. My sister used it at Christmas. It was hands down the best turkey we've ever had - so flavorful and moist! If you don't already have a favorite recipe, I recommend giving this one a try. One item to note, though, the turkey was NOT completely cooked for me nor for my sister after the time specified in the recipe. The breast was fully cooked but the rest of the turkey wasn't ready. So you might need to cook the turkey longer than specified, depending on your oven.

Rachel

1 (10 to 12-pound) turkey

Remove the neck, giblets, and liver from the cavity of the turkey. Rinse the turkey inside and out under cold running water. Soak the turkey in the brine, covered and refrigerated, for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.

Brine:
1 cup salt
1 cup brown sugar
2 oranges, quartered
2 lemons, quartered
6 sprigs thyme
4 sprigs rosemary

To make the brining solution, dissolve the salt and sugar in 2 gallons of cold water in a non-reactive container (such as a clean bucket or large stockpot, or a clean, heavy-duty, plastic garbage bag.) Add the oranges, lemons, thyme, and rosemary. Note: if you have a big turkey and need more brine than this, use 1/2 cup salt and 1/2 cup brown sugar for every gallon of water.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Remove the turkey from the brine and rinse well under cold running water. Pat dry with paper towels, inside and out. Place breast side down in a large, heavy roasting pan, and rub on all sides with 4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature. Season lightly inside and out with salt and pepper.

Stuff the turkey with:
1 large yellow onion, cut into 8ths
1 large orange, cut into 8ths
1 stalk celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large carrot, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs thyme

Loosely tie the drumsticks together with kitchen string.
Roast the turkey, uncovered, breast side down for 1 hour. Remove from the oven, turn over, and baste with 1/2 cup chicken or turkey stock. Continue roasting with the breast side up until an instant-read meat thermometer registers 165 degrees F when inserted into the largest section of thigh (avoiding the bone), about 2 3/4 to 3 hours total cooking time. Baste the turkey once every hour with 1/2 to 3/4 cup chicken or turkey stock.

Remove from the oven and place on a platter. Tent with aluminum foil and let rest for 20 minutes before carving.

================== Notes from the woman from whom I got the recipe ==================
If you are cooking for a large crowd I would recommend 2 smaller turkeys rather than one large one. I have found that they actually fit in one of those large rectangular disposable roasting pans side by side quite well. The reason with going with two smaller ones is that for one they cook faster. So, as a result, it stays more moist. You can cook two small ones in about half the time it takes to cook 1 large one. A large turkey can tend to be a little more tough. But, I have cooked just one large turkey before and it does work fine. My 14 lb turkey took about 3 1/2 hrs to cook, just to give you an idea of how much longer it took for a bigger bird.