Katies Brined Turkey Recipes

Steps:

• 24 to 48 hours before cooking, rinse the turkey inside and out. Pat dry with paper towels. Mix the salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder in a small bowl. Liberally sprinkle the inside and outside of the turkey with the seasoning mix and place on a sheet pan; cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate 24 to 48 hours. Eight to 10 hours before cooking, remove the plastic wrap and continue to refrigerate uncovered.
• Mix the butter with the minced sage. Use your fingers to loosen under the skin of the turkey, then rub the butter under the skin. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour. If any moisture forms on the turkey skin, pat dry with paper towels.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Stuff the turkey's cavity with the onion, garlic and sage bundle. Truss the turkey with kitchen twine, place on a rack in a large roasting pan and put in the oven.
• Combine the chicken stock, maple syrup and bay leaf in a small saucepan over low heat. Bring to a very low simmer, then remove from the heat. After 30 minutes of roasting time, begin basting the turkey every 30 minutes with this mixture.
• The turkey is done when an instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees F in the breast and 165 degrees F in the thigh, 15 to 20 minutes per pound of turkey (3 hours to 4 hours 40 minutes). Tent the turkey with foil and let rest 45 minutes to 1 hour. Carve and serve.

Steps:

• For the turkey and marinade: Combine the pineapple, Worcestershire, cumin, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, orange zest and juice and lime zest and juice in a large bowl. Add the turkey breast, toss to coat and cover tightly with plastic wrap. (Or pour the marinade into a resealable plastic bag with the turkey breast.) Marinate, refrigerated, for 3 to 4 hours.
• For the rub: Combine the salt, oregano, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder and some black pepper in a small bowl.
• Preheat a grill to 350 degrees F.
• Remove the turkey from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Rub the turkey all over with the rub, then lightly oil the skin.
• Place the turkey skin-side down on the grill. Cook until the skin begins to lightly char and crisp, about 10 minutes. Flip the turkey, then cover the grill and cook until the turkey registers 165 degrees F, 40 to 45 minutes more. Loosely tent the turkey with foil and let rest for about 10 minutes before slicing.
• For serving: Serve the sliced turkey on buns with the Sweet-and-Sour Pineapple Marmalade and sliced red onion.
• Whisk the orange juice, vinegar, brown sugar and 2 tablespoons water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Add the pineapple, red onion and jalapeno. Bring to a low boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens, 15 to 25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Let cool.

Steps:

• Two days before serving, rinse turkey and pat dry. Rub all over with kosher salt, slipping salt under skin where possible and rubbing some into cavities. Use about 1 tablespoon per 4 pounds of bird.
• Wrap bird in a large plastic bag and place in refrigerator. On second night, turn turkey over. A couple of hours before cooking, remove turkey from bag and pat dry. (There is no need to rinse it first.) Place in roasting pan and allow to come to room temperature.
• Heat oven to 450 degrees. Sprinkle half the pepper into main cavity of turkey; add thyme, parsley, half the onions and half the apples. Truss legs with kitchen twine. Put remaining apples and onions in neck opening and tuck neck skin under bird.
• Rub butter under breast skin and onto thigh meat. Sprinkle bird with remaining pepper.
• Roast for 30 minutes. Remove turkey from oven, reduce heat to 350 degrees and cover breast of bird and wing tips with foil. Add 1 1/2 cups white wine (or use water) to bottom of roasting pan and roast bird for another two hours, depending on size; figure 12 minutes a pound for an unstuffed bird. Remove foil in last half-hour so breast browns.
• When turkey has roasted for 2 hours, begin to test for doneness by inserting a meat thermometer (digital is best) into two places in thigh, making sure not to touch bone. It should be at about 160 degrees.
• When roasting is done, tip turkey so interior juices run back into pan. Remove turkey to a separate baking sheet or serving platter, cover with foil and then a damp kitchen towel and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes.
• Pour fat and drippings from pan into a measuring cup. Deglaze pan with 1/2 cup white wine (or use broth) and pour that into same measuring cup. Fat and drippings can then be used to make gravy.

Steps:

• Thaw turkey and remove any innards. In a large pot (enough to cover the turkey with water) Add salt and fill 1/3 of the way with cold water. Mix until salt is mostly dissolved. Add remaining ingredients and turkey. Fill till turkey is just covered with cold water. Put in refrigerator or an ice chest (with ice) and keep cool 12-24 hours.
• Once ready to cook turkey, remove from brine and pat dry. Make sure the inside of the turkey does not have any water. Place in a roasting pan. Take all the solid seasonings (garlic, rosemary, peppercorns, lemon) and put inside the turkey. Take a little sea salt and olive oil and rub the turkey down. Cover pan with aluminum foil.
• Bake at 325 for 20 minutes per lb. For the last 20 minutes, remove the foil and set the oven to broil (low broil if an option). This will brown the skin. Watch closely as each oven is different. It may take less or more time to brown depending on the oven.
• Once the turkey has reached an internal temp of 150-160 degrees, remove from the oven and let sit for 20 minutes before carving.

Steps:

• For the brine: Combine the salt, peppercorns, thyme, sage, orange and 1 1/2 gallons water in a large pot over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and cook until the salt is dissolved and the water is fragrant. Turn off the heat and let cool completely.
• For the turkey: To brine the turkey, place the turkey in a roasting bag, large plastic bag or bowl large enough to fit it with still more space for the brine. Pour in the brining liquid and seal or cover. If there's not enough room for all of the liquid in the brine, be sure to at least include the herbs, orange and peppercorns. Refrigerate at least overnight and up to 3 days.
• When ready to cook, remove the turkey from the brine and discard all of the brining liquid and solids. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels.
• To butterfly the turkey, using kitchen shears or a knife, cut out the backbone of the turkey. Break the breastbone to open up and flatten the bird by gently pressing down with the skin-side up. Flip over and pat dry. Using your finger, gently release the skin from the muscle of the turkey and insert the butter pieces between the skin and meat all over the bird.
• For the rub: In a medium bowl, mix together the cumin, paprika, chili powder, orange zest, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the rub in a small bowl and set aside.
• Drizzle the turkey with olive oil and sprinkle with the rub. Gently rub into the skin. Place the turkey cavity-side down on a rack in a roasting pan and allow to sit on the countertop for about 2 hours to come to room temperature.
• For the glaze: To the reserved 1 tablespoon of rub, stir in the honey and orange juice until smooth. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Add 1 to 2 inches of water to the bottom of the roasting pan. Place the turkey in the oven, lower the heat to 350 degrees F and roast for 30 minutes. Remove the turkey from the oven and brush the glaze over the skin. Return to the oven and continue to roast, glazing every 30 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thigh reads 160 degrees F, 1 to 2 hours.
• Let the turkey rest at room temperature before carving, tented with aluminum foil, until it comes up to 165 degrees F, about 30 minutes. Plate the turkey and garnish with orange slices and sage and thyme sprigs.

Steps:

• Two to three days before you plan to cook, spatchcock the turkey: Put the turkey on a stable cutting board, breast-side down, and use heavy-duty kitchen shears to snip along both sides of the backbone to release it. You can start from the tail or neck end, whichever you prefer; just keep the blades of the scissors as close to the spine as possible. It helps to work incrementally, snipping a little on one side, then a little on the other, rather than completing one side entirely and then doing the second side without the advantage of the opposing pressure.
• After removing the backbone, remove wingtips, neck and giblets, setting them all aside for stock and gravy.
• Turn turkey over so breast faces up. Splay out its legs and press hard on breastbone until you hear the cartilage pop and the bird lies completely flat.
• Place a 2-gallon resealable bag in a large bowl, stock pot or sink. Pour buttermilk and salt in bag and stir to dissolve salt. Place turkey in bag and seal carefully, expelling out air. Double-bag the turkey as needed to prevent leakage, then squish the inner bag to distribute buttermilk all around the turkey. Place it on a rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate for 48 hours. Turn the bag every 12 hours so that every part of the turkey gets marinated.
• Three hours before you plan to start cooking, remove the turkey from the plastic bag and scrape off as much buttermilk as you can without being obsessive, discarding buttermilk. Set the turkey on a rimmed baking sheet and bring it to room temperature.
• Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and heat to 400 degrees. Transfer turkey, breast-side up, to another rimmed baking sheet lined with a wire rack or parchment paper. Tuck thighs inward.
• Place baking sheet on the prepared oven rack and roast the turkey, occasionally rotating the pan 180 degrees, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the deepest part of the breast registers 150 degrees and the thickest part of the thigh without touching bone registers 165 degrees, about 80 to 100 minutes, depending on size. (You may want to tent the breast or other hot spots with aluminum foil, if darkening too quickly.)
• Transfer turkey to a cutting board or platter and allow to rest at least 20 minutes before carving.