Turkey Convection Recipes

Steps:

• Two to three days before roasting: Begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F.
• Combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.
• The night before or early on the day you'd like to eat: Combine the brine, water and ice in the 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining.
• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.
• Place the bird on roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels.
• Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add steeped aromatics to the turkey's cavity along with the rosemary and sage. Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with canola oil.
• Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl for 15 minutes before carving.

Steps:

• Brine the Turkey: Use 1 tablespoon salt per 5 lbs turkey (washed and dried), sprinkle a little in the cavity, then generously on one side concentrating on the thigh, now the other and last the breast, concentrating on the thick parts. Put in a plastic bag, squeeze out air and refrigerate breast up. Next day, give turkey a massage to distribute the salt and any liquid without removing it from the bag and refrigerate breast down. Next day, massage turkey again and refrigerate breast up. After 3 days, remove turkey from bag, wipe dry, place on a rack and into the fridge for another day. This dries the skin for a beautiful crisp brown finish. After day one and two, you will see quite a bit of moisture in the bag. Leave it alone! By the end of day 3, all that liquid (now salted) will be reabsorbed to give the turkey flavor and texture. Cook the Turkey: Preheat convection oven to 375 degrees. If your oven has settings for Baking or Roasting, select Roasting. Brush 2 tablespoons melted butter over skin; sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper over skin and in the cavity. Place 20 sprigs of rosemary in the cavity. Tuck wing tips under, tie legs together. Place bird breast-up in a V-shaped roasting rack in a shallow roasting pan. Cover breast and top of thighs tightly with foil. Roast for 45 minutes. Remove foil and baste with 1/2 cup chicken stock. Leave foil off. Return turkey to oven. Baste with pan drippings every 20 minutes until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Figure about 7 minutes cooking time per pound; a 20 lb bird will take 2 1/2 hours. Let turkey rest for 30 minutes before carving.