THE WAY TO MAKE THE BEST TURKEY FOR THIS THANKSGIVING

With thanksgiving right around the corner i am going to be sharing thanksgiving recipes from how to make an amazing juicy flavorful turkey to side dishes like baked mac and cheese and creamy mashed potatoes. Today as you can see by the title of this post that i am going to show you how to cook a turkey that isn't dried out and flavorless. I mean who wants a dry bird on thanksgiving. This is not your typical recipe and it is more tips on how to avoid drying out your turkey

Ingredients needed 

1. Your turkey( around 12 to 16 pounds)

2. salt ( around 1 cup for 12-16 pound turkey)

3.16 gallons of water for the brine 

4.slices apples, oranges and lemons 

5.Softened butter with herbs (rosemary, thyme and sage)

Tips 

1. Thaw your turkey in the fridge slowly ( around 3 to 4 days for a 12 -16 pound turkey).Do not try to thaw it out too quickly it will effect not only the cooking of the turkey but the safety of the food.

2.Brine your turkey for 24 hours once thawed with 1 cup of kosher salt and 16 gallons of water mixed together.

3.Allow the turkey to come to room temperature before cooking ( an hour to hour and half ) and pat dry before roasting.

4. Add your sliced apples , oranges and lemons to the inside of the turkey and spread butter and herbs on the outside of the turkey evenly before roasting.

5.Cook at 450 for 15 minutes to crisp the skin but then drop the temp to 325 for the remainder of the time to avoid drying out the turkey.( about 10-12 minutes per pound).

6.Baste the turkey every 45 minutes to an hour.

7.Once the turkey is fully cooked and you have reached an internal temp of at least 165 Fahrenheit.

8. The lemons, oranges and apples can be removed after the turkey is done cooking and before carving.