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Roasted Brined Turkey II

A turkey brined in salt water, roasted with vegetables and butter.

From the Wikibooks Cookbook · 8 ingredients
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Why it works: Carrot and celery match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 10,173 recipes. Both carry myristicin, which smells spice, warm. The science ↓

Roasted Brined Turkey II

Oven400°F
Time45 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Brine and dry

  1. Dissolve salt in the cold water in a large stockpot or clean bucket.

  2. Add the turkey to the brine and refrigerate or set in a very cool spot (< 40°F / 4.4°C) for 4–6 hours.

  3. Remove the turkey from the salt water and rinse both cavities and skin under cool running water for several minutes until all traces of salt are gone.

  4. Pat the turkey dry inside and out with paper towels.

  5. Place the turkey on a meat rack set over a rimmed sheet pan.

  6. Place the turkey in the refrigerator, uncovered, and air‑dry for at least 8 hours or overnight.

Prepare for roasting

  1. Adjust the oven rack to the lowest position and preheat the oven to 400°F (204.4°C).

  2. Toss one‑third of the onion, carrot, celery, and thyme with 1 tablespoon of melted butter.

  3. Place the buttered vegetable mixture in the turkey's body cavity.

  4. Bring the turkey legs together and perform a simple truss.

  5. Scatter the remaining vegetables and thyme over a shallow roasting pan.

  6. Pour 1 cup of water over the vegetables.

  7. Set a V‑rack in the pan.

  8. Brush the entire breast side of the turkey with half of the remaining butter.

  9. Place the turkey breast side down on the V‑rack.

  10. Brush the entire backside of the turkey with the remaining butter.

Roast and serve

  1. Roast the turkey for 45 minutes.

  2. Remove the pan from the oven (close the oven door) and baste the turkey with juices from the pan.

  3. With a wad of paper toweling in each hand, turn the turkey so the leg/thigh side is up.

  4. If the liquid in the pan has totally evaporated, add another ½ cup of water.

  5. Return the turkey to the oven and roast for 15 minutes.

  6. Remove the turkey from the oven again, baste, and use paper toweling to turn the other leg/thigh side up.

  7. Roast for another 15 minutes.

  8. Remove the turkey from the oven for the final time, baste, and turn it breast side up.

  9. Roast until the breast registers about 165°F (73.9°C) and the thigh registers 170–175°F (76.7–79.4°C) on an instant‑read thermometer (30–45 minutes).

  10. Remove the turkey from the pan and let it rest until ready to carve.

  11. Serve with gravy.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

346Calories
33 gProtein
16 gFat
18 gCarbs

Counts 7 of 8 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 7 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Chicken100g cooked165
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Carrot1 medium (61g)25
Celery Stalks1 stalk (40g)6
Thyme1 tsp dried (1.4g)4
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Waternot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Wikibooks Cookbook.

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Carrot + celerytop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together10,173 recipes

    Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).

  2. Carrot + thymetop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together4,563 recipes

    Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).

  3. Celery + thymetop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together3,193 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  4. Onion + carrottop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together21,601 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  5. Onion + thymetop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together11,171 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Turkey
Provides the main protein; brining seasons and helps it stay moist during roasting.
Kosher salt
Seasons the meat and helps it hold moisture during brining.
Unsalted butter
Adds fat for browning and richer flavor on the skin.
Onions
Release moisture and aroma as they roast, flavoring the pan juices.
Carrots
Add gentle sweetness and aroma to the pan juices and gravy base.
Celery
Adds savory, aromatic flavor to the pan juices and gravy base.

The step that matters

Air-drying the brined turkey. Patting dry and refrigerating uncovered removes surface moisture, so the skin can dry and brown crisply in the hot oven instead of steaming.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (turkey, carrot, celery, thyme, butter):

  1. Leekfits better
  2. Parsnipfits better
  3. Turnipfits better
  4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against turkey, carrot, celery, thyme, butter. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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