Shana's Turkey

Today, I hosted Thanksgiving and did all the cooking. It was my first experience cooking a turkey. My family gave it rave reviews, so I thought I'd share my recipe. I did brine my turkey overnight, which definitely helped infuse it with flavor and it resulted in a moist turkey. The recipe below is for a 12 - 14 lb. turkey.

Buttermilk Brine
8 cups buttermik
3 gloves of garlic minced
2 TBSP kosher salt
2 TBSP sugar
1 TBSP black pepper

In a large bowl whisk the buttermilk, garlic, salt, sugar and black pepper until the sugar and salt is completely dissolved. Rinse the turkey in cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Place the turkey in a brining bag and pour the buttermilk mixture over the turkey. Close the bag and refrigerate for a minimum of 8-24 hours. Rinse the brine off the turkey just slightly under cold water to remove the garlic if desired before cooking.

Turkey & Gravy
1 orange, cut into wedges
1 lemon, cut into wedges
1 onion, cut into wedges
6 fresh rosemary sprigs
6 fresh sage sprigs
6 fresh oregano sprigs
2 TBSP unsalted butter
1 TBSP poultry seasoning
1 TBSP olive oil
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp black pepper
6 cups canned turkey broth
1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Stir 2 tablespoons of butter, poultry seasoning, oil, salt and pepper in a small saucepan over medium heat just until the butter melts.

Place the turkey on a rack set inside a large roasting pan. Place the orange, lemon and onion wedges and 2 sprigs of each herb in the main turkey cavity. Tie the legs together.

Rub the butter mixture all over the turkey and between the turkey breast meat and skin.

Cover the turkey breast with foil and place in a 325 degree oven. Roast for 20 minutes. Pour 3 cups of turkey broth into the pan. Add the remaining sprigs of fresh herbs to the pan. Roast the turkey for 40 minutes. Remove foil from turkey breast and pour 1 more cup of broth into the pan. Continue roasting the turkey until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 170 degrees F to 175 degrees F or until the juices run clear when the thickest part of the thigh is pierced with a skewer, basting occasionally with pan juices.

Making the Gravy
Strain the turkey pan juices from the roasting pan through a sieve. Spoon off the fat from atop the pan juices. Add enough turkey broth to the pan juices to measure 4 cups total. Once the broth is heated, add the flour and whisk for 2 minutes. Continue stirring and let the gravy simmer for about 5 to 10 minutes.