You might consider a dry brine, which can be done with a really big ziplog-type bag.
Dry Brined Turkey
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Recipe By: Steve Cutchen
Summary:
Based on the Dry Brined Turkey method published in the LA Times by Russ Parsons, which, in turn, was inspired by Judy Rodgers, Zuni Cafe, San Francisco. I've added some inspiration from my previous recipes of choice from Wolfgang Puck and Alton Brown, and I've added my gravy recipe.
Ingredients:
1 16 pound turkey, (recommended: Fresh turkey that is not pre-injected wth a tenderizing / brine solution)
kosher salt, for dry brine
olive oil, for drizzling
vegetable oil spray
Compound Butter:
1 stick butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon rosemary, chopped
Aromatics:
1 red apple
1/2 onion, quartered
1 stick cinnamon
4 sprigs rosemary
1 cup water
vegetable oil
Mirepoix:
2 carrots, coarsely chopped
2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
1 onion, medium, coarsely chopped
Gravy:
Turkey Stock from Raw Giblets, See related item
3 quarts turkey stock, (recommended: turkey bone stock from last year, See related item)
roast turkey meat drippings, defatted
roast turkey fat drippings, should be about 1 1/2 cups
Wondra flour, same volume as fat drippings, plus more if needed
Directions:
Dry Brine (Begin on the evening, 4 days before cooking):
Wash the turkey inside and out, pat it dry and weigh it. Measure 1 tablespoon of salt into a bowl for every 5 pounds the turkey weighs (for a 15-pound turkey, you'd have 3 tablespoons).
Sprinkle the inside of the turkey lightly with salt. Place the turkey on its back and salt the breasts, concentrating the salt in the center, where the meat is thickest. You'll probably use a little more than a tablespoon. It should look liberally seasoned, but not over-salted.
Turn the turkey on one side and sprinkle the entire side with salt, concentrating on the thigh. You should use a little less than a tablespoon. Flip the turkey over and do the same with the opposite side.
Place the turkey in a large sealable plastic bag, press out the air and seal tightly. Place the turkey breast-side up in the refrigerator. Chill for 3 days, turning it onto its breast for the last day. This time should end on the evening before you are going to cook.
The night before the turkey is to be cooked, remove the turkey from the bag. There should be no salt visible on the surface and the skin should be moist but not wet. Place the turkey breast-side up on a plate and refrigerate uncovered overnight, or for at least 8 hours.
Preparation to Roast:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
On the day it is to be cooked, remove the turkey from the refrigerator and leave it at room temperature at least 1 hour. If there is not a metal or plastic leg restraint on the bird, use kitchen twine to tie the legs together. This will make a compact shape and will create a great presentation. Remove the wing tips.
While the turkey is warming up, begin making the turkey stock from the giblets, neck and wing tips. (See related item.)
Once the stock is simmering, make the compound butter by mixing together the softened butter and chopped rosemary. Using your hands, loosen to the skin from the breast by gently inserting your fingers between the skin and the flesh. Stuff the compound butter underneath the skin and spread it around.
Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and cup of water in a microwave safe dish, cover lightly, and microwave on high for 2 minutes. When cool enough to handle, insert the aromatics into the cavity of the turkey.
Make a 2 layer foil Turkey Triangle that can be quickly added to cover the breast after 30 minutes of cooking. Wipe the underside with canola oil or use non-stick foil. Then preform it to the breast so that it can be easily added to a hot turkey.
Roasting:
In a shallow vegetable oil-sprayed roasting pan, place the mirepoix (coarsely chopped, not to be served). Add the roasting rack, spray it as well, and nestle it into the vegetables.
Place the turkey on the rack, breast-side DOWN. Drizzle the turkey with olive oil and rub it into the skin.
After 30 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees.
Carefully turn the turkey over so the breast is facing up. (It's easiest to do this by hand, using kitchen towels or oven mitts.) Insert probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast from front toward the back. Return the turkey to the oven and roast until the thermometer reads 161 degrees, about 3 hours total roasting.
Remove turkey from the oven and lift it and roasting rack from the roasting pan and place them on a sheet pan to cool. Tent with foil. Let it rest, loosely covered for 15 minutes before carving.
Gravy:
This recipe makes about a gallon of gravy, with the idea being to have enough to serve it with turkey, dressing and mashed potatoes. Remove the vegetables from the roasting pan with a slotted spoon. When the fat and drippings have cooled a bit, pour them into a fat separator and split the fat and meat drippings. The fat drippings will include not only the rendered turkey fat but also the butter from under the skin, about 1 1/2 cups total.
Add the fat drippings into a saute pan, straining to remove any solid bits if needed. Using a volume of Wondra flour equal to the amount of fat, make a light roux, cooking very gently just to remove the raw flour taste. The roux should not darken.
In a large pot, add the turkey stock, the stock from the giblets and the meat drippings, strained to remove any solid bits if needed. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer. While whisking, begin adding the roux. Keep the gravy at a simmer or a low boil so that the flour can do its job. Depending on how thick you want the gravy, you may not use all of the roux. Or you may want to add additional Wondra flour after using up all of the roux.
Carving:
Use an electric knife.
Cut off the legs by cutting down through the skin separating the thigh from the body. When you get to the joint, use your hands with a paper towel to bend the joint down and pop the socket. Cut through and remove leg and thigh as one piece.
From the front, inward, parallel to the table, from just above the wing, cut inward toward the rib and then up, tracing a line along the wishbone to the base of the keel bone.
You can slice the breast meat or, starting at the keel bone, cut down until you feel resistance and then out, removing the entire breast half. Slice the breast as a boneless hunk into 1/4" or so slices.
Separate the thigh from the leg and cut the dark meat from the thigh. Serve legs whole.
Cut off the wings
Notes:
Be sure and save the carcass to make stock for next year's gravy!
