Roast Turkey
1208kcal169.5g protein53g fat2.8g carbs~$5.07/ serving*Estimates computed from the ingredient list; cost uses average US supermarket prices. Not a substitute for packaging measurements or your receipt.
Contains dairy · only in an optional ingredient: gluten
Restrictions
ContainsdairyIt is in an ingredient you cannot leave out.
Only if you add itgluten (flour)Leave that ingredient out and the dish does not have it.
Diets
No porkNo alcohol
Worked out from the ingredient list. It knows nothing about brands, shared equipment or cross contamination, and it is not a certification — if you have an allergy, you still have to read the label.
Ingredients
Servings:
| 13 lb |  turkey (whole, 12-14 lb, thawed — 3 days in the fridge) |
| ⅓ cup | salt (kosher, for the dry brine) |
| 1 tbsp |  black pepper |
| ½ cup |  butter (softened) |
| 1 tbsp |  thyme (chopped) |
| 1 tbsp |  sage (chopped) |
| 1 unit |  onion (quartered, for the cavity) |
| 1 unit |  lemon (halved, for the cavity) |
| 2 cup |  chicken stock (for the pan) |
Optional
Not counted above. The dish works without them.
| 3 tbsp |  pan gravy (the catalog's, from these drippings) |
Steps
- Cure1440 mindry brine: salted all over, uncovered in the fridge, 1-3 daysthe thawed bird patted dry, salted everywhere including inside, and left UNCOVERED on a rack in the refrigerator — the salt travels in over a day and the fridge air dries the skin to parchment; this one step replaces the wet brine, the basting, and most of the anxiety, which is why the modern canon converged on it
- Prep20 minherb butter under the breast skin, aromatics in, legs tiedbutter + thyme + sage + pepper worked under the loosened breast skin, onion + lemon in the cavity (aroma, not stuffing — the stuffing bakes in its own dish where it can crisp and can't undercook), legs tied, wings tucked, breast up on a rack, stock in the pan below to keep the drippings from scorching into bitterness
- Rest60 minat room temperature, breast iced if ambitiousout of the fridge an hour before the oven — and the gap-engineering trick from the serious sources: a bag of ice laid on the breast for that hour chills the white meat a few degrees behind the legs, so both arrive at their different finish lines together
- Roast170 min325°F, legs toward the oven's back, untouched, to 160°F breast / 175°F thighroughly 13 minutes a pound, with the probe telling the truth the skin can't — the door stays shut (no basting; the crisp skin was earned in the fridge), foil shields the breast only if it races ahead, and the bird comes out when the BREAST hits 160°F, carrying to safe temperature in the rest
- Rest40 mintented loosely, 30-45 minutes — longer than feels rightthe most violated rule in the holiday: a big bird needs a big rest, and carving at ten minutes pours the breast's juice onto the board instead of down chins; the drippings become the catalog's pan gravy while the bird stands
- Slice15 minbroken down, then sliced — not carved at the tablelegs and thighs off first, breasts removed WHOLE from the bone and sliced crosswise on the board — the kitchen breakdown beats table-side theater on every axis: even slices, skin on every piece, and the carcass goes straight to the stock pot, where next year's gravy begins