| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 10 hr 50 min |
| Prep: | 40 min |
| Inactive: | 8 hr |
| Cook: | 2 hr 10 min |
| Yield: | 8 to 10 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups kosher salt
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup coriander seeds, cracked
- 3 star anise pods
- 1 teaspoon white peppercorns
- 1 3-inch unpeeled piece ginger, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 12-pound turkey, butterflied (ask your butcher to do this)
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 3 cups apple cider
- 1 2-inch piece ginger, thinly sliced
- 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1 to 3 dried red chile peppers
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- Kosher salt
- 2 to 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced
Instructions
- Prepare the turkey a day or two before roasting: Bring 3 quarts water, the salt, brown sugar, coriander seeds, star anise, peppercorns, ginger and garlic to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the salt and sugar. Remove from the heat and add 4 cups cold water; cool to room temperature. Place the turkey in a large container, pour the brine over it, cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight. Remove the turkey, dry it well and pat all over with the ground coriander. Let dry in the refrigerator at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Make the glaze: Bring the cider, ginger, cranberries, chiles, molasses and vinegar to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce to a simmer and cook until thick, whisking occasionally, about 30 minutes. Strain the glaze and season with salt.
- Preheat the oven to 375º. Place the turkey breast-side up on a rack in a roasting pan and roast 1 hour 10 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted into the thigh registers 155º to 160º. Continue roasting, brushing with the glaze every 10 minutes, until brown and crisp, about 30 more minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 15 minutes before carving. Alternatively, grill the turkey: Preheat a grill to medium on one side. Place the turkey breast-side up on the cooler side of the grill (position a drip pan under the grate), cover and cook until 165º, about 1 hour 20 minutes. Brush with the glaze and grill, uncovered, 10 more minutes.
- Heat the remaining glaze with any pan drippings in a saucepan over medium heat and whisk in the butter. Carve the turkey and serve with the extra glaze.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 10 servings |
| Calories | 761 |
| Total Fat | 26 g |
| Saturated Fat | 8 g |
| Carbohydrates | 44 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 37 g |
| Protein | 85 g |
| Cholesterol | 287 mg |
| Sodium | 1638 mg |
Reviews
I have been using this recipe for Thanksgiving dinners since this issue came out 2009. Not sure if I will ever try a new recipe. The turkey has always turned out moist and flavorful every year. My family loves this Turkey.
Just cooked this turkey, instead of roasting it, I rotisseried it. And I will say that it was very moist and good. The skin was crist and very tasteful.
I followed the brine recipe according to the recipe except I used black peppercorns rather than white as I don’t like white pepper. For the glaze I used dehydrated cranberries (they were all I had and dark brown sugar in place of molasses (I swear I had some but I couldn’t it anywhere when I started to make the turkey. It came out delicious! My family loved how moist the turkey was and how flavorful it is. I made a apple cranberry dressing to go with it that complimented it so well.
The best recipe, I have tasted.
I loved this recipe. this thanksgiving I was afraid to cook my turkey and have it dry. but OMG….this recipe rocks…it gave a delicious taste to the turkey… and talk about being moist.my family loved it…
Ok, I used a different recipe for the brine, so I’m really just reviewing the glaze.
I definitely credit my wonderful first turkey to brining it, but I’m not sure if the glaze really did anything other than finish browning it beautifully.
I definitely credit my wonderful first turkey to brining it, but I’m not sure if the glaze really did anything other than finish browning it beautifully.
My 20 lb whole turkey (I doubled the glaze recipe) got to 155 in 1.5 hrs and it was already pretty brown, then I started glazing for the next 30 minutes. The turkey was so juicy and tasty but I couldn’t taste any remnant of the glaze. Because the turkey was already browning it didn’t seem to soak up the glaze, it just coated and rolled off.
While I am an experienced cook, this was my first time with the thanksgiving turkey. This recipe was very easy to pull off and was a hit at thanksgiving. I had several guests say this was the best turkey they had ever had, and I must agree. Extremely moist, thanks to the brine. The coriander rub and glaze complemented the turkey so very well. One thing to note, the cook time is for a butterflied bird. If you are not butterflying, adjust accordingly.
This was the 1st time I used the brining technique, and I will use it again in the future. Very moist. Nice flavor. I used a 11.5 lb turkey and the cooking times were pretty much exact. The skin was crispy and awesome tasting. I would recommend this recipe to others.l
We used this recipe for our Thanksgiving turkey and loved it. I put it in the brine overnight, put apples and oranges in the cavity and some garlic butter on the bird then cooked it in a rotisserie oven. Started glazing after it had been cooking about an hour. The turkey was moist and delicious and a couple of our guests said it was the best ever!
The turkey was salty, dry and disgusting. I checked it at 40 minutes and it was already over done at 195 degrees. This was not my first time in the kitchen and to say this recipe was not successful is an understatement.