Apple Cider Brined and roasted in a garlic herb butter, this turkey is always juicy and flavorful, with crispy skin and the most beautiful dark golden brown color. This turkey is the perfect centerpiece for any holiday meal!
Perfect Brined Roast Turkey
I think a lot of people find cooking a turkey intimidating but really it's nothing more complicated than roasting a really, really large chicken. I learned how to brine and roast turkey from watching and helping my Dad over the years and this recipe is a little inspired by him with my own recipe twists. You are going to love how easy and delicious this turkey is to make.
Perfect for serving with homemade cranberry sauce, my favorite stuffing recipe, brown butter mashed potatoes and twice baked sweet potatoes!
When it comes to shopping for Thanksgiving dinner, Vons is your place for everything from turkeys to gourmet cheeses and wines, fresh produce and baked desserts. I always pick up our turkey from Vons because they have amazing prices on fresh and frozen turkeys!
Also, if you need a little help with any part of the Thanksgiving meal (hello side dishes,) you can Order Ahead online at vons.com/orderahead. All you have to do is order online, pick it up in-store, heat and enjoy! That way you can focus on your turkey.
Ingredients Needed for Roast Turkey
- Turkey - I usually buy between a 16-17 pound turkey from Vons. Fresh or frozen will work as long as you allow time for the turkey to defrost fully. Vons usually puts out the fresh turkeys the week before Thanksgiving.
- Salt- Kosher salt is what I always use for making my turkey brine.
- Brown Sugar - this adds balance and sweetness to the turkey brine.
- Apple Cider - this gives the turkey a subtle sweetness and also a beautiful color!
- Peppercorns - whole black peppercorns add flavor to the brine.
- Bay Leaves - dried whole bay leaves add flavor to the brine.
- Butter- unsalted butter for rubbing on the turkey. You will not need extra salt thanks to the brine so be sure to use unsalted.
- Garlic - tons of fresh garlic, required!
- Rosemary - I only recommend using fresh rosemary for this recipe.
Apple Cider Turkey Brine
This turkey brine is really simple to prepare and guarantees an extra flavorful bird. The final turkey is tender and juicy and the skin turns a deep brown which I love. This brine really is the magic sauce to making THE BEST turkey. Here's how I make it:
- In a large stock pot, combine water, sugar, salt, peppercorns and bay leaves.
- Bring to a boil and cook stirring until the sugar and salt are completely dissolved.
- Remove from heat and stir in more water and apple cider.
- Allow brine to cool completely to room temperature before pouring over the turkey.
Prepping Turkey For Roasting
- Thaw: Thaw your turkey if you are buying frozen. Read the directions for doing this on your turkey. This could take up to 5 days in the refrigerator so plan ahead!
- Make Brine: Make your brine and allow to cool completely to room temperature.
- Prep Turkey: Start by removing the packaging from turkey in a clean kitchen sink. Make sure to remove the bag of giblets as well as the neck from the main cavity of the turkey. Toss these parts or save to make gravy if you make your gravy this way. Personally I do not use these parts.
- Brine: Place turkey in a large brining bag (*affiliate link: I recommend this set) and place bag in a roasting pan or container to make it easier to move. Carefully pour cooled brine over the turkey. Add more water if needed to cover more of the bird. You will flip the turkey half way through brining so don't worry if it's not completely submerged. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours flipping the turkey halfway through.
- Dry: Remove turkey from brine and place in a roasting pan (*affiliate link: I recommend this pan) pat turkey dry with paper towels and allow to sit at room temperature while you preheat the oven.
Easy Way to Tie a Turkey
I've never been one to formally truss a turkey however there are lots of amazing tutorials out there if you would like to learn. Of course you do need to make sure your turkey is tied up tightly in order for it to roast properly and this is the simple way I personally do it.
- Using kitchen twine, tightly cross the legs at the bone and tie together. They should be tied tightly enough not to move.
- Using a very sharp knife, make small slits in the turkey skin just above the leg joint and insert the tips of the wings to hold in place. This will ensure your wings don't burn.
Garlic Herb Butter for Turkey
My Dad like to add his garlic herb butter under the turkey skin which adds a lot of flavor to the meat. I prefer to add it on top of the skin which helps with a super crispy skin and a classic golden brown look to your bird.
How to Make Garlic Herb Butter
- In a bowl combine two sticks of unsalted, softened butter, minced fresh rosemary and minced garlic.
- Stir together until you have a paste.
- This mixture will be rubbed on the bird half way through cooking.
How to Roast a Turkey
- Once your turkey placed in the roasting pan on a roasting rack, tied and dried (see steps above for that info,) tent with heavy duty foil making sure that the foil is not touching the top of the turkey.
- Preheat oven to 275 degrees and position rack in the lower third of the oven to allow room for the turkey.
- Roast at this low temperature for 10 minutes per pound. For a 16-17 pound turkey this will be about 2 ½ hours depending on weight.
- Remove turkey from the oven and discard the foil. Carefully rub the entire turkey, including the cavity in garlic herb butter. It will be a melty mess but don't worry about that. Just give the entire bird a nice butter massage.
- Turn oven up to 375 degrees and return turkey to the oven for an addition 1 ½ - 2 ½ hours depending on size or until the turkey reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees in the thighs.
When to Baste & Rotate:
Half way through your second roast, once the butter has been applied, remove the turkey and quickly brush with the pan drippings. This is usually after about 30 minutes. Basting beyond this point will cause the skin to not crisp up properly so do this step early and return to the oven for the remainder of the roasting time. I also rotate the roasting pan in the oven during this step!
Tips for a Perfect Turkey
- Brine! This is what keeps your turkey from drying out and adds so much flavor to the meat. It creates a delicious, perfectly salted bird.
- Dry well. Drying the skin helps it crisp up really nicely!
- Start on a low temperature and then increase. This helps the bird cook through evenly.
- Have the proper equipment: a good roasting pan with rack, thermometer, basting brush, brining bag, twine, and roasting forks. I will link to these at the end of this blog post.
- Baste once and early so that skin has time to crisp up.
- Allow to rest before slicing. This will allow juices to redistribute into the meat resulting in the moistest turkey.
How to Plate a Turkey
I always find the highest quality Thanksgiving essentials in the Pasadena area at Vons stores. The produce is beautiful this time of year so I grabbed pomegranates, fresh cranberries, rosemary, sage, thyme and pears to arrange around the platter. Using fresh produce to decorate your turkey makes such a bountiful centerpiece for the table.
Favorite Thanksgiving Sides:
- Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes
- Sour Cream & Chive Mashed Potatoes
- Sausage Stuffing
- Cranberry Sauce
- Roasted Delicata Squash
- Transparent Pie
- Chocolate Pecan Pie
I hope you will try my Roast Turkey Recipe this year for your Thanksgiving dinner. The meat department at Vons has delicious Thanksgiving turkeys and roasts. Unsure of the cut you want? Ask your butcher for help! Place any custom order with your butcher ahead of time to ensure you have a stress-free, delicious Thanksgiving and happy cooking!
I shopped at Vons in my local area, but you can also find quality Thanksgiving essentials at the Albertsons Companies family of stores, including Albertsons, Safeway, ACME Markets, Jewel-Osco, Randalls, Shaw’s Supermarket, Star Market and Tom Thumb. Vons also offers DriveUp & Go™ for convenient ways to shop!
Perfect Brined Roast Turkey
Apple Cider Brined Roast Turkey with a Garlic Herb Butter is the perfect crispy skinned, juicy Thanksgiving Turkey.
Ingredients
- 16-17 pound Turkey, fresh or frozen and defrosted
For the Brine:
- 8 cups water
- 4 cups apple cider
- ½ cup kosher salt
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon whole black peppercorns
- 6 dried bay leaves
For the Butter Rub:
- 1 cup, (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 2 Tablespoons finely minced fresh rosemary
- 10-12 cloves garlic, finely minced
Instructions
- NOTE: Prepare ahead by reading through this recipe and planning your timing based on the weight of your turkey.
- MAKE THE BRINE: In a large stock pot combine 4 cups water, kosher salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook stirring just until the sugar and salt are all dissolved. Remove from heat and add the additional 4 cups water and 4 cups of apple cider. COOL completely to room temperature.
- PREP TURKEY: Remove any packaging from the turkey and discard the bag of giblets as well as the neck from the main cavity of the turkey. Place turkey in a large brining bag (breast side down) in a large roasting pan or baking dish. (to make moving easier.)
- BRINE: Once brine is completely cooled to room temperature, carefully pour over the turkey. Gather the bag up and tie to help the brine surround bird. Refrigerate for 4 hours, flip the bird to breast side up, and refrigerate an additional 4 hours or until ready to roast.
- Remove turkey from brine and place in a roasting pan with a roasting rack. Pat turkey dry with paper towels and allow to sit at room temperature while you preheat the oven.
- PREHEAT: Preheat oven to 275 degrees and position rack in the lower third of the oven to allow room for the turkey.
- TIE TURKEY: Truss or tie your turkey (notes below) with kitchen twine to secure the wings and legs.
- ROAST: tent turkey with heavy duty aluminum foil making sure to not touch foil to the turkey as it can stick. Roast for 10 minutes per pound.
- MAKE GARLIC HERB BUTTER: In a small bowl, combine softened butter, minced garlic and minced rosemary. Mix well to combine.
- BUTTER RUB: remove turkey from oven and discard the foil. Rub entire turkey with the herb butter mixture. This is a messy-melty process but it's worth it! Don't forget the cavity, legs, etc. Give your turkey a nice massage.
- ROAST: Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees and return turkey to the oven. Roast an additional 1 ½ - 2 ½ hours (basting once) or until the thickest part of the thigh registers 165°.
- BASE & ROTATE: After 45 minutes, check the temperature, baste the bird with pan dripping, rotate in the oven and continue roasting. You will only base this one time so that the skin has time to crisp up. Continue Roasting.
- When you have reached 165° in the thickest part of the thigh, remove your turkey and allow to rest for at least 15 minutes.
- Use Turkey Forks to carefully tip and drain any juice and butter from the cavity into the roasting pan and transfer to a platter for serving.
Notes
Thaw: Thaw your turkey if you are buying frozen. Read the directions for doing this on your turkey. This could take up to 5 days in the refrigerator so plan ahead!
Cook Time: this will vary based on the size of your turkey. I recommend planning ahead for brining and roasting time based on the turkey you purchase! This recipe will take two days to prepare.
Easy way to tie your turkey:
- Using kitchen twine, tightly cross the legs at the bone and tie together. They should be tied tightly enough not to move.
- Using a very sharp knife, make small slits in the turkey skin just above the leg joint and insert the tips of the wings to hold in place. This will ensure your wings don't burn.
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