Herb-Butter Roast Turkey

Herb-Butter Roast Turkey: Step by Step

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1. Mix the salt, sugar and pepper. Pat the turkey completely dry and rub the mixture all over, including inside the cavity and under the wings.

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2. Set the bird on a rack over a tray and refrigerate uncovered for 24 to 48 hours. The skin will look dry and slightly translucent — that is exactly right.

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3. Take the turkey out 2 hours before roasting. Do not rinse it.

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4. Mash the butter with the garlic, herbs, lemon zest and pepper.

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5. Loosen the skin over the breast and thighs with your fingers and push two-thirds of the herb butter underneath, spreading it into an even layer. Rub the rest over the outside.

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6. Scatter the vegetables and lemon halves in a large roasting tin, pour in the stock, and set the turkey on top on a rack.

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7. Roast at 220°C / 430°F for 30 minutes to set the skin, then reduce to 165°C / 330°F.

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8. Continue roasting for about 2 to 2.5 hours, basting every 45 minutes, until the thickest part of the thigh reads 74°C / 165°F and the breast 68°C / 154°F.

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9. Tent loosely with foil if the skin browns too fast. Rest the turkey, uncovered, for a full 40 minutes before carving — the temperature will rise a few more degrees and the juices will redistribute.

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Related guide: Prep, cook and total time.

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Things to Watch For

1. Buy a thermometer. Roasting a turkey by time alone is the single most common cause of dry turkey.
2. Do not stuff the cavity; stuffing slows the heat and forces you to overcook the breast. Bake it separately.
3. The resting period is not wasted time — use it to make gravy from the tin juices.

If You're Missing Something

• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.

About This Recipe

A dry brine draws moisture out of the skin, where it evaporates, and simultaneously dissolves salt into the meat, which alters the proteins so they hold water during roasting. The result is drier skin that crisps and moister meat — the opposite of what a wet brine achieves.

To Go With It

A Pinot Noir or a dry Riesling · Serve with stuffing, roast potatoes, greens and cranberry sauce · Finish with pumpkin pie

Sides from the same cuisine on this site: Boston Baked Beans, Air Fryer Mushrooms, Air Fryer Potato Wedges.

Storing Leftovers

Refrigerate 4 days, freeze 3 months. Reheat slices in a covered dish with a little stock at 150°C / 300°F for 20 minutes.

Questions People Ask

What's in a Serving

No nutrition figures are given for this recipe: they cannot be worked out reliably from its ingredient list (some ingredient lines cannot be read). Why some recipes have none.

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