Best Christmas Turkey

5 from 4 votes

Say goodbye to dry turkey with the Best Christmas Turkey! It is succulent, juicy and filled with traditional Christmas flavors. Serve with Christmas vegetables and potatoes.

Prep Time1

Cook Time4

Total Time5

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, British, roast

Servings: people

Calories: 434kcal

Author: Jen Sim

Equipment

1 Large Pot
1 Large Oven Dish

Ingredients

1 medium sized turkey 7 kg
½-1 cup of salt
½ a cup of sugar
Black pepper to taste
2 onions
4 garlic cloves
2 oranges chopped largely
2 lemon chopped largely
3 teaspoon of thyme
4 teaspoon of sage
A bunch of rosemary
2 bay leaves
125 g of unsalted butter

Instructions

Start by adding water to a large pot. The water should cover the turkey.
Add ½-1 cup of salt to the water, ½ a cup of sugar, black pepper to taste, 1 onion, 2-3 garlic cloves, 1 orange, 1 lemon, 1-2 teaspoon of thyme, 1-2 teaspoon of sage, a few bunches of rosemary and 2 bay leaves.
Heat the mixture on a low/medium stove, stir and cook until the salt and sugar dissolve.
Remove the mixture from the heat and leave it to cool down or add ice to the mixture to cool it down faster. You can also add cold water.
Add a medium sized turkey (6-7kg) to the brine and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour.
Preheat oven at 180C/356F/ Gas 4. Remove turkey from the brine and leave it to sit until dry or pat it dry with a paper towel.
Add 125g of unsalted butter to a bowl (must be room temperature). Add 1-2 teaspoon of rosemary and thyme. Add salt to taste, pepper to taste and mix well.
Rub the butter mixture on the body of the turkey and then add it to a large oven dish breast side up. Stuff the turkey with 1 largely chopped lemon, 1 largely chopped orange, 2-3 garlic cloves, 1 onion, tie the drumbsticks and tuck the wings in and bake for 3-4 ½ hrs. Check the turkey from time and add pour the juices from the tray on top of the turkey so that it does not dry out. If the turkey skin becomes too brown then you can cover it with foil loosely.
Once the turkey is ready leave it to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Video

Notes

Feel free to add festive vegetables such as sprouts, parsnips and carrots to the turkey tray in the last 30 minutes. The vegetables will soak up the turkey juices!

A meat thermometer can be used to help you determine whether the turkey is ready or not. Insert it between the breast and leg. It should be 75°C/165°F.

Important Notice: Do not brine a turkey that has already been brined, as this will result in a very salty, inedible turkey! Make sure you read the turkey's packaging before brining and seasoning it.

Nutrition