BRINED AND ROASTED THANKSGIVING TURKEY WITH SIMPLE GRAVY

for succulent meat, brine the bird. stop your turkey from being dry by brining it and not overcooking it. also,when serving roasted chicken, you can brine it first to keep it moist. brining means your not required to baste as much during the cooking process. prep time does not include brining time.

Time: 270 minutes

Number Of Ingredients: 20

Ingredients: onion,celery,carrot,garlic cloves,bay leaves,black peppercorns,fresh rosemary,fresh thyme,fresh sage,fresh italian parsley,iodized salt,cold water,whole turkey,salt and pepper,carrots,celery ribs,apple,orange,unsalted butter,chicken stock

Steps:

1. brining turkey: one day before baking turkey , prepare brine
2. combine all the brine ingredients
3. place the turkey in a bucket or very large pot and pour brine over turkey to submerge
4. refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours
5. remove turkey from brine
6. dry off turkey with paper towels
7. discard brine
8. preheat oven to 300 degrees fahrenheit
9. brine turkey as instructed above
10. salt and pepper the brined turkey and cavity
11. fill the cavity with carrots , celery , apple , orange , and garlic
12. bind the legs with kitchen twine
13. in a large roasting or braising pan , spread onion , carrot , celery , garlic , sage , rosemary , thyme , parsley and bay leaves
14. place the turkey on top of the bed of vegetables and herbs
15. put butter on turkey , or between skin and breast meat
16. place the turkey in the oven and roast 45 minutes
17. pour half the chicken stock over the turkey
18. roast 45 minutes
19. pour remaining stock over the turkey and roast 45 more minutes
20. it will start turning golden brown
21. baste with pan juices , cover loosely with foil and roast an additional 45 minutes
22. when the turkey has reached and internal temperature of 165 to 175 degrees , remove from oven , keep covered , and let rest at least 10 minutes before carving
23. transfer to platter
24. to make simple gravy: from the bottom of the roasting pan , discard herbs and measure out 1 cup of vegetables and 3 cups of pan juices
25. puree in blender
26. to thicken , add more vegetables
27. to thin add more pan juice
28. pour through a mesh strainer to make a smooth gravy
29. makes 4 cups', "avoid using flour , because that's usually what causes lumps", 'instead , puree the vegetables you roast along with your turkey
30. they become your thickening agent
31. that , along with your pan juices , becomes your gravy
32. you can strain it through a mesh strainer , or use cream and reduce it