Buttermilk Brined Roast Turkey Recipes

JUICY BUTTERMILK BRINED ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Read the directions ENTIRELY before beginning!
• Refrigerator: A 10 pound turkey should take about 3 days to thaw in the refrigerator.
• Fast Thaw: A quicker method is to place the wrapped turkey in a bucket of cold water, for about 10-12 hours, changing the water every few hours.
• Remove the turkey neck, heart and liver from inside. You can either throw them away or set aside for other uses.
• Pat the turkey dry with paper towels, then set aside.
• In a very large bowl, add the buttermilk, salt, poultry seasoning, black pepper, crushed garlic and chopped onion. Stir a few times to combine.
• Line a large bowl, bucket or pot (make sure it's something that can fit in your fridge) with a large roasting bag. You can even use one of those cheap large plastic storage boxes instead of a bag if they're big enough to hold the turkey and brine.
• Place the turkey inside of the brining bag, then pour the buttermilk brine over the turkey. Make sure the turkey is completely submerged in the brine. If not, you may have to turn the bag every few hours to make sure every side of the turkey gets a chance to marinate.
• Tie or seal the brining bag tightly, making sure all the air is pushed out. Transfer to the refrigerator overnight or preferably for a maximum of 24 hours.
• Pour the brine out into the sink. Remove turkey and rinse the brine off completely.
• Pat completely dry with paper towels, then set aside to sit for 30 minutes.
• Place your oven rack on the bottom. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
• Inside the Cavity: combine the salt, thyme, garlic powder, black pepper and paprika. Sprinkle half of the mixture inside of the turkey and use your hands to spread it around.
• Flip the turkey around and sprinkle in the other half of the seasoning mixture. Rub it on the underside.
• Stuff the cavity with an apple and orange. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine or unflavoured dental floss.
• Place the halved garlic heads, onion and herbs into the roasting pan, then place a roasting rack on top.
• Place the turkey upside down on the rack, then twist the wings so they are laying flat on the back (see photo above)
• In a medium bowl or a liquid measuring cup, combine the melted butter, minced garlic, olive oil, poultry seasoning, garlic powder, cajun seasoning and paprika.
• Brush the back and sides with the seasoned butter. Pour the water into the roasting pan.
• Transfer pan to oven and roast for 30 minutes.
• After 30 minutes: remove the pan from the oven and use a clean dish towel to carefully flip the turkey around so it's front is facing up.
• Brush the entire turkey with some more of the butter mixture. The oil may have separated, so you'll need to give the mixture a good stir before brushing on.
• Turn the oven down to 325°F and continue to roast the turkey for another hour.
• Add the minced garlic, chopped fresh oregano, fresh basil and fresh thyme to the butter mixture and stir to combine.
• After 1 hour: Remove the apple and orange from the cavity.
• Brush the entire turkey with more of the butter mixture.
• Roast the turkey for another hour, then brush with the remaining butter.
• After another hour: Scoop some of the juices inside of the cavity and pour it over the turkey to baste it.
• Continue to roast for a final 30 minutes - 1 hour, or until an internal thermometer inserted between the breast and leg reads 165°F/75°C. Also test by piercing the meat between the leg and the thigh, if the juices run clear, it's cooked through.
• You can cover the turkey loosely with foil for the last 30 minutes if you don't want it to brown too much.
• Remove turkey from the oven and transfer to a large plate or baking sheet. Loosely cover with the foil and allow to rest for 20-30 minutes.
• Transfer turkey to your presentation platter, take a photo, get a few oo's and awe's, then carve and serve with cranberry sauce or gravy (made from the pan drippings!) Enjoy!!

BUTTERMILK-BRINED TURKEY

Steps:

• Buttermilk Brine: Pour water into a medium saucepan over high heat. Add salt and stir to dissolve; once all the salt has dissolved, remove from heat and add ice cubes to cool quickly.
• In a large stock pot, add basil, coriander seed, mustard seed, black peppercorns, bay leaves, and garlic powder. Add buttermilk, salt water, and stir.
• Rinse turkey inside and out with cold water. Line a stock pot large enough to hold the turkey with a brining bag. Place the turkey into the bag, then carefully pour in the buttermilk brine. (Optional: Use a pitcher to help transfer the brine.) Press out all the air, then seal the bag. Transfer the bagged turkey to a sheet tray and refrigerate for 24-36 hours, turning every 4 to 6 hours for even brining.
• Remove the turkey from the brining bag; discard the brine. Rinse the turkey inside and out with cold water and pat completely dry with paper towels, inside and out. Place the turkey breast side up on a rack in a large roasting pan. Twist and tuck the wing tips underneath the turkey. Cross the legs, then tie together with kitchen twine. Rub the skin evenly with butter. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Meanwhile, position oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 400 F.
• Season the turkey all over with pepper. Roast the turkey for 30 minutes. Then reduce the oven temperature to 325 F and continue roasting, about 15 minutes per pound. After 1 hour of total cooking time, remove turkey from the oven, opening and closing the door as quickly as possible to maintain the temperature. Baste turkey with the juices that have accumulated in the pan. (Tip: For easier basting, tilt the pan to allow juices to collect on one side.) Check temperature by inserting a thermometer into the thickest part of the breast and thigh, away from the bone. The turkey is done when a digital thermometer registers 165 F at the thickest part of the breast and 175 F at the thigh. (At this point, the turkey won't be done, but you will have a better idea of how much cooking time is left.) Continue roasting, basting and checking the temperature every 30 minutes. Total roasting time should be 2½-3½ hours.
• When turkey has reached temperature, immediately transfer to a carving board, cover loosely with foil, and let rest for 30 minutes before carving. (See the "How to Carve a Turkey" lesson for carving instructions.)

BUTTERMILK-BRINED TURKEY

Steps:

• Combine water, salt, parsley, coriander, peppercorns, mustard seeds, garlic powder, and bay leaves in a large stockpot and bring to a boil. Boil until salt has dissolved, about 2 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes. Stir in buttermilk.
• Rinse turkey in cold water. Place in a brining bag and pour buttermilk brine over the top. Refrigerate for 24 hours, turning occasionally.
• Discard the brine and rinse turkey thoroughly in cold water. Pat turkey dry with paper towels and place breast side-up in a roasting pan. Rub butter over all of the skin and let turkey sit for 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Cook turkey until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone, reads 165 degrees F (74 degrees C), about 3 hours.

BUTTERMILK-BRINED ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Two to three days before you plan to cook, spatchcock the turkey: Put the turkey on a stable cutting board, breast-side down, and use heavy-duty kitchen shears to snip along both sides of the backbone to release it. You can start from the tail or neck end, whichever you prefer; just keep the blades of the scissors as close to the spine as possible. It helps to work incrementally, snipping a little on one side, then a little on the other, rather than completing one side entirely and then doing the second side without the advantage of the opposing pressure.
• After removing the backbone, remove wingtips, neck and giblets, setting them all aside for stock and gravy.
• Turn turkey over so breast faces up. Splay out its legs and press hard on breastbone until you hear the cartilage pop and the bird lies completely flat.
• Place a 2-gallon resealable bag in a large bowl, stock pot or sink. Pour buttermilk and salt in bag and stir to dissolve salt. Place turkey in bag and seal carefully, expelling out air. Double-bag the turkey as needed to prevent leakage, then squish the inner bag to distribute buttermilk all around the turkey. Place it on a rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate for 48 hours. Turn the bag every 12 hours so that every part of the turkey gets marinated.
• Three hours before you plan to start cooking, remove the turkey from the plastic bag and scrape off as much buttermilk as you can without being obsessive, discarding buttermilk. Set the turkey on a rimmed baking sheet and bring it to room temperature.
• Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and heat to 400 degrees. Transfer turkey, breast-side up, to another rimmed baking sheet lined with a wire rack or parchment paper. Tuck thighs inward.
• Place baking sheet on the prepared oven rack and roast the turkey, occasionally rotating the pan 180 degrees, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the deepest part of the breast registers 150 degrees and the thickest part of the thigh without touching bone registers 165 degrees, about 80 to 100 minutes, depending on size. (You may want to tent the breast or other hot spots with aluminum foil, if darkening too quickly.)
• Transfer turkey to a cutting board or platter and allow to rest at least 20 minutes before carving.

BUTTERMILK-BRINED TURKEY BREAST

Steps:

• One to two days before you plan to cook, place buttermilk and salt in a gallon-size resealable plastic bag and stir to dissolve salt. Place turkey breast in the bag and seal carefully, expelling the air. Squish the bag to distribute buttermilk all around the turkey, place on a rimmed plate, and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. If you're so inclined, you can turn the bag periodically so every part of the turkey gets marinated, but that's not essential.
• Two hours before you plan to start cooking, remove the turkey from the plastic bag and scrape off as much buttermilk as you can without being obsessive. Discard buttermilk, set the breast on a rimmed plate and bring it to room temperature.
• Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and heat to 425 degrees. Place breast skin-side up on a rimmed baking sheet lined with a wire rack or parchment paper.
• Place baking sheet on the prepared oven rack and roast the turkey until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the deepest part of the breast without touching bone registers 150 degrees, about 40 minutes for a boneless breast or 50 minutes for a bone-in breast. (You may want to tent the breast with aluminum foil if it's darkening too quickly.)
• Transfer turkey to a cutting board or platter and allow to rest at least 15 minutes before carving.

BUTTERMILK-BRINED TURKEY BREAST

Steps:

• Combine all the ingredients together in a large re-sealable plastic bag. Place in a bowl, to catch any leaks, and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Remove the turkey breast from the brine, drain well and pat dry with paper towels.
• Place the turkey breast, skin-side up, on a baking sheet fitted with a wire rack. Place in the oven and cook for 1 hour 15 minutes. Turn the oven up to 400 degrees F and cook for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 160 degrees F and the skin is nicely browned. Remove from the oven, cover with aluminum foil and let rest for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat the grill to medium heat and oil the grates generously with vegetable oil.
• Once the turkey has rested, cut the meat off the bone and carve into 3/8-inch thick slices. Place the slices on the grill and cook 1 to 2 minutes on each side, just until grill marks develop.
• Remove from the grill. Use in a Po' Boy or as main course.

SPICED BUTTERMILK-BRINED TURKEY

Steps:

• Bring 1 quart water, salt, bay leaves, and spices to a simmer in a medium saucepan, stirring until salt has dissolved. Let cool 5 minutes.
• Line a 5-gallon container with a large brining bag. Place turkey in bag with 4 quarts water, salt mixture, buttermilk, onions, garlic, and thyme; tie bag. (If turkey is not submerged, weight it down with a plate.) Refrigerate for 24 hours, flipping turkey once.
• Remove turkey from brine; discard brine. Rinse turkey and pat dry. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Tie turkey legs and tuck wing tips under. Transfer to a large roasting pan fitted with a rack. Place in oven, legs first, if oven permits. Roast 45 minutes, then lower temperature to 325 degrees and roast, rotating and basting about every 30 minutes, until a thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh (avoiding bone) registers 165 degrees, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Let stand at least 30 minutes before carving.

BUTTERMILK BRINED SPATCHCOCK TURKEY WITH GRAVY RECIPE

Steps:

• 2-3 days before you plan to roast, spatchcock the turkey:
• Put the turkey on a cutting board, breast-side down. Use poultry shears or heavy-duty kitchen shears to cut along both sides of the backbone.
• Starting at either the tail or neck end, cut halfway down the spine, as close to the spine as possible, then cut down the opposing side. Turn the turkey around and cut down the other sides.
• Spread the two sides of the turkey apart and press down to flatten. You will hear some cracks and popping of the cartilage in the breast bone. Turn the turkey breast side up and press again.
• You can cut off the wing tips, the wing tips and the first joint, or just tuck them under the bird before roasting. The wing tips and first joint make a good addition to the stock for gravy. I've left them on because I think it makes for a prettier bird and some people at the table may like to eat the wings.
• Open a 2 gallon ziplock bag inside a large bowl. Pour in 3 quarts of buttermilk. Stir in salt.
• Put the turkey inside the bag. I find it easiest to hold it by the legs and put it in head first, breast facing down. Seal the bag, squeezing out as much air as possible so that the buttermilk is touching all parts of the turkey.
• Refrigerate for 48 hours, turning every 12 hours to redistribute the buttermilk.
• Remove the turkey from the refrigerator, and place on a baking sheet. Wipe off the excess buttermilk. Get as much off as possible so that it doesn't burn in the oven.
• Let the turkey come to room temperature, about 2-3 hours, so that it cooks quickly and evenly.
• After you've wiped off as much of the buttermilk as you can and the turkey has come to room temperature, put the turkey on a rack on a rimmed baking sheet. Tuck the wings under the breasts if you haven't trimmed them off.
• Roast the turkey in the middle of a 400° oven.
• Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the deepest part of the breast registers 150 degrees and the thickest part of the thigh without touching bone registers 165 degrees, about 80 to 100 minutes, approximately 6 minutes per pound.
• Rotate the pan occasionally as needed to ensure even browning. Tent any areas that begin to brown too quickly with foil.
• Remove the turkey from the oven and let rest for 20-30 minutes before carving.
• Pour off any collected juices and pass them through a fine mesh strainer if you'd like to add them to your gravy. Skim off any excess fat.
• You can serve the turkey whole and carve it at the table, or carve it up and serve it already sliced.
• In a Dutch oven, simmer the turkey parts with 2 cups of chicken broth. Let it simmer until all of the liquid evaporates and the trimmings begin to sizzle, about 20 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until a brown coating of frond forms over the bottom of the pan, about 2-4 minutes.
• Add chopped vegetables and sauté for a few minutes until softened. If the frond seems to be darkening too much, add a few spoons of water and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to dissolve it while you continue to sauté the vegetables.
• Add rest of the stock, along with the parsley sprigs, thyme, and salt. Simmer for 1-2 hours.
• Strain stock through a fine meshed sieve. You should have about 4 cups of turkey stock. The stock can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.
• In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and increase the heat to medium-high, stirring constantly, until the mixture turns a deep golden brown. Whisk in the turkey stock and bring to a simmer. Simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in any drippings, if using, and salt and pepper to taste.
• The gravy can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen. To thaw, reheat gently over low heat. Stir in extra broth to thin as necessary.