Best 6 Altons Roast Turkey Recipes

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Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and what better way to celebrate than with a delicious roast turkey? If you're looking for a recipe that will wow your guests, look no further than Alton Brown's Roast Turkey. This recipe is packed with flavor, thanks to a combination of herbs, spices, and butter. The turkey is roasted to perfection, resulting in a crispy skin and juicy meat. But Alton Brown doesn't stop at just the turkey. He also includes recipes for all the classic Thanksgiving sides, including stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, and cranberry sauce. So whether you're a seasoned pro or a novice cook, you'll find everything you need to make a memorable Thanksgiving meal in this article.

Check out the recipes below so you can choose the best recipe for yourself!

GOOD EATS ROAST TURKEY



Good Eats Roast Turkey image

This holiday season, serve Alton Brown's most-popular recipe: a brined and roasted turkey from Good Eats on Food Network.

Provided by Alton Brown

Categories     main-dish

Time 9h45m

Yield 10 to 12 servings

Number Of Ingredients 15

1 (14 to 16 pound) frozen young turkey
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 gallon vegetable stock
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 1/2 teaspoons allspice berries
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped candied ginger
1 gallon heavily iced water
1 red apple, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup water
4 sprigs rosemary
6 leaves sage
Canola oil

Steps:

  • Two to three days before roasting: Begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F.
  • Combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.
  • The night before or early on the day you'd like to eat: Combine the brine, water and ice in the 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining.
  • Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.
  • Place the bird on roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels.
  • Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add steeped aromatics to the turkey's cavity along with the rosemary and sage. Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with canola oil.
  • Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl for 15 minutes before carving.

ALTON'S ROAST TURKEY



Alton's Roast Turkey image

Provided by Alton Brown

Categories     main-dish

Time 12h

Yield 10 to 12 servings

Number Of Ingredients 15

1 (14 to 16-pound) frozen young turkey
1 gallon vegetable stock
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 1/2 teaspoons allspice berries
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped candied ginger
1 gallon heavily iced water
1 red apple, quartered
1/2 onion, quartered
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup water
4 sprigs rosemary
6 leaves sage
Canola oil

Steps:

  • 2-3 days before roasting:
  • Begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F.
  • Combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.
  • Early on the day or the night before you'd like to eat:
  • Combine the brine, water and ice in the 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining.
  • Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.
  • Place the bird on roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels.
  • Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add steeped aromatics to the turkey's cavity along with the rosemary and sage. Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with canola oil.
  • Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 151 degrees F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl for 15 minutes before carving.

TRADITIONAL ROAST TURKEY



Traditional Roast Turkey image

Provided by Alton Brown

Categories     main-dish

Time 3h15m

Yield 10 to 12 servings

Number Of Ingredients 10

One 14 to 16-pound frozen natural, young turkey
1 gallon vegetable broth, homemade or canned
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup packed brown sugar, light or dark
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
1 1/2 teaspoons allspice berries
1 1/2 tablespoons candied ginger, chopped
1 gallon water, iced
Ice
Canola oil, for roasting

Steps:

  • Two to three days before roasting: Begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F.
  • Combine the broth, salt, sugar, peppercorns, allspice and ginger in a large stockpot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir until the salt and sugar dissolve. Remove from the heat. Cool to room temperature and refrigerate the brine.
  • The night before you'd like to eat: Truss the legs of the turkey with kitchen twine if desired. Combine the brine, water and ice in a 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey, with innards removed, breast-side down in the brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover and refrigerate or place everything in a cooler. Turn the bird once halfway through brining.
  • Day of roasting: Heat the oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the bird from the brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.
  • Place the bird on a roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels. Rub the bird with canola oil. Roast the bird on the lowest rack of the oven for 30 minutes.
  • While the bird is cooking, fold and shape a double thickness of aluminum foil into a closely fitting breastplate.
  • After 30 minutes, decrease the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the breast and cook until the temperature reaches 155 degrees F. Use the breastplate at any point during cooking should the bird become too brown.
  • Rest the bird, covered lightly with aluminum foil, for 15 to 30 minutes. Carve and serve.

SPATCHCOCK'D ROAST TURKEY



Spatchcock'd Roast Turkey image

Before you begin, gather ingredients and equipment. Measure out ingredients.

Provided by Alton Brown

Categories     main-dish

Time P4DT3h5m

Yield 12 to 16 servings

Number Of Ingredients 6

1 1/2 teaspoons black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon whole allspice berries
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
3 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons rubbed sage
1 (13- to 14-pound) turkey, neck and giblets removed and reserved for another use, such as stock

Steps:

  • Four days before cooking, make the rub mixture and season the turkey: Coarsely grind the peppercorns and allspice berries by pulsing 3 to 4 times in a blade-style coffee/spice grinder. Add the dried thyme and pulse 3 more times. Combine the salt, rubbed sage and ground spices in a small bowl and set aside.
  • Position the turkey, breast-side down with the tail facing you, on a silicone mat or other stable surface set inside a large sheet pan. Use heavy-duty kitchen shears to cut up one side of the backbone. Turn the bird and cut back down the other side of the spine. Reserve the backbone for stock or gravy. Discard any fat pockets or excess skin found inside the bird. Flip breast-side up and use the heel of your hands to press down on both breasts, until you hear a cracking sound and the bird flattens.
  • Place the turkey breast-side up on a rack (I use a standard cooling or cake rack) set inside a sheet pan, and turn the wings backwards, tucking the tips under the forewings. Flip the turkey breast-side down and season with half of the rub mixture. Then flip the bird back breast-side up and season with the remaining mixture.
  • Store, uncovered, on the lowest level of your refrigerator for 4 days.
  • When ready to cook, allow the turkey to sit at room temperature for 1 hour. Place one oven rack in the center of the oven and a second one just below it. Place an empty roasting pan or large rimmed sheet pan on the lower rack. Crank the oven to 425 degrees F.
  • Place the turkey, still on the cooling rack, directly on the center oven rack. Add a cup of water to the pan below to prevent any drippings from smoking. Roast for 30 minutes.
  • Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and continue to roast the bird until a probe thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers 155 degrees F, an additional 40 to 50 minutes.
  • Remove the turkey and its rack and rest for 15 minutes before carving. Carryover heat will take the final temperature close to 165 degrees.

ROAST TURKEY - ALTON BROWN/GIADA DE LAURENTIIS



Roast Turkey - Alton Brown/Giada De Laurentiis image

A fusion of recipes from Alton Brown and Giada DeLaurentiis. Like Alton, I believe that Stuffing Is Evil - bake it separately for food safety!

Provided by DrGaellon

Categories     Whole Turkey

Time 7h15m

Yield 12 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 21

1 (14 -16 lb) frozen young whole turkey
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 gallon vegetable stock or 1 gallon water
1 tablespoon peppercorn
1/2 tablespoon allspice berry
1/2 tablespoon candied ginger
1 gallon ice-cold water (3 quarts water plus 2 lbs of ice will work)
1 red apple, cut in wedges
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup water
1 lemon, cut in 6-8 wedges
1 orange, cut in 8 wedges
1 medium onion, cut in 8 wedges
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 sprigs fresh sage
2 sprigs fresh oregano
canola oil
6 cups canned low sodium chicken broth (approximate amount)
5 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour

Steps:

  • Combine all brine ingredients, except ice water, in a stockpot, and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve solids, then remove from heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.
  • Early on the day of cooking, (or late the night before) combine the brine and ice water in a clean 5-gallon bucket or 20-quart stock pot. (If you make the brine the same day you need to use it, just use a 7 lb bag of ice and 2 cups of cold water to chill it down fast.).
  • Place thawed turkey breast side down in brine, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area (like a basement) for 6 hours. Turn turkey over once, half way through brining. If not refrigerated, add a couple pounds more ice halfway through to keep it good and cold.
  • A few minutes before roasting, heat oven to 500 degrees. Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes.
  • Remove bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard brine.
  • Place bird on roasting rack inside wide, low pan and pat dry with paper towels. Add steeped aromatics to cavity along with rosemary, sage, oregano, lemon and orange. Tuck wings under breasts and coat whole bird liberally with canola (or other neutral) oil.
  • Roast on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F. for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, pour in 3 cups of broth and scrape up any fond (browned bits) on the bottom of the pan. Cover breast with double layer of aluminum foil, insert probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and return to oven, reducing temperature to 350 degrees F. After 45 minutes, add 1 more cup of broth. Set thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let turkey rest, loosely covered for 15-30 minutes before carving.
  • For the gravy, strain the turkey pan juices from the roasting pan through a sieve and into a 4-cup glass measuring cup; discard the solids. Spoon off the fat from atop the pan juices. Add enough chicken broth, about 1 to 2 cups, to the pan juices to measure 4 cups total. Melt the butter in a heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the flour and whisk for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the broth. Simmer until the gravy thickens slightly, whisking often, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve the turkey with the gravy.

BUTTERFLIED, DRY BRINED ROASTED TURKEY WITH ROASTED ROOT VEGETABLE PANZANELLA



Butterflied, Dry Brined Roasted Turkey with Roasted Root Vegetable Panzanella image

Provided by Alton Brown

Categories     main-dish

Time P4DT3h5m

Yield 8 to 10 servings

Number Of Ingredients 16

3 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons rubbed sage
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 1/4 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon whole allspice berries
1 13 to 14 pound whole turkey, neck and giblets removed and reserved for Giblet Stock
1 1/2 pounds parsnips, peeled and cubed into 1/2-inch pieces
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/2 pound red onion, diced into 1/2-inch pieces
8 ounces medium Brussels sprouts, shredded on the thin slicing blade of a food processor
8 ounces hearty sourdough or multigrain bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and staled
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Steps:

  • For the turkey: Four days before service, place the salt, sage, thyme, black peppercorns, and allspice into a spice grinder and pulse until the peppercorns and allspice are coarsely ground, 5 to 6 pulses. Set aside.
  • Set the turkey, breast-side down, on a large cutting board with the tail closest to you. Use an electric knife or heavy-duty kitchen shears to cut up one side of the backbone. Turn the bird around and cut back down the other side of the spine. Reserve the backbone for Giblet Stock. Discard any fat pockets or excess skin found inside the turkey. Turn the turkey breast-side up and use the heel of your hands to press down on both breasts, until you hear a cracking sound and the bird has flattened slightly.
  • Rub the seasoned salt on both sides of the turkey. Place the turkey on a parchment paper lined half sheet pan, breast-side up with legs running with the long side of the pan. Store, uncovered, in the refrigerator for 4 days.
  • Remove the turkey from the refrigerator and leave at room temperature for 1 hour.
  • For the panzanella: Place the parsnips and rutabaga in a large nonstick roasting pan, toss with vegetable oil and set aside.
  • Place one rack in the middle of the oven and a second one far enough below so the roasting pan will fit. Heat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place the turkey directly on the middle rack of the oven with the legs perpendicular to the metal bars of the rack.
  • Place the roasting pan with the parsnips and rutabaga on the rack below the turkey and roast both for 30 minutes.
  • Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F. Add the red onion to the roasting vegetables and stir to combine. Continue to roast both the vegetables and the turkey until a probe thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers 155 degrees F, an additional 40 to 50 minutes.
  • Remove the turkey from the oven onto a cooling rack set inside a half sheet pan and rest for 30 minutes.
  • Add the Brussels sprouts, bread cubes and garlic to the roasting vegetables, stir to combine and roast for an additional 15 minutes. Remove the vegetables from the oven and immediately transfer to a serving bowl. Pour the apple cider vinegar in the warm roasting pan, stir and scrape off any browned bits from the pan. Pour the vinegar mixture over the salad, add the thyme and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper as desired. Serve warm or at room temperature.
  • Carve the turkey with an electric knife and serve with the panzanella.

Tips:

  • Choose the right turkey: Look for a turkey that is fresh or thawed and weighs between 12 and 16 pounds.
  • Prepare the turkey: Remove the giblets and neck from the turkey. Rinse the turkey inside and out with cold water and pat it dry.
  • Season the turkey: Rub the turkey inside and out with a mixture of salt, pepper, and your favorite herbs and spices.
  • Roast the turkey: Place the turkey breast-side up on a roasting rack in a roasting pan. Add 1 cup of water to the bottom of the pan. Roast the turkey at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 3 1/2 to 4 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Let the turkey rest: Remove the turkey from the oven and let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes before carving.
  • Carve the turkey: Use a sharp knife to carve the turkey into slices. Serve the turkey with your favorite sides and gravy.

Conclusion:

Roasting a turkey is a classic holiday tradition. By following these tips, you can ensure that your turkey turns out juicy and delicious. With a little planning and preparation, you can create a memorable meal that your family and friends will love.

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