Roasted Brined Turkey I

Ingredients
- ½ US gallon (8 cups) water
- 2 cups (600 g / 1.3 lb) salt
- ½ cup (85 g / 3 oz) firmly packed light brown sugar
- 2 tbsp peppercorns
- 2 US gallons (7.6 L / 32 cups) of ice water (50% ice)
- 16 - turkey
- 2 tbsp (½ stick) unsalted butter
Steps
Brining
- Combine ½ gallon water, salt, brown sugar and peppercorns. Boil about 3 minutes until dissolved.
- Transfer brine to a 5-US-gallon (19 L) bucket. Stir in ice water.
- Remove neck and giblets from turkey. Place turkey in brine. If brine does not cover turkey, add more water.
- Chill turkey in brine for 6–24 hours.
Roasting
- Preheat oven to 500°F (260°C). Move a rack to the lowest level.
- Place turkey drumstick side-down on a roasting tray (with slots for drippings into a pan), or on a rack in a pan.
- Twist each wing behind the back so the tips stay in place near the center of the back, near the backbone.
- Coat turkey skin with butter.
- Roast in preheated oven, about 30 minutes.
- Remove turkey from oven. Tent loosely with aluminum foil over the breast.
- Reduce heat to 350°F (176.7°C). Return turkey to oven.
- Roast about 2¾–3 hours for a 16–18 pound (7–8 kg) bird, basting periodically. Check internal temperature with an instant-read probe thermometer. Breast must reach minimum 161°F (71.67°C) before removal; thigh ideally about 180°F (82.2°C).
- Remove from oven. Stand 15–20 minutes before carving.
Notes, tips, and variations
- Recipe is for a 16 - turkey. Allow roughly 2 days: day one for preparation and brining, day two for cooking.
- Dark meat needs to be about 15° hotter than white meat. White meat is safe at 165°F (73.9°C), or 12 minutes at 140°F (60°C). Dark meat is poor at 165°F (73.9°C). Breast at 180°F (82.2°C) is dry and flavorless.
- Cook stuffing outside the bird for safety and uniform doneness.
Source. Adapted from “Cookbook:Roasted Brined Turkey I” by Wikibooks contributors, revision of 2025-06-10, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Changes. Steps rewritten into short commands. Introduction shortened. Wiki formatting removed. This adapted recipe is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo. Oven roasted brine-soaked turkey.jpg by TheKohser, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia. Resized; otherwise unchanged.






