This recipe was written and published in 2016, but the post has been revised and polished in 2025.

I have spent countless Saturday mornings watching my favorite chefs share their holiday go-to recipes on the Food Network Channel year after year. After one weekend with a notepad, I sat in front of the TV like the hungry studious viewer I am, and gathered notes on the perfect roast turkey – pulling techniques from chefs like Alton Brown and Ina Garten – and combined them into this recipe. The recipe that I created from this method was not only delicious, but fool-proof. While there’s endless information and cooking techniques – like frying, smoking, and spatchcock – I’d like to share with you a classic oven roasted turkey requiring a roasting pan, your oven, and a few additional simple ingredients and tools. It can be overwhelming so I’m breaking into the few important components and also creating a Turkey Timeline that should be printed and tucked into your holiday notes. Let’s get to it.

The Defrost

The golden rule for defrosting turkey is 1-day defrosting for every 5# of turkey. With my turkey being 12 pounds, I needed almost three days of defrosting. Defrost the turkey over a baking sheet in a refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F.

The Brine

My opinion: why spend the money on a turkey that we only make once a year and avoid the extra step to make it extra special? In 2014 I broke down the benefits of brining in this post, which feel free to explore, but I’m assuming you want to cut to the chase. I use a wet brine in this recipe because to be honest, I haven’t tried a dry brine for a turkey (several chefs and bloggers have though with great resources). This recipe starts off by heating a gallon of chicken stock with salt, brown sugar, whole peppercorns, and ground allspice. A gallon equals 4 cartons of stock or you can dilute concentrate in a gallon of water.

That gets cooled then mixed with a gallon of ice water before the turkey is added and left to brine for 8-16 hours. Using ice water ensures the brine gets to the proper temperature. Anything under 8-hours risks the brine not working its magic, and anything over 16-hours risks the meat becoming soft.

To brine I use a utility bucket lined with 5-gallon liners, however, if your bucket is food safe then the liners are not necessary.

The Rest, Prep, and Roast

Let me summarize the remainder of the recipe:

The turkey gets removed from the brine, rinsed, then sits out at room temperature for two hours. A simple aromatic blend gets created, then stuffed into the cavity of the turkey. A simple compound butter is created (preferably done days ahead of time) and lathered under the turkey skin. The turkey then gets roasted before resting and being carved to enjoy.

There were some components above that should be broken down – so let me do just that.

Resting pre-roast and post-brine allows the turkey to come to room temperature before hitting the oven, allowing even cooking time. However, the restaurant owner in me strives for food safety and I can’t press publish without stating that the turkey should not be kept at room temperature for over two hours. Another thing to add, you can also remove the turkey from the brine (let’s say after 12-hours) and then let it sit uncovered in the fridge until it’s ready to come to room temperature. This can help with crispier skin.

Aromatic Blend was a trick from Alton Brown that I am proud to promote. Sliced apples, onion, and a cinnamon stick is added to a bowl of water, microwaved and combined with rosemary and sage for the cavity of the turkey.

Compound Butter is a delicious blend of butter, lemon, black pepper, and herbs that can be made in large batches and kept in the freezer for 3 months at a time. Here’s my YouTube video on how to make this, but you can simply make a small batch for this recipe. I’ll assume you do the latter when writing the recipe below. The turkey gets brushed with olive oil and the butter gets spread under the skin.

Roasting does not have to be as overwhelming as it seems. I start at high heat then finish at low. You do want to make sure your oven is clean for this, and it may not be a bad idea to hit the clean cycle a few days before the holidays. I roast for 30 minutes at 450 degrees F, then remove from the oven, lather with compound butter directly on top of the skin, and create a foil triangle to cover loosely for the remaining 1 and a half hours, then finish the roast without the foil.

A 14-16 lb. turkey will take 2 1/2 hours. Always be sure to check with your meat thermometer. With thirty minutes left, check in either the thickest part of the breast or the innermost part of the thigh away from the bone. The temperature should register between 160-165 degrees F.

Resting is essential. This will lock in the juices we worked for hours to achieve. The turkey will also continue to rise to temperature while resting, which is why it is ok to remove from the oven at 160 degrees.

Carving properly is also equally important and recommended with an electric carving knife or a large chef’s knife. I find there’s always someone in the family who volunteers to carve, but here is an excellent tutorial.

Enjoying this recipe is of course the favorite step. The skin is crispy, the meat is juicy, and the subtle smells and flavor of the aromatics are just down right comforting. But, in my opinion, my favorite step of it all is what happens at the dinner table. Being surrounded by family or friends and expressing the gratitude of the years behind us and the years ahead. I cannot help but be thankful for another holiday season.

When I wrote this recipe in 2016 I was turning 23 years old and constantly surrounded by happiness, lack of real-world responsibility, and a sense of invincibility. As I am now in my mid-thirties I’ve had a few years of adulthood under my belt. I’m attentive to life and real world events, I’m no longer naive to health, and aware that happy seasons bring sad times. The one thing that we all need is food and if I have any power to influence or act, I can attempt with my trade. Prepare a hot plate for a neighbor, invite over a friend going through a hard time, donate to your state’s food pantry if your funds allow, or even drop off the cozy sweater you no longer wear to your local thrift.

May you have a Happy Thanksgiving.

TURKEY TIMELINE:

3 days before roasting: thaw in refrigerator

2 days before roasting: prepare the compound butter and brining equipment (bucket, inserts)

day before roasting: create brine and brine turkey for 8-16 hours. OPTIONAL: remove from the brine, rinse, pat dry, and leave uncovered in fridge until your next step.

2 hours before roasting: drain turkey and set turkey out room temperature, set butter out to room temperature

1 hour before roasting: prepare aromatics

roast turkey 2 1/2 hours – depending on the size and rest turkey for 30 minutes (account 3-hours total cooking time)

IF YOUR TURKEY IS LARGER:

If your turkey is 20+ lbs., add 1 more gallon of each stock and water. If it is still not submerged in the brine, add more water.

You do not need to increase amount of aromatics.

You will need to roast an additional 15-30 minutes, depending on your oven and thermometer.

I have one final comment. While roast turkey is delicious, I love a fried turkey in an Infrared Fryer. My father in-law has perfected his fried turkey and Thanksgiving 2026 I plan to make this recipe with a new technique.

My Favorite Roast Turkey

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Servings

6-8

servings

Ingredients

For the Turkey
1 (14 to 16 pound) turkey, thawed with innards removed
avocado or olive oil, as needed
kosher salt, as needed
For the Brine
1 gallon chicken or turkey stock*
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 gallon heavily iced water
For the Aromatics
1 gala apple, sliced
1/2 white onion, peeled and chopped
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup water
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
6 leaves fresh sage
For the Butter
6 tablespoons salted butter, softened
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

TO THAW: Begin thawing the turkey for 2-3 days prior in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F. The golden rule is 1-day defrosting per 5# of turkey.
FOR THE BRINE: Combine the stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, and allspice in a large stock pot. Bring to a boil, stirring often to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate (about 1 hour total). I do the first 30-minutes on the stove top, then the remaining 30-minutes in the fridge. Combine the brine and iced water in a 5-gallon bucket lined with a food-safe plastic bag. Place the thawed turkey in the bucket, breast side down. If the turkey is not submerged you can add a few more cups of water. Refrigerate for 8-16 hours.
POST BRINE: Get an 11x13 roasting rack with an insert on stand-by. Remove the turkey from the bucket, discard the brine, and rinse inside & out with cold water. Pat dry with a paper towel and sit at room temperature for 2-hours before roasting. I like to rest mine in the roasting pan with the rack inserted so it’s out and ready. This is when I remove any plastic trusses that came attached to the turkey.
TO ROAST: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. While the oven comes to temperature, prepare the aromatics and butter.
AROMATICS: Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon, and water in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 5-minutes. Remove the solids and discard the water. Stuff the aromatics inside the turkey cavity with the rosemary and sage. While it may be tempting to add the water to the roasting pan, I suggest it is tossed otherwise it will burn.
BUTTER: Mix together the butter, herbs, lemon juice, and pepper until the herbs are evenly distributed. This can be done in a processor, stand mixer, or by hand. This can also be done days in advance and kept in the freezer. If so, just defrost quickly in the microwave or let it sit out at room temperature for 1-hour.
CONTINUE THE ROAST: Using a tablespoon at a time, rub the butter under the skin of the breast and thigh for 3 tablespoons. Reserve remaining butter for basting. Tuck the wings behind the top of the breast, truss the legs with kitchen twine, and coat the skin liberally with avocado or olive oil. Sprinkle the skin with sea salt. Place in the lowest rack of the oven and roast for 30-minutes. Get a piece of foil on stand by.
Remove the turkey from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Dollop more of the butter over the skin and cover the breasts loosely with a foil triangle. Save 1-2 tablespoons of butter for one final baste.
Continue to roast for 1 hour and 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, check the temperature, and remove the foil. Baste with the remaining butter and continue to roast for 20 more minutes or until a thermometer registers to 165 degrees F in the inner thigh or 160 degrees F thickest part of the breast.
Allow to rest for 25 to 30 minutes. This will allow the turkey to continue rising to temperature and lock in the juices. Carve and present with fresh herbs and orange slices for presentation, if desired.

Equipments

Roasting Pan with Roasting Rack
Utility Bucket
Food Safe Brining Bags

Watch me make this recipe

Notes

Notes: After brining you can rinse the turkey, pat it dry, and allow it to sit in the fridge uncovered for up to 12 hours. If you are doing this, just write down and adjust your turkey timeline game plan.

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My Favorite Roast Turkey

This recipe was written and published in 2016, but the post has been revised and polished in 2025.

The Defrost

The Brine

The Rest, Prep, and Roast