Home » Recipes » Main Dish » How To Cook A Turkey ~Herb Roasted Whole Turkey Recipe With Buttermilk Brine Recipe ~ Moist & Flavorful!!!
posted by divas can cook on Nov 24, 2009 (updated Dec 15, 2018) 82 comments »
Easy, Moist Herb Roasted Turkey w/ Buttermilk Brine
When I tell people that I brine my whole Thanksgiving turkey in buttermilk I usually get a questionable look. Using a buttermilk brine to add moisture and flavor is normally reserved for small cuts of poultry since it can be rather on the expensive side.
BUT IT’S FREAKIN THANKSGIVING!!! IT’S TIME TO BRING YOUR A-GAME!! During the holidays is the only time I use a buttermilk brine on my whole chickens and turkeys. It takes the moisture & flavor to a whole new level!! And I know that I will NEVER have any leftover turkey to deal with. By the end of the evening that poor turkey looks like a pack of vultures got ahold to it. It is picked cleaned!
I love this recipe because it is so quick & easy.The simple blend of butter, olive oil, and spices work fabulously with this turkey. It adds succulent flavor without overpowering it. And that chicken stock basting crisps up the skin beautifully, adding that punch of flavor ….PERFECTION I TELL YA!!
Whenever I make turkey any other way during the holidays I get “oh… you used a new recipe.” in other words “I would have stayed home if I knew you weren’t going to make that Buttermilk Brined Herb Roasted Turkey!”
Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!
View my video to watch me prepare this brine & cook this turkey from start to finish & for some really cool turkey tips!
(NOTE: I have recently changed the way I prepare my turkey. I no longer season under the skin. After I rinse the brine off I then scold the turkey. Dry it off and brush the skin heavily with butter, olive oil and spices. Season the cavity generously with salt and pepper and stuff with slices of apple, oranges and onion slices.
How To Cook A Turkey ~Herb Roasted Whole Turkey Recipe With Buttermilk Brine Recipe ~ Moist & Flavorful!!!
Author: Divas Can Cook
Ingredients
- Enough for a 10 lb. turkey. Double the recipe if needed)
- BRINE
- 1 gallon of buttermilk
- 8 Tablespoon of Kosher salt
- 8 Tablespoons sugar
- 3 teaspoons of cumin
- 3 Tablespoons of peppercorns 6-8 fresh, chopped garlic cloves 1 large white onion, chopped
- Butter
- Rub #1
- 1 stick of butter, softened
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon of Poultry Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Cajun Seasoning
- Dry Rub #2
- 1 Tablespoon Poultry Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
- Final Butter Rub #3
- 1/2 stick of butter
- 1 Tablespoon of rosemary
- 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon of paprika (can more if desired)
- 2 cups of chicken broth (to pour in a roasting pan)
Instructions
- Let’s <g class=”gr_ gr_225 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear Punctuation only-ins replaceWithoutSep” id=”225″ data-gr-id=”225″>Brine</g>!
- Remove giblet, neck, & gravy packets from inside of the turkey. Place in the refrigerator or discard. Thoroughly wash your completely thawed turkey in cold water & set aside
- In a large bowl add buttermilk, salt, sugar & cumin. Whisk until sugar & salt is dissolved.
- Stir in the remaining ingredients.
- Place turkey in brining bag (I used a regular roasting bag) & place it into a roaster pan or a large bucket or pot.
- Pour the brine mixture into the bag. Gather the top of the bag tightly so that there is no air in the bag and the brine covers the turkey entirely. Tie the bag.
- Place into the refrigerator for 8 to 24 hours. The longer the better!
- When done <g class=”gr_ gr_167 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear ContextualSpelling ins-del” id=”167″ data-gr-id=”167″>brining</g> wash the turkey thoroughly with cold water.
- Preheat oven to 325
- Place turkey on a rack over the sink. (I just take out an oven rack & place it over the sink. It’s a lot easier to work over the sink on a rack) Place your brined & washed turkey on the rack & pat dry.
- Make Butter Rub #1 by creaming the butter in a bowl. Add in poultry seasoning, cajun seasoning, & olive oil. Mix until combined. Set aside.
- Make Dry Rub #2 by adding Poultry seasoning, & cajun spice into a bowl. Set aside
- Using half of the butter mixture spread it under the skin and inside the cavity. Do not spread any on the top skin.
- Bring a pot of water to boil.
- Using a measuring cup, scoop out cup bulls of the boiling hot water and pour it over the skin of the bird. (try not to get it in the cavity.) The skin will instantly contract around the bird. This will help seal in the juices as the turkey cooks.
- Next lather on the remaining butter mixture on top of the skin & sprinkle on the Dry Rub.
- Stuff the turkey’s cavity with a whole apple & orange. Do not cut the apple and orange up unless you need to.
- Pour chicken broth into the bottom of a roasting pan,
- Place turkey (breast side down ) on the rack in a roasting pan. And cook according to weight. Basting every 30-45 minutes.
- Halfway through roasting, turn turkey breast side up.
- When turkey has about 3-4 minutes left, <g class=”gr_ gr_172 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear ContextualSpelling multiReplace” id=”172″ data-gr-id=”172″>make up</g> Butter Rub #3 by combing all ingredients together.
- Remove turkey from oven and brush on Butter rub #3. Return it to the oven and broil for 3-4 minutes. This will crisp up the skin. Watch it carefully though as it browns very quickly.
- Remove from oven and let sit for at least 15 minutes before carving. This allows the meat to relax and the juices to settle deeper into the meat.
- Remove & discard the apple and orange.
Notes
Tips to a Perfect Turkey![br]* Be sure to brine for at least 8 hours.[br]* Cook Your turkey according to weight & use a thermometer to check for doneness. Your turkey will come with a cooking chart. * DON’T OVERCOOK! You can have the best turkey recipe in the world but if you overcook it you might as well call it a wrap! There is nothing worse than a dry bird in my opinion. Don’t be scared to check your bird’s temperature often.[br]*If you aren’t using stuffing to stuff your bird, go with an apple and orange. These are the BEST fruits to use to provide maximum moisture[br]*Baste often, at least every 30 minutes.
Tips to a Perfect Turkey!
* Be sure to brine for at least 8 hours.
* Cook Your turkey according to weight & use a thermometer to check for doneness. Your turkey will come with a cooking chart.
* DON’T OVERCOOK! You can have the best turkey recipe in the world but if you overcook it you might as well call it a wrap! There is nothing worse than a dry bird in my opinion. Don’t be scared to check your bird’s temperature often.
*If you aren’t using stuffing to stuff your bird, go with an apple and orange. These are the BEST fruits to use to provide maximum moisture
*Baste often, at least every 30 minutes.
For more tips, advice, & calculations on how long to cook your turkey according to weight and all that other good stuff click here to go to butterball.com. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this site when it comes to calculating, thawing, planning portion sizes and everything else to do with turkey. LOVE IT!
Main Dish Thanksgiving
originally published on Nov 24, 2009 (last updated Dec 15, 2018)
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Josie Mcdonald — Reply
Can this brine be used for a smoked turkey?
Happywife&Mom — Reply
I made this turkey Thanksgiving 2018, it was an absolute hit! My picky hubby loved it, and my mother in law who loves to find fault in me and everything I do, apparently liked it so much she tried to make her own version for Christmas instead of just asking me for the recipe. Unfortunately her recipe wasn’t as good as this recipe. I decided to make it again for Thanksgiving 2019 and once again it was a hit, my extremely picky son in laws eyes opened wide and the mmmmmm noise came out when he took a bite of my turkey and he never comments on anything, but he said this was the best turkey, he stated that it was moist and the flavor was amazing through out every bite of meat he ate. I will be making this turkey every year and I am making a book up of my best found recipes for my children and to be passed on to my grandchildren and this recipe is being added into my recipe book. Thank you so much!!!
Lainey — Reply
I used this recipe for Christmas last year and my guests LOVED it…so I’m using it again THIS year. This is the BEST recipe for making a turkey!
Pamela — Reply
I just love this recipe I been making this for few years It is the best thank you It’s so good
