The ultimate turkey
Last year, Times columnist Russ Parsons discovered the best way to roast a turkey. It’s rubbed all over with salt and allowed to cure for three days before roasting. The result was illuminating: Who knew turkey could taste so great and have such an amazing texture? The meat was moist -- almost silky -- but also firm, with deep, concentrated flavor. But as we compared techniques during testing, the best-browned bird was the one that had been brined. We loved the salted bird best, but wished it was more bronzed.
This year, we did it: We improved on the dry-salted turkey recipe so that the dark and white meat were perfectly cooked and the skin was wonderfully crisp and deep golden-brown. The fix? Every day during the curing, we redistributed the salt all over the turkey. And during roasting, we raised the cooking temperature at the end, rather than starting high at the beginning.
Wash the turkey inside and out, pat it dry and weigh it. Measure 1 tablespoon and one-half teaspoon salt into a bowl for every 5 pounds of turkey (for a 15-pound turkey, you’d have 3 1/2 tablespoons).
Lightly sprinkle the inside of the turkey with salt. Place the turkey on its back and salt the breasts, concentrating the salt in the center, where the meat is thickest. You’ll probably use a little more than a tablespoon. It should look liberally seasoned, but not over-salted.
Turn the turkey on one side and sprinkle the entire side with salt, concentrating on the thigh. You should use about a tablespoon. Flip the turkey over and do the same with the opposite side.
Place the turkey in a 2 1/2 -gallon sealable plastic bag. Press out the air and seal tightly. Place the turkey, breast side up, in the refrigerator. Chill the turkey for three days: After the first day, redistribute the salt by opening the bag, massaging the salt into the bird and resealing the bag tightly, pressing out the air. After the second day, redistribute the salt again. Turn the turkey onto its breast to chill for the last day.
Remove the turkey from the bag and wipe it off with a paper towel. There should be no salt visible on the surface and the skin should be moist but not wet. Place the turkey, breast side up, on a plate and refrigerate uncovered for at least 8 hours.
On the day it is to be cooked, remove the turkey from the refrigerator and let rest at room temperature at least 1 hour. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 325 degrees.
Place the turkey breast-side down on a roasting rack in a roasting pan; put it in the oven. After 30 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and carefully turn the turkey over so the breast is facing up (it’s easiest to do this by hand, using kitchen towels or oven mitts). Continue cooking an additional 1 1/2 hours, rotating the pan halfway through the roasting time.
Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees, return the turkey to the oven and roast until a thermometer inserted in the deepest part of the thigh, but not touching the bone, reads 160 degrees, an additional 20 to 30 minutes. The total roasting time will be about 2 1/2 to 2 3/4 hours.
Remove the turkey from the oven, transfer it to a warm platter or carving board; tent loosely with foil. Let stand at least 30 minutes to let the juices redistribute through the meat. Carve and serve.
Begin 4 days before you want to serve the turkey.
Get our Cooking newsletter.
Your roundup of inspiring recipes and kitchen tricks.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
