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    How To Make Alton Brown’s Good Eats Roast Turkey At Home

    How To Make Alton Brown’s Good Eats Roast Turkey At Home

    Thanksgiving feast is incomplete without the turkey. To have a crazylicious turkey treat on the holiday feast, try Alton Brown’s Good Eats roast turkey. It is thawed and infused with the most decadent spices and herbs. So, get ready to give a celebrity chef twist to a classic Thanksgiving mascot.

    I saw this roast turkey recipe by Alton Brown on Good Eats. This turkey has a golden flaky crust with tender and juicy skin on the inside. The roast turkey for Thanksgiving is kept for about 8 to 16 hours in the brine. It’s infused with the flavors of onion, rosemary, sage, ginger, and many other spices. Pat dry the turkey before adding the aromatics into the cavity and coating it with canola oil. So, let’s transform our classic turkey into a work of art.

    To make Alton Brown’s Good Eats roast turkey, you should know the equipment and the ingredients required. Read the lists below along with the instructions. I’m sure it’ll look and taste as amazing as described below. This recipe takes two to three days to get ready, but the result is worth it.

    What’s In The Post

    What Equipment Will You Need For Alton Brown’s Good Eats Roast Turkey?

    • Bowl- Use a bowl to make the aromatics mixture for the turkey. You can also use small bowls to keep chopped apples, onion, and spices, or other ingredients before using them in the recipe.
    • Pot- Use a large pot to make brine for the turkey. 
    • Spatula- To stir the ingredients on the brine and to braise the turkey, you’ll need a spatula. 
    • Spoon- Mix the ingredients of the aromatics in the bowl using a spoon. 
    • Bucket- Use a 5-gallons bucket to immerse the turkey in it and to safely thaw it before roasting. 
    • Roasting tray- Roast the turkey by placing it on the roasting tray. 
    • Oven- Oven is the main equipment for this recipe. 
    • Aluminum foil- After you’re done with roasting the turkey, remove it from the oven and loosely wrap it in aluminum foil. The foil maintains the moisture of the turkey and keeps it tender. 

    How Much Time Do You Need To Make Alton Brown’s Good Eats Roast Turkey?

    Preparation TimeCooking TimeResting TimeTotal Time
    15 Minutes2 Hours 30 Minutes7 Hours9 Hours 45 Minutes

    What Ingredients Will You Need For Alton Brown’s Good Eats Roast Turkey?

    • Turkey- Turkey is the main ingredient in the recipe. Use a 16 pounds frozen young turkey for this recipe. 

    For the Brine: 

    • Kosher Salt- Add a cup of kosher salt for the brine to enhance the flavor of the turkey. 
    • Sugar- Add half cup of light brown sugar to balance the strong flavors in the turkey. 
    • Vegetable stock- Vegetable stock gives body to the brine. Add a gallon of vegetable stock to the brine to braise the turkey. 
    • Peppercorns- Add a tablespoon of black peppercorns to add heat and spiciness to the turkey. 
    • Allspice berries- Add allspice berries to the brine to add more spicy flavors to the turkey. 
    • Ginger- Chop candied ginger to add a spicy flavor to the turkey. 
    • Heavily iced water- You can also add water to the bucket and then put ice cubes in to safely thaw the turkey. It prevents any bacterial action on the outer skin of the turkey. 

    For the Aromatics:

    • Apple- Slice a red apple and add it to the turkey cavity to infuse its skin with a mildly sweet and tart flavor of red apple. 
    • Onion- Slice half an onion to add aroma and slightly sweet flavor to the turkey. 
    • Cinnamon- Add a cinnamon stick to the cavity of the turkey and it’ll add spicy and aromatic flavor to the turkey. 
    • Water- A cup of water will perfectly blend all the flavors and will infuse into turkey skin with all the aromatic flavors. 
    • Rosemary-  Put at least four rosemary sprigs into the turkey cavity to give an earthy lift to the turkey. 
    • Sage- Along with rosemary sprigs, add six sage leaves to give a fresh aroma and flavor to the turkey roast.  
    • Canola oil- Canola oil will help in maintaining the inner moisture of the turkey skin while roasting it. Coating it with canola oil will help with roasting the turkey and glazing its outer skin while making it flaky. 
    Roast turkey with orange

    Steps To Make Alton Brown’s Good Eats Roast Turkey

    1. Before Roasting

    Three or two days before roasting the bird, start with thawing the turkey in the refrigerator at 38 F. 

    2. Prep the brine

    Add brown sugar, peppercorns, candied ginger, allspice berries, and salt to a large pot containing vegetable stock over medium heat. Stir to combine and bring it to a boil. Remove from the heat and keep it aside to cool. Then, keep it in the refrigerator.  

    3. Brine the turkey

    A day before roasting the turkey, add water, ice, and brine to a 5-gallons bucket. Put the thawed turkey in the bucket with the breast side down. Fully immerse the bird in the bucket. Cover it and refrigerate it for about 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird halfway. 

    4. Roast the turkey

    Remove the bird from the brine and rinse it inside out with cold water. Pat dry the bird and preheat the oven at 500 F. Add a cup of water to a microwave-safe dish. Now, add onion, apple, cinnamon stick and microwave it for about 5 minutes. Add these aromatics along with sage and rosemary to the turkey cavity. Tuck the wings of the bird underneath it and coat its skin with canola oil. 

    5. Serve

    Roast the turkey in the oven for about 30 minutes. Then, reduce the temperature to 350 F and roast it further for about 2 to 2.5 hours until the internal temperature of the turkey reaches 161 F. Remove from the oven and loosely wrap the turkey in a foil. Let the turkey rest for about 15 minutes before carving. 

    Nutritional Information

    Calories672 kcal
    Carbohydrates17 g
    Protein93 g
    Fat24 g
    Saturated Fat6 g
    Polyunsaturated Fat6 g
    Monounsaturated Fat8 g
    Trans Fat1 g
    Cholesterol309 mg
    Sodium11194 mg
    Potassium1018 mg
    Fiber1 g
    Sugar14 g
    Vitamin A930 IU
    Vitamin C1 mg
    Calcium84 mg
    Iron4 mg

    How Will Alton Brown’s Good Eats Roast Turkey Look and Taste?

    Alton Brown’s Good Eats roast turkey has a crispy golden crust. It’s flavored with the seasoning spices like salt and pepper. Each forkful bite of the turkey is juicy and infused with the flavors of apple, onion, cinnamon, ginger, peppercorns, allspice, and herbs like rosemary and sage. Try this recipe for Thanksgiving and surprise your guests with an unforgettable turkey treat. 

    Recipe Card

    Alton Brown’s Good Eats Roast Turkey Recipe

    Alton Brown’s Good Eats roast turkey is a delicious Thanksgiving turkey recipe. This turkey is soaked in a spicy brine flavored with ginger, allspice, peppercorns, and vegetable stock. The crispy turkey is seasoned with salt and pepper. It’s tender and juicy on the inside and is loaded with the flavors of rosemary, sage, apple, and onion.

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    • Bowl
    • Pot
    • Spatula
    • spoon
    • Bucket
    • Roasting Tray
    • Oven
    • Aluminum Foil
    • 16 pound Frozen Young Turkey

    For the Brine:

    • 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 Candied Ginger (chopped)
    • 1 gallon Heavily Iced Water

    For the Aromatics:

    • 1 Red Apple (sliced)
    • 1/2 Onion (sliced)
    • 1 Cinnamon Stick
    • 1 cup Water
    • 4 sprigs Rosemary
    • 6 leaves Sage
    • Canola Oil

    Before roasting the bird:

    • Three or two days before roasting the bird, start with thawing the turkey in the refrigerator at 38 F. Now, add peppercorns, candied ginger, brown sugar, allspice berries, salt, and vegetable stock to a large pot over medium heat. Stir them together and bring to a boil. After remove from the heat, keep the brine aside to cool. Then, refrigerate it.
    • On the day before roasting the turkey, pour water, ice, and brine into a 5-gallons bucket. Immerse the thawed turkey in the bucket with the breast side down. Cover the bucket (or turkey) and refrigerate this turkey for about 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird halfway.

    Roasting the turkey:

    • As you remove the bird from the brine, rinse it inside out with cold water. Pat it dry and preheat the oven at 500 F. Add 1 cup of water to the microwave-safe dish and add onion, apple, cinnamon stick to it. Microwave it for about 5 minutes. Now, put these aromatics along with sage and rosemary into the turkey cavity. Tuck the wings of the bird underneath it and coat its skin with canola oil.
    • Now, roast the turkey in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350 F and then, roast it further for about 2 to 2.5 hours. Let the internal temperature of the turkey reached 161 F. Remove the turkey from the oven and loosely wrap it in a foil. Now, let it rest for about 15 minutes and then carve.

    If you tried this recipe, share your experience in the comments below. Try other thanksgiving recipes and enjoy your feast.

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