How To Cook A Turkey ~Herb Roasted Whole Turkey Recipe With Buttermilk Brine Recipe ~ Moist & Flavorful!!! (2024)

FAQs

Why do you soak turkey in buttermilk? ›

The acid in the buttermilk leads to moist, tender meat throughout, while the sugars result in a gorgeous golden-brown skin.

Cover and place it in the refrigerator. Brine for 12 to 24 hours. Brine the turkey in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours. Rinse the turkey in cool water and pat dry.

You should always rinse the turkey after wet or dry brining. Once rinsed, you can let the turkey air dry, uncovered, in the refrigerator for several hours, or pat it dry with a paper towel.

Dry brining is the best path to juicy roast turkey! Easier and more practical than wet brining (no bucket!), better turkey flavour, and you can even brine a partially thawed turkey. The results are exceptional - crispy skin and moist flesh. This recipe needs to be started two days before cooking.

Rub the skin with fat

Fat is going to help the skin get brown and crisp, and contrary to what most might think, butter isn't better. Butter does an okay job, but because it contains a lot of water, oil is a better fat to rub on the skin to ensure it gets extra crispy.

Rub a spice blend all over the skin of the bird, and sprinkle it in the cavity, too, to season the turkey from the inside out. A compound butter can be tucked beneath the skin of the turkey, and also spread on top to make it golden and flavorful.

But a brined turkey that is not rinsed would be too salty to eat. Brining slows down the growth of bacteria but does not kill it, said Linda Harris, a microbiologist at the University of California, Davis. She and other food scientists have been trying to get Americans to stop rinsing poultry since the late 1990's.

Both ways produce a flavorful and moist turkey but have other important considerations that may impact your choice. Wet brines infuse flavor and moisture more quickly than dry brines; however, a larger vessel for the brining process will be needed as well as enough refrigerator space.

If you have a favorite spice blend, you can feel free to rub it on or mix it with butter. Just avoid adding more salt, she notes, since you already salted the bird during the brining process.

How do you wet brine a turkey for roasting? ›

Wash your hands, but not the turkey! Many consumers think that washing their turkey will remove bacteria and make it safer. However, it's virtually impossible to wash bacteria off the bird. Instead, juices that splash during washing can transfer bacteria onto the surfaces of your kitchen, other foods and utensils.

Oven-Roasted Turkey

We recommend starting the turkey in a 425 degree oven for 30-45 minutes before tenting the pan with foil and lowering the temperature to 350 degrees until a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees when inserted into the thickest part of the bird.

How long should you brine a turkey? Shoot for at least 16 hours but no longer than 24 hours. If you brine it any longer than 24 hours the turkey will be too salty.

DO NOT USE your brining bag for baking! Oven bags are a special high-temperature food-grade plastic. Also, DO NOT Brine your Turkey AND use the Oven bag! You must choose one or the other!

Buttermilk also tenderizes meats. Its lactic acid and enzymes denature protein strands and break down collagen, making the meat more tender and allowing moisture to penetrate into the tissue.

Brining a turkey (or any lean protein) in a simple salt and water solution tenderizes the meat while adding flavor and moisture that lasts even after roasting. Follow the steps below to make a basic brine and ensure that this year's bird boasts the juiciest, most tender meat to ever grace the holiday table.

The purpose of a brine is to produce a more tender and flavorful turkey. According to research published in the Journal of Food Science , the salt in the brine dissolves a bit of the protein in the muscle fibers, and allows the meat to absorb the brine and retain moisture during cooking.

In its most basic form, the brine is salt and water—but many cooks don't stop there. Aromatics will add flavor and dimension to the cooked turkey; classic vegetables, like carrots and celery, your favorite herbs, like fresh garlic, and citrus fruits, such as lemon and orange, are all good additions.