Juicy and Tender Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe
Every year, my father-in-law makes the Best Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe! It has so much flavor, nearly falls-of-the-bone, and makes the house smell amazing! The secret is in his natural meat tenderizer.
Equipment
- 1 Large roasting pan with insert rack, (I used a large stainless pan lined with a mini cooling rack)
- Turkey bags, (my father-in-law uses two, I can get away with one but don't tell him)!
Ingredients
- 15-20 lb Turkey , (I used Butterball brand)
- 12 bay leaves , (crushed)
- 2 onions, (finely grated)
- 5 heads garlic , (peeled and cloves crushed with a press)
- 2 tsp heaping of ground black pepper
- 2 Tbsp heaping of sea salt
- 2 1/2 Tbsp garlic salt, (Lawry's brand)
- 1 Tbsp heaping Montreal steak seasoning
Instructions
- Remove turkey from the packaging with the neck and giblets (freeze or discard them to the chickens). Wash and pat dry the turkey with paper towels. Place the turkey inside a turkey bag and set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, finely grate two onions and crush the 5 heads of garlic cloves, using a garlic press. Add the crushed bayleaves, 2 tsp heaping of black pepper, 2 heaping Tbsp of salt, 2.5 Tbsp of garlic salt, and 1 heaping Tbsp of Montreal Steak seasoning. This will be the consistency of a slushy.
- Rub the onion mixture all over the turkey, place any remainder into the cavity.
- Securely tie the turkey legs together using kitchen twine. Tie the turkey bag and marinate in the fridge for at least two days. Rotate the turkey every morning and evening, to evenly marinate.
- On Thanksgiving day, place the turkey (in the bag) over a roasting tray lined with a rack. Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C). Place the turkey on the lower rack of the oven and bake it for 3 hours enclosed in the bag. The turkey is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Let it rest for 20 minutes then open the turkey bag and transfer to a serving platter. Serve!
Notes
- Serving Size: As a rule of thumb, plan 4 to 5 ounces per person of cooked turkey. Otherwise plan for 1/2 pound to 3/4 pound per person for uncooked turkey. This means a 15 pound bird yields about 30 servings.
- Watch how to carve a turkey here. (I graduated from the same Culinary school)!
- Brine: The freshly grated onions work as a natural meat tenderizer along with the salt, known as a turkey brine "slurry", as I like to call it.
- Thawing Instructions: Make sure your turkey is completely thawed before preparing the slurry. Allow 24 hours for every 5 pounds of turkey meat to thaw in the fridge so, that's 2-3 days of defrosting in the fridge. Give yourself an extra day just to be safe!
- Stuffing turkey with rice: make this rice pilaf (can omit mushrooms) and bring the rice to just a boil then let it sit for 20 minutes and stuff.
- Turkey Gravy Recipe: Add 2 quarts of the pan drippings and juices into a large pot (add water if necessary). Bring it to a boil. In a separate bowl make a slurry by slowly stirring 3 cups of cold water to 1 1/4 cups flour. Add this cold slurry to the boiled drippings and season it with 1 tsp each of salt and pepper, and 1/2 Tbsp each of onion and garlic powder. Add any leftover shredded turkey meat and keep it warm until serving. This freezes well and is ideal for serving turkey in a buffet style setting.
- Storing: Place cooled off, pulled turkey meat into an airtight container or freezer zip-lock bag. Keep refrigerated for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 to 6 months.
- Bake Turkey on the lower rack of the oven: If the turkey bag blew up in the oven and is touching the heating element, pierce it on the side once, using a knife or meat thermometer. This will deflate the bag by a tad but will still keep that steam in.
- Rest Turkey: Allow the turkey to rest for 15-20 minutes before carving.
Nutrition Facts
Juicy and Tender Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe
Serving Size
1 (5 ounce serving)
Amount per Serving
Calories
11
% Daily Value*
Fat
0.1
g
0
%
Saturated Fat
0.01
g
0
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
0.02
g
Monounsaturated Fat
0.01
g
Cholesterol
0.02
mg
0
%
Sodium
1048
mg
46
%
Potassium
33
mg
1
%
Carbohydrates
2
g
1
%
Fiber
0.3
g
1
%
Sugar
0.4
g
0
%
Protein
0.4
g
1
%
Vitamin A
7
IU
0
%
Vitamin C
2
mg
2
%
Calcium
13
mg
1
%
Iron
0.2
mg
1
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
