Nana's Roast Turkey

Nana always made such delicious turkeys. And not always for the holidays. We used to laugh that Papa was a true turkey junkie. He does love a good turkey. Every Thanksgiving and Christmas for sure Nana was up early getting the turkey prepped for roasting. I remember big roasting pans in the oven, and then when they were available to buy, roasters on the counter that freed up the oven for other things. She would shop for a Butterball turkey most years, but then decided there were other brands that did just fine too. As the turkey sales became more competitive, she would get a great deal on more than one, so she would have one in the freezer for sometime. I know she made turkey dinner on Father's Day now and then because of Papa's addiction to a good turkey. (and dressing, etc.) She also decided the 12-16 lb. turkeys were more tender, so she would roast 2 smaller ones as opposed to the traditional 20 pounder. Any left-over turkey that was not consumed in a couple of days went into her famous pot-pies. She would make up several small pot pies and freeze them. They were so very good. Another of Pop's favorites.

Nan's tricks of perfecting her prep evolved over the years and became the following:
The night before she would mix up a brine recipe and get the turkey into it overnight. There are lots of brine recipes to choose from. Hers was just a simple brine.

For about a 16 lb. Turkey

• 1 C. kosher salt
• 1/2 C. Light Brown Sugar
• 1/2 Gallon Vegetable Stock (or chicken stock), or water.
• 1 T. black peppercorns
• 1/2 gallon ice water (more if needed).

Combine all brine ingredients (except the ice water) in a large stockpot. Bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve solids, then remove from heat. Cool to room temp and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

There are brining bags available at the store which make it much easier. Follow manufacturer's direction on amount of liquid content for the bag. A five-gallon bucket can be used if you have no bag. Place turkey in bag or bucket and pour the cooled brine mixture in. Add enough ice water to cover turkey and place in the refrigerator, or if it is cold enough, in the garage maybe. Needs at least 6 hours to brine well.

Remove bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard brine. Pat the bird dry with paper towels. Stuff with your favorite dressing recipe, or add aromatics to the cavity. Loosen the skin on the breast of the bird. Do not remove the skin, just loosen it from the breast meat so you can get your fingers in-between the skin and the meat. Nana would make a paste of softened butter, a little flour, salt, pepper and maybe a little garlic. She would then work the paste between the skin and the meat. Then she would rub any left on the outside of the skin over the breast. In the early days she would then put tin foil over the breast before putting it in the oven. When the counter top roasters were on the scene, the foil didn't matter anymore. Even better are the Reynold roasting bags that she used even in the counter-top roasters. No more basting. The bags hold the juices and make clean up even easier. Roast at lower temps (200 or 250) for a longer amount of time, or at 350 for a shorter time. Use a table for temp/pounds of meat to determine cooking time. The counter top roasters usually get the birds done in less time. A meat thermometer is good also. 161º inside meat temp is recommended.

Turkey should rest for about 15 minutes after removing from the roaster before carving.

Some aromatics for the cavity if you are not stuffing with dressing:

A peeled onion and some garlic cloves are the simplest.

Nana found this recipe online and wrote her additions and tweaks to it:

• 1 Red Apple, sliced
• 1 Onion, sliced
• 1 Cinnamon Stick
• 1 C. Water
• 5 Sage leaves
• 2-3 Sprigs Rosemary
• Vegetable Oil

In a saucepan combine first four ingredients. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Allow to steep until cool. Add steeped aromatics to cavity along with the rosemary and sage. Coat the whole bird with vegetable oil for a really brown turkey.