The Best Roast Turkey, Ever.
By: Ellen M. Shapiro
Tags: Thanksgiving, Cooking, Christmas, Turkey, Food

The Best Roast Turkey, Ever.

No matter how much effort I put into making the Thanksgiving turkey, I was never happy with it. Until this year. So here’s a recipe ready for Christmas. Ellen M. Shapiro Follow Dec 4, 2020 · 5 min read

This Thanksgiving could possibly have been my 20th time making the roast turkey. And it’s the only time I’ve been truly happy with the results.

Oh, I’ve tried brining, shoving butter under the skin, turning the bird three or four times, using butter-soaked cheesecloth (that, from Julia Child), constant basting, etc., etc. No matter the methodology utilized, when the dark meat was done, the white meat was dry; the whole production might have looked pretty on its decorated platter but was not worth the [considerable] effort. After all, all roast turkeys are welcome when covered with gravy and accompanied by tasty stuffing, homemade cranberry sauce, and seasonal vegetable dishes. This year—once I knew that our relatives who’d were out of the country since April had tested negative and could come—I vowed to do something different.

But what? I happened to have caught ‘Pati’s Mexican Table’ on PBS last week, during which Pati Jinich made a Yucatan-style turkey marinated in citrus juices and spices, wrapped in huge, supple banana leaves, and oven-roasted ‘pibil’-style, that is, as if baked in an outdoor firepit. Hmm, it gave me an idea. People love my spice-rubbed brisket, which I wrap in foil and barbecue low and slow. Why not do a turkey the same way? And why not roast it breast-side-down, which I’d read about but had never tried. The upside-down method has been touted as the surefire way to keep the white meat—the whole bird—juicy. Rather than trying to get moisture (usually in the form of butter) to permeate the meat by basting from the outside, if you roast it breast-side-down, the natural juices run down and baste it from the inside. Aha!

What I did was truly experimental. But it worked. And it was so much easier! You might ask, though, Why am I posting this now? Isn’t it several days too late? Not if you live in England, Mexico, or one of the other countries where roast turkey is the centerpiece of traditional Christmas dinner. If so, you might be interested in a new way to do it. Like this:

1. Make the Spice Rub

• Mix together in a small bowl:

¼ cup each ancho chili powder, kosher salt, brown sugar

1 Tb each onion powder, paprika

1 tsp each black pepper and dried thyme, sage, and rosemary.

2. Prep Turkey

• Get together:

1 fresh turkey, 12–14 lbs. (mine was 13).

2 - 3 Tb softened butter

a few cloves peeled garlic, 1 cut-up lemon, sprigs of rosemary

1 qt container chicken stock or broth

• Preheat the oven to 325 F/265 C. (I used the“convection roast” setting).

• Wash the turkey inside and out and cut off the wingtips and ‘parson’s nose’ (fleshy protuberance at the posterior end) with kitchen shears.

• Pat the turkey dry and rub it with enough softened butter to lightly coat the skin. Pat the spice rub as evenly as possible into the buttered skin.

• Place the turkey breast-side-down on a rack in a roasting pan.

• Rub the inside of the turkey cavity with the last of the spice rub and put the garlic cloves, lemon wedges, and rosemary inside.

• Tie the legs together with kitchen twine.

• Pour two cups of the chicken stock (or one cup stock, one cup white wine) into the roasting pan.

• Cover the whole thing as tightly as possible with heavy-duty foil, crimping it around the edges of the pan.

• Place it in the oven and leave it there for 3 to 3.5 hours, depending on the size of the turkey, doing nothing (except, perhaps, preparing your side dishes).

3. Make Turkey Stock Base for Your Gravy

• Put the turkey neck, gizzards, parson’s nose, and wingtips into a medium saucepan. Add two cups chicken broth, 1 cup water, a few sprigs of parsley, and 1 each carrot, celery stalk, and onion, and a piece of fresh ginger, all roughly cut up.

• Bring to a simmer and simmer on low, covered, for 30 minutes or so. Set aside.

4. Back to Turkey

• After 3 hours (for 10 lb. turkey to 3.5 hours for 14 lb.), remove it from the oven and discard the foil. Scoop or pour most of the pan juices into the saucepan with the turkey stock base. The juices should be abundant and very flavorful.

• Raise the oven temp to 375 F / 190 C.

• Turn the turkey breast-side-up. Brush it with maple syrup.

• Return it to the oven and roast, uncovered, for 40 minutes or so until the skin is richly browned.

• Place the turkey on a carving board and loosely tent it with foil while it rests. You’ve got 20 minutes to finish the gravy and heat up your side dishes in the oven.

5. Finish the Gravy

• Scrape everything in the roasting pan into your saucepan and bring it to a simmer again. Place the roasting pan on the stove over low heat.

• Melt 3 Tb butter in the roasting pan. Add 3 Tb flour (I like ‘Wondra’ instant flour for this). Whisk the flour and butter together, eliminating any lumps (and making sure it doesn’t burn). Let this roux cook slowly for 2–3 minutes.

• Slowly strain the contents of the saucepan into the roasting pan, discarding the chunks of vegetables. Keep whisking until gravy reaches the desired creamy consistency. At this point, you can return it to your saucepan until it’s time to put it in a gravy boat or bowl for serving at the table.

6. Carve Turkey!

After bringing in the whole bird to be admired and carving it (directions abound in websites and books), arrange the legs, thighs, wings, and slices of breast meat on a platter. I like to decorate the platter with rosemary sprigs and dribble gravy over everything before bringing the platter to the table.

And Eat!

Herewith our exceptionally succulent, deliciously spice-rubbed turkey—are our side dishes: an oval dish with roasted brussels sprouts, golden beets, and green beans; a casserole of mashed sweet potatoes topped with pepitas (pumpkin seeds); cranberry-orange sauce; and (not shown) everybody’s favorite cornbread stuffing with portobello mushrooms and candied pecans.

Our relatives took lots of leftovers at home. And there was plenty left here for the two of us. The next day: turkey tostadas! The absolute best way of enjoying the leftovers. I’ll write about that… soon.