Re: Panic!
Bear, start with a completely thawed and thoroughly rinsed fresh turkey. (Kosher and “self-basting” turkeys are pre-salted, so brining them will have no effect.) Dissolve one cup of table salt per US gallon of cold water (9.5 oz per Imperial gallon, 60 g/l); two US gallons (1⅔ Imperial gallons; 7.5 l) of brine typically suffice. (More salt is needed if kosher salt is used rather than table salt; the amount of kosher salt depends upon the manufacturer.) Submerge turkey in the briny deep; ensure that the brine remains below 41 °F (5 °C) for the duration. After a minimum of fourteen hours’ soak, preheat your oven to 400 °F (205 °C); line a large V-rack with heavy-duty tin foil* and use a paring knife to poke a couple of dozen holes in the foil. Put the V-rack in a large roasting pan. Remove the turkey from his bath, rinse him well, and pat him dry inside and out with paper towels. Melt four tablespoons of butter (three Australian tablespoons, 60 ml) and completely brush the turkey’s skin with the butter. Set the turkey on the V-rack with his breast down; roast for 45 minutes, then flip the bird and roast it for an additional 50 to 60 minutes (if the bird is 12 lb to 15 lb [5.5 kg to 6.8 kg]) or 75 minutes (if he’s 15 lb [6.8 kg] to 18 lb [8.2 kg]) with his breast up. Set the turkey onto a carving board and let it rest for 30 minutes before carving.
If you have a turkey over 18 lb (8.2 kg), the cooking instructions vary; don’t follow the cooking instructions above.
* — Yes, some foil is used, but not as much as would be needed to wrap the entire bird.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
