For several years on Thanksgiving and other holiday events, my husband would cook the Turkey on the grill. He had a couple of lessons learned, but ultimately it would come out juicy and delicious. I watched as he did hours of research, experimented with different methods of cooking and immersed himself for an entire day in the process. I made sides and other dishes, helped him if he needed it and most importantly, sampled the moist and delicious meat as it came off of the grill, offering in-depth critiques. “It’s amazing,” I would say just about every time.
My husband works at sea so he is gone for stretches of time, and also home for long stretches. We had gotten lucky most years with him being home for the holidays, and when he wasn’t home, I would often travel to see friends and family. Last year, he was not home and when the pandemic prevented me from fleeing freely with my kids to enjoy someone else’s home-cooked feast, I was faced with the daunting task of cooking the bird on my own.
I spent weeks nervously preparing, pinning recipes, googling tips and researching ideal cooking times and cooking methods. When it finally came time to dive in, I was fully prepared – mixing and matching different cooking tips and recipes with one goal in mind: cooking the perfect turkey. We had opted on a gathering with our neighbors, so I was nervous about how it would turn out. As i delivered the bird to our community outdoor dinner, I had no idea how it would taste. There were lots of spectacular dishes that people had brought which took some of the pressure off. When it came time to eat, just about everyone at the table had something to say about the turkey.
“Wow, who made the turkey?”
“What did you do to the turkey?”
“This is the moistest, juiciest turkey…”
It was truly perfect. The dark meat was as moist and juicy as the white meat, the skin was crispy and flavorful. It melted in your mouth, and you could cut it with a spoon. Of course, I forgot to write anything down, so this year I gave it another go, documenting the process and acknowledging some things I did last year that shouldn’t really be swapped out.
Tip #1: Dry Brine
First of all, a Dry Brine easier, with less mess and hassle, using less ingredients and taking up less space in the refrigerator. When my husband had done a wet brine in the past, we had to use a cooler because it didn’t fit in the fridge, having to constantly replace the ice. However, most importantly, a simple dry brine with kosher salt draws the moisture out from the meat and then traps it in. The result: juiciness. Try to do it 3 days before if you can, and mix with some fresh herbs of your choice to give it some extra flavor. Unwrapping the plastic the day before cooking also helps the skin dry out a little so it browns better.
Tip #2: Stuff it with the right things
As you’ll see from my recipe, I’m not shy with the variety of fruits, vegetables and herbs I stuff in the turkey. I want my bird to be super flavorful, so of course I stuff it with onions, garlic, fresh herbs and celery. A lemon also adds extra flavor and helps trap in moisture to contribute to the juiciness. Another thing that will guarantee a juicy bird: apples. I use both a lemon and an apple. It’s not in this recipe, but beer is also an excellent addition to help draw out and seal in the moisture during the cooking process.
Tip #3: Slow-Cook
This one is fairly obvious, but we don’t always have the time to cook it at 325 F. If you are pressed for time, 350 will do, but if you can swing it 325 does make a difference. Many recipes suggest preheating the oven at 425 and then turning it down for the cooking process. Some recipes suggest the first hour at 425. I settled on 20 minutes as a full hour is a bit much and makes it a little drier than I would prefer, and the preheat alone is not completely adequate for crispy skin.
Tip #4: Flip the Bird
This sounds a little weird and isn’t really super easy or very common, but I highly recommend it if you want to evenly cook the white and dark meat, and of course, for the juiciest turkey. As you may know, you should not really cook a turkey in a regular baking dish or pan that isn’t elevated because when it sits in its own juices for that long, it can get soggy at the bottom, so it is recommended to use a drip pan.
Last year, I looked at every store I knew in the medium-size town in Mexico I live in, and I could not for the life of me find one of these anywhere. After a couple of days of doing obsessive online research, I came to the conclusion that the best alternative would be to flip the turkey halfway through the cooking process. I bought two disposable turkey oven pans and flipped it midway from one into the other – with someone helping me, and wearing gloves.
This year, my husband found a grill rack that would work as a drip pan, so I opted not to flip the bird. I regretted it. The quality of moisture and juiciness just wasn’t the same. If you really want to win this Turkey Day, put your gloves on and get to flippin’! It doesn’t take long to do and is worth it in the end.
Tip #5: Take it Out of the Oven Early
This is another obvious one. If you want the juiciest meat, don’t overcook it. Almost every turkey recipe says to cook the breast to 165 degrees fahrenheit to be safe. However, the turkey will continue to cook after you remove it from the oven by probably about ten degrees. And honestly, if it only makes it to 160 – I think you’ll be fine. It’s up to you if you decide to take it out at 150 or 155, depending on how risky and wild you’re feeling – but it is really not necessary to cook it any longer than that.
Ingredients
Dry Brine
- 1 tblsp salt per 4 lbs meat
- 1 – 2 tblsp Thyme (or fresh herb of choice)
- Zest of 1 lemon
Rub
- 1 tblsp ground black pepper
- 2 tblsp paprika
- 1/2 tbslp tree chili powder
- 1/2 tblsp coconut sugar or brown sugar
- 1 tblsp ground oregano
- 1 tblsp garlic powder
Turkey
- 1 apple, quartered
- 1 onion, quartered, unpeeled
- 4 garlic cloves, halved, unpeeled
- 1/2 bunch parsley or herb of choice
- 2 celery stalks
- 1 tblsp melted butter per 4 lbs meat
- 1 Turkey
Instructions
Preparation:
- 3 days before cooking the turkey, mix the dry brine ingredients in a bowl, cover the turkey with it (inside and out), wrap with plastic and store in refrigerator.
- 1 day beforehand, remove plastic wrap.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: ~15 minutes per lb.
Cooking
- Preheat oven to 425 F
- Prepare the apple, onion, garlic, parsley & celery to stuff the turkey with
- Baste the inside of the turkey with butter & rub
- Stuff the turkey – alternating items so the flavor is spread out evenly (not everything will fit)
- Rub the bottom of the turkey with butter first, then rub, flip and rub the top.
- Tie the legs together.
- Insert in oven, feet first.
- After 20 minutes, lower heat to 325.
- Optional: Flip after the first 1-2 hours.
- Remove from oven when the temperature reaches 155 F.
- Let it cool, carve it, enjoy.
