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5 from 1 vote

Butter Roasted Turkey with Gravy

This recipe uses a 14 lb. fresh or defrosted turkey. If your turkey is frozen, defrost in the refrigerator; usually takes 2 to 3 days to defrost.
Prep Time1 day
Cook Time3 hours 45 minutes
Total Time1 day 3 hours 45 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: butter roasted turkey, gravy, roasted turkey, thanksgiving, thanksgiving day turkey, turkey, turkey brine, turkey gravy
Servings: 10

Equipment

  • turkey oven bags
  • large roasting pan with rack
  • meat thermometer

Ingredients

For the brine:

  • 1 heaping cup kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon whole peppercorns or juniper berries
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 gallon vegetable stock or water (use veg stock for more flavor)
  • 1 gallon ice cold water
  • 1 (14 lb). turkey

For the herb butter:

  • 1 stick unsalted butter room temp
  • 2 tablespoons fresh sage chopped fine
  • 2 tablespoons fresh thyme (leaves only) chopped fine
  • 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary (leaves only) chopped fine
  • 2 to 3 cloves garlic minced
  • salt and pepper

For the Aromatics:

  • 1 apple (Honeycrisp, Gala, etc) skin on, sliced into wedges
  • 1/2 onion peeled, and sliced
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2 to 3 fresh sage leaves
  • 1 cinnamon stick

For the gravy:

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter room temp
  • 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 4 cups turkey stock
  • salt and pepper

Instructions

For the brine:

  • Using a large pot, place ingredients (salt to the vegetable stock only!) into the pot and bring everything to a boil, making sure the salt and sugar dissolve. When finished, let the brine liquid cool completely. This is very important.
  • Using turkey oven bags (I like to double them), place your turkey into the bag and pour in the cooled brine liquid. Add a gallon of ice cold water. Submerge your turkey in the brine liquid, close the bag and refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours. When ready, rinse the turkey in cool water and pat dry.

For the Aromatics:

  • Place your brined, dry turkey, breast side up onto the rack in your roasting pan. Stuff the turkey with the apple slices, onion, rosemary thyme, sage leaves and a cinnamon stick.

For the Herb Butter:

  • Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Using a medium sized bowl, mix together all of the ingredients and spread the herb butter all over the turkey exterior and underneath the skin. If there are some areas you have missed, you can melt some unsalted butter and use a pastry brush to get the areas you might have missed.
  • Roast your turkey at 425 degrees for 45 minutes, then lower to 350 degrees for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Or, until your turkey breast registers at 170 (breast) and 180 in the thigh.

For the Gravy:

  • You can make the gravy one of two ways. In a separate saucepan, or wait until the turkey is finished and use the roasting pan so you can incorporate all the turkey drippings.
  • Whisk together the butter and the flour to make a paste. Add the paste into the turkey stock and whisk over medium high heat until smooth and thickened slightly. Again, if you are using your roasting pan, do everything inside the roasting pan, over medium to medium high heat on your stovetop. Taste and season with salt and pepper accordingly.
  • To Serve: I like to add fresh kale leaves, or even parsley around the turkey with it's on a platter. Add some pomegranates and persimmons to add color! Remove the aromatics from the turkey. Slice the turkey and serve with the gravy. Enjoy!