How to Roast a Turkey for Maximum Juiciness

The first step to a juicy turkey, is the brining process. Soaking your turkey overnight in a brew of salt, water, vegetables, citrus fruits and hears not only makes your turkey very moist, but incredibly flavorful too.

Now, that the turkey is brined, you’re ready to start roasting. We’re working with a 12-pound turkey here.

What you need to get started:

• ¼ cup unsalted butter
• Pepper to taste
• 1 brined turkey. We are using a 12-pound turkey in our recipe.
• 1 cup water

Also, keep on hand a small saucepan, heat resistant spoon, roasting pan, pastry brush, turkey baster, foil, and utensils to flip the turkey.

IMPORTANT: Your turkey is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 F. You can determine doneness by purchasing and using a meat thermometer. You can expect a 12-pound turkey to take up to 4 hours to cook using this recipe, but because oven temperatures vary, always use a thermometer to ensure doneness.

Preheat oven to 425 F

Prepare Butter Mixture

Melt the butter in saucepan over medium heat.

Turn of the heat, add the pepper and stir.

Prepare the Turkey

Place the turkey in a roasting pan. We start with breast side down, which is again tradition, but we do it because it allows the juices to run down into the breast meat, creating a moister turkey. We also flip our bird half way through the process, so we have a nicely browned skin on the top and bottom of the turkey.

Start by brushing your turkey with the butter mixture. Brush it all over, top and bottom, under wings…everywhere.

Add 1 cup of water to the bottom of your roasting pan to help collect juices.

Start Roasting

Now, you can place the turkey in a 425 F oven. At this point, you don’t need to cover the turkey as we’re going to create a nicely browned skin and to seal in juices. Bake at this temperature for about ½ hour.

After ½ hour, remove and baste the turkey with its juices and turn the temperature down to 350 F.