Turkey

16-24 pound | 7-11 kg Turkey – preferably free range, organic or heritage

1 Bunch Sage, fresh

Beer Brine

Makes enough Beer Brine for a 16-24 pound | 7-11 kg turkey, 4 whole chickens or 10 Cornish game hens

4 Litres Non Blonde Hemp Munich Dunkel

1 Litre water – filtered

2 Cup Salt, Kosher do not use Iodized Salt

1 Cup Sugar, Light Brown

1 Tablespoon Peppercorns, black whole

4 Each Bay Leaves – preferably fresh

3 Bunch Thyme, fresh

3 Yellow Onions, peeled and chopped

3 Stalks Celery – chopped

3 Each Carrots, large peeled and chopped

6 Each Garlic, Cloves peeled

1 Each Lemon – cut into slices

1 Each Orange – cut into slices

3 Litres Ice Cold Water

Brine

At least 2-3 days in before you wish to eat the Turkey, start the brine.

In a large pot, over high heat, add the water, salt, sugar, peppercorns, bay leaves, thyme, onions, celery, carrots, garlic, lemon and orange. Bring the liquid to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes to infuse the flavours together, dissolving the salt and sugar. Turn off the heat and let the brine cool for 20 minutes, then add in the ice water and Munich Dunkel.

Mix the ingredients together and take the temperature of the finished brine. A thermometer should read 40°F | 4°C or lower in order to be safe to use.

If it is warmer, place the pot into a refrigerator until 40°F | 4°C is reached.

Turkey

Remove the fresh turkey from its package in a large sink. Remove the neck, gizzards and liver, setting aside (for stock or gravy). Rinse the bird under cold water, turning the bird over a few times, washing any blood from the cavity and under the neck flap. Remove any remaining quills from the skin, if visible. Remove any excess fat from around the inside cavity. Turn off the water and lightly dry the turkey off with paper towels.

Place the Turkey and the marinade, into a large stock/brew pot with a lid – large enough to handle the volume of both then top off with the chilled brine, submerging the turkey completely. Then place in a cool place to marinade.

Marinade the turkey for at least 24 (for a 7 Kg) to 48 hours (for a larger 11 Kg bird). Keep the turkey and brine cold during this marinating process. Every 12 hours, rotate/flip the turkey in the marinade to evenly marinate it.

After marinading for the required time, remove the turkey from the brine and dry well with paper towels, both inside and out. Repeat this several times, to get as much of the moisture removed. This will help the browning of the skin, as moisture will steam the skin instead of roast it. Place the turkey, back side down, in a roasting pan fitted with a rack. Place the bunch of sage inside the cavity, as the herbs will release their aroma into the meat as it roasts. Let the turkey sit at room temperature for 2 hours prior to being cooked. This will let the turkey warm up, allowing it to cook more evenly. Discard the brine, as it has done its purpose and not safe to re-use.

Under the Skin Preparation

With the beer brine, the turkey is fine to cook, but to add extra flavour and decoration for when the turkey is served, you can dress up the turkey with some flavour bling.

Using your fingertips, start at the neck and slide one finger inside the neck skin and start separating the skin from the meat. Gradually add a second finger to finally your whole hand (that is pressed flat against the breast meat), being very careful not to force or tear the skin, but just separate the skin from the meat.

Repeat this same process with the other breast. Once this is done, move to the open cavity and on one side of the turkey start separating the skin from the leg/thigh, working around the thigh to the leg. Repeat this process for the other leg. Now that the skin is loose, the turkey can be stuffed with herbs, rubs or bacon to add additional flavour to the turkey. And when the turkey cooks, the skin will display the garnish, creating a beautiful finished bird.

Herbs: Try using a mix of fresh herbs like thyme, bay leaves, rosemary, marjoram and/or oregano. Arrange the herbs in a pattern under the skin on each breast. Copy the pattern to the opposite breast to give the finish turkey symmetry when being presented. Use herbs to wrap around the legs and thighs too, creating a unique pattern with what herbs you have. A good tip is to start at the farthest part from you and work towards where you are stuffing from.

Bacon: cured, smoked and sliced pork belly is another great option, as the fat of the bacon renders as the turkey cooks, adding another layer of protection from the breast meat drying out. I like to use a thick cut bacon, that has been smoked. Arrange the strips of bacon alongside of the chest bone and but each strip right next to the last, working your way down the breast. Cut the bacon if it is too long with kitchen sears to fit. Then repeat on the opposite side of the turkey. For the leg/thighs, wrap the bacon around the legs, then continue with the thighs, creating a pin wheel effect. Press the skin down to remove any air pockets and help secure the bacon from sliding.

Rubs: Since the turkey has been brined, seasoning the bird from the inside out, additional flavours should be just that, herbs and spices, not salts. If you have a favourite rub, check to see how much salt is used. Many commercial rubs use a lot of salt as a filler, as it is cheaper than the herbs and spices. Sprinkle the rub mix under the skin, creating an even coating on each side. Mixing the rub with some olive oil or room temperature unsalted butter to create a flavour paste can also be done, again giving the breast meat additional fat to help keep the meat moist and juicy as it cooks.

Over the Skin Preparation

Remember that the turkey has been seasoned with the brine. Once the skin has been dried thoroughly, you can brush/rub oil (such as olive oil or vegetable oil) all over the skin to help create a wonderful crisp skin, or use room temperature unsalted butter to create a light coat of fat. Very lightly season the skin with salt and pepper if you wish. A rub can also be used to create multiple flavours. A Cajun spice rub or fresh herb rub   can be used to give the turkey a culinary field trip. Be careful of the salt content of the rub, if you are using a commercial made rub, as salt is cheaper than herbs and spices.

Oven Roasting the Turkey

Pre-heat the oven to 350°F | 177°C, convection roast | bake if this setting is an option.

Truss the bird with kitchen twine, to help hold its shape and to aid in cooking the turkey evenly. I highly recommend using a probe thermometer to make sure the turkey is cooked to a certain temperature (160°F | 71°C) verses a length of time. Insert the probe into the middle of a breast or in one of the thighs. Make sure the tip of the probe isn’t touching a bone, as the temperature reading could be false.

If you don’t have a probe thermometer, a 7 to 11 Kg turkey should take between 3 and 3 1/2 hours to fully cook to 160°F | 71°C. Check both the breast and the thigh temperature to make sure the turkey is evenly cooked. Other recipes describe cooking a turkey until the internal temperature reaches 180°F | 82°C and this is one reason for a dry turkey.

Turkey is safe to eat after it reaches 165°F | 74°C. It’s fine to remove the turkey from the oven at 160°F | 71°C, as the heat of the oven and the surface temperature is higher than the internal temperature. As the turkey rests, the carryover heat will finish cooking the turkey and bring it to a safe final cooking temperature of 165°F | 74°C.

Let the turkey rest at room temperature for 30 – 45 minutes before carving. This is critical in keeping a moist and juicy turkey. This resting will relax the muscle fibers, helping re-distribute the juices and allow the bird to be easier to handle when carving. Cover the turkey with a large sheet of aluminum foil.