My dogged determination to pursue the perfect turkey – tender texture and great taste – has paid off! After seven years in a row and three different ovens yielding fabulous results, I want to share. Of course, aesthetics matter, too, because we eat with our eyes. This method doesn’t yield the full-on magazine cover look. BUT, it does look lovely – the above pic is my bird coming out of the oven.  And, it has a crunchy skin to boot. There are several things to plan for:

The Bird

1. Consider a fresh, never-frozen bird. Otherwise, make sure you allow plenty of time – several days – for the turkey to fully thaw in the fridge (for food safety reasons), to be ready for the first step on the Sunday evening or Monday morning prior to Thanksgiving (how-to below).  Fresh is often a bit more expensive, but having never been frozen, the meat texture is significantly better. I also splurge on organic turkey, not because of a notable taste difference, but because the birds are humanely raised – a small way I can give care and thanks to mother nature for her bounty.
2. Succulent breast meat, even cooking, and crispy skin from this method relies on spatchcocking – cutting out the backbone (I include it in the roasting pan, for making turkey stock later). I have poultry shears, and knife sharpening skills from culinary school. However, the bones of a turkey are sturdy, making this a job that takes a bit of time, strength, and the aforementioned cutting tools. If you buy from a butcher you can request that they do it for you. Here’s my video demo of the technique.

The Brine

This is the crucial step for flavor and succulent breast meat texture. We will “dry brine” the bird with kosher salt, in the fridge.

Here is how I do it:

Monday morning before Thanksgiving (ideally), rinse and pat dry the turkey. Measure about 1 tablespoon Kosher salt for every 5 lbs of bird. Sprinkle the inside lightly with salt.   Sprinkle the remaining salt all over the outside of the bird, concentrating salt in the places where the breast and thighs are thickest. Place in a large sealable plastic bag and refrigerate breast side up until Wednesday. I like a 3-day brine but even 24 hours’ brining time gives an excellent result.Flip the bird (not that bird!) breast side down for the last day.

On roasting day:

Lay the turkey flat on a roasting pan fitted with a rack, breast side up, and allow to sit at room temperature for 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 450 degrees. While oven is heating, slide fresh sage leaves beneath the breast skin, if desired. When oven is hot, tuck wing tips behind the back, press down on breast bone to flatten slightly, and roast the turkey about 80 minutes (12-15 lb turkey) or until the bird registers 165 degrees at the thickest part of the thigh with your meat thermometer. This technique works so well because the bird is able to roast evenly, such that the light and dark meats are done at the same time and much more speedily. Allow to rest for 30 mins, tented with foil, before carving.

Let me know how it goes!