Month: November 2025

• Remove the giblets and neck from the cavity and set them aside. “The giblets” refer to the liver, gizzard, & heart of the turkey. You can use these in your gravy or stuffing (consult some online recipes for ideas), cook and feed them to your pets, or discard them.
• Do not rinse your turkey. Instead, just pat it dry, inside and out, with paper towels. Raw poultry juice can make you sick. Diligently wash your hands and any surfaces or tools that come in contact with raw turkey with hot water and soap.
• Prepare herb butter. When applied to the skin of the turkey, fat will protect the meat from the heat of the oven and help keep it moist. We’re adding garlic and herbs to make it tasty, but you could use plain butter, or swap the butter for lard or oil. Mince the herbs and garlic. Combine all herb butter ingredients in a bowl. Gently loosen the skin on the breast and thighs with your hands the best you can, and rub the mixture all over the turkey, under and over the skin.
• If you have time, cover and refrigerate overnight to allow the flavors in the butter to marinate the turkey. If you don’t have time, it will still be delicious!
• Remove turkey from refrigerator at least 30-60 minutes before cooking, to allow it to warm up a bit. This will help keep the turkey tender.
• Prepare the vegetables: Set aside one onion. Roughly chop the remaining vegetables and place them in the bottom of the roasting pan with the bay leaf and enough broth or water to mostly submerge the vegetables.
• Preheat oven to 325ºF. If you didn’t apply the herb butter in advance, do it now. Set the rack over the vegetables in the roasting pan, and place the turkey on the rack, breast side up. Halve the remaining onion, and place it inside the cavity with a handful of herbs, if you have some remaining.
• Cover pan with aluminum foil, or the lid if your pan has one. Place pan in the oven, cook according to the time chart on the other side of this card. Remove the foil or lid for the last 30-60 minutes to brown the skin.
• Remove from the oven once the internal temperature of the thickest part of the thigh registers 160ºF. Use a meat thermometer to check for doneness. Avoid bones when you are testing the temperature - keep the thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh meat. Begin checking the temperature about 30 minutes before you expect it to be done.
• Cover and allow the turkey to rest 30 minutes before carving, to avoid moisture loss. Consult YouTube for great tutorials on carving a turkey. Strain the liquid in the bottom of the roasting pan, and use it to make your gravy.

• Combine 4 cups water, apple cider, kosher salt, sage, rosemary, thyme, and peppercorns together in a large stockpot. Bring to a boil; cook and stir brine until the salt is just dissolved. Remove from heat. Add ice cubes. Allow to cool.
• Pour the cooled brine into a food-grade, non-reactive container such as a stainless steel or enameled stockpot, or a food-grade plastic bucket. Submerge the whole turkey into the cooled brine, and add water until turkey is completely covered and all cavities are filled. Stir around the edges to make sure liquids are combined. Cover and place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 12 hours. Ensure temperature never rises above 40º.
• Remove the turkey from the brine. Pat dry inside and out with paper towels. Discard brine. Cook the turkey as desired.

Prepration:

• Remove the giblets and neck from the cavity and set them aside. If you want to brine your turkey (directions on reverse), do it now. Pat dry with paper towels.
• Prepare herb butter: Mince the herbs and garlic. Combine herb butter ingredients in a bowl. Loosen the turkey’s skin on breast and thighs with your hands and rub the mixture over the whole turkey, under and over the skin.
• If you have time and have not brined your turkey, cover and refrigerate overnight to allow the flavors in the butter to marinate the turkey.
• Prepare the vegetables: Set aside one onion. Roughly chop celery, carrot, and remaining onion and place them in the bottom of a roasting pan with the bay leaf and enough broth or water to mostly submerge the vegetables.

Roasting:

• Remove turkey from refrigerator at least 30-60 minutes before cooking. Preheat oven to 325ºF. If you didn’t apply the herb butter in advance, do it now. Set a rack in the roasting pan over the vegetables. Place turkey on a rack, breast up. Halve remaining onion, place it inside the cavity with any remaining herbs.
• Cover pan with aluminum foil or a lid. Place pan in the oven, cook according to the chart below. Remove foil for the last 30-60 minutes to brown the skin.
• Remove from the oven once the internal temperature of the thickest part of the thigh registers 160ºF. Use a meat thermometer to check for doneness.
• Allow the turkey to rest 30 minutes before carving. Strain the liquid in the bottom of the roasting pan, and use it to make your gravy.