How Long To Cook A 26 Pound Brined Turkey

Alton Brown's Classic Brined and Roasted Turkey

November 17, 2011

A whole roasted turkey on a platter.

Michael Graydon and Nikole Herriott, Styling by Sue Li

This roasted turkey recipe stays moist, thanks to a genius, simple brine. A large cooler is necessary for the brining, but you'll also use it to thaw your turkey if it's frozen. And if you and your guests haven't finished the whole bird by the end of the night, put it to work in these Thanksgiving turkey leftover recipes.

Ingredients

12 servings

Turkey

18-lb. frozen turkey

Fresh herbs (such as thyme, rosemary, and sage)

large carrots, coarsely chopped

celery stalks, coarsely chopped

onion, coarsely chopped

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

Tbsp. unsalted butter

Brine

gallon hot tap water

lb. kosher salt

⅔

cup sugar

lb. ice (which is a gallon of water)

cups (128 oz.) vegetable broth

Gravy

cup water

cup low-sodium chicken broth

Cornstarch

Preparation

Thawing the Turkey

Step 1

Place wrapped turkey in a 5-gallon cooler with a drain spout. Place cooler in a bathtub and cover turkey with cold water. Drain and replace water every 2–3 hours, keeping water temperature below 40°, until turkey has thawed, 8–10 hours.

Brining the Turkey

Step 2

Clean cooler with soap and water, then pour in hot tap water, salt, and sugar. Stir thoroughly to dissolve salt and sugar. Then stir in ice and vegetable broth.

Step 3

Unwrap thawed turkey and remove any parts (such as neck, organs, etc.) that may be inside cavity. These may be saved for gravy.

Step 4

Place turkey in brine breast side up. If turkey floats, fill a 1-gallon resealable plastic bag with water and place it on top of turkey. Set cooler, lid closed, in a cool place, turning turkey over once if possible, 8–12 hours. Check brining liquid periodically with probe thermometer; if temperature is above 40°, add a few freezer packs that have been enclosed in resealable plastic bags.

Step 5

Remove turkey from brine, rinse under cold water, and pat dry with paper towels. Do not stuff turkey.

Roasting the Turkey

Step 6

Remove all oven racks except for one. Set this rack in the next-to-the-lowest position. Preheat oven to 500°.

Step 7

Loosely pack turkey with a combination of herbs, carrots, celery, and onion. Keep packing loose.

Step 8

Place turkey, breast side up, on a V-shaped rack set inside a large roasting pan. Cut a piece of foil big enough to cover the turkey's breast. Mold piece to breast. Remove foil, then grease with spray.

Step 9

Rub butter between your hands until liberally greased (you may use disposable gloves if desired). Rub butter into turkey. You may need to re-butter your hands a couple times in order to get a nice, even coating.

Step 10

Place turkey in oven, neck end first and breast up. Roast turkey until nicely browned, 30–40 minutes. Apply foil to breast of turkey. Insert thermometer probe directly through foil into deepest part of breast.

Step 11

Reduce oven temperature to 350° and return turkey to oven, foil securely in place. Do not open oven to baste turkey. Roast until probe registers 161° for breast and 181° for thigh, 2–2½ hours.

Step 12

Cover turkey with foil and let rest 30 minutes. Save pan drippings for gravy.

Step 13

Gravy (Optional)

Step 14

Mix pan drippings with water, chicken broth, and cornstarch. Heat in a small saucepan over medium until thickened.

How would you rate Alton Brown's Classic Brined and Roasted Turkey?

Reviews (10)

This recipe is excellent but this year I could only find low salt vegetable broth. Does anyone know how much extra salt to add to the brine?
Absolutely excellent! I added 2 cups water to the pan when I put it in the oven. I placed the vegetables both inside the turkey and in the pan. To make the gravy I added some low sodium chicken broth and placed all drippings and all cooked vegetables from inside the bird and in the pan in a bowl and mixed with an immersion blender. You can keep the gravy warm on the stove. Gravy was excellent but there was not enough. Next time I will add more vegetables and broth. I stress use low sodium chicken broth- the brining makes the drippings salty enough. Will definitely make this again.
This was by far the best turkey I've ever cooked and I've been making thanksgiving turkey for 40+ years. So so moist and the flavors and smells catch you before it is even sliced. Definitely a keeper!
This is the first time I have ever brined a turkey. It turned out AWESOME!. I brined it in a cooler with it being will iced. So easy and it made a world of difference to the turkey. I saw a brine mix at the store for $9. This was a lot cheaper and easier. I will never cook a Turkey again without brining it first. Not only was the Turkey juicer, but the brining added so much flavor to the bird. I didnt make the gravy because being from the south, I make giblet gravy.
Gravy Notes: I saw a comment asking for some extra directions on the gravy. I usually use two methods when making gravy and figured I'd just give my insight. Method 1: Like above, using cornstarch. add the pan drippings and broth to a pot and bring them up to a simmer. While this simmers, using equal parts cold water and cornstarch, make a slurry. I use a small bowl or ramekin to mix the two together to form the slurry. Doing this step insures that you don't end up with lumps of starch in your gravy. Pour the slurry into the simmering mixture and continue to simmer a little longer to get the gravy thick and cook out any starchy flavors. Method 2: (My favorite) Create a roux with some butter and flour. Melt some butter in a pan, then add flour to the melted butter. Mix together. The consistency should be similar to creamy peanut butter. Once the roux is ready, add in the pan drippings and broth. I like to use a baking spatula to get the roux incorporated into the liquid. Bring this to simmer and let it cook, uncovered, until it thickens. Either of the two methods above can be adjusted to get the consistency you like. Just add more Slurry or Roux if you want a thicker gravy. Though, be careful with the slurry. Cornstarch goes much further than you would expect.
I've use this recipe at least 4 times and it is never-fail! Every year I search for it again.
is it ok to brine for 24 hours with this recipe?
This was my first time brining and it turned out moist and delicious. The skin was crispy and it was very easy to make. I really wish that there was better instructions for the gravy it is something I am not very good at making.
How much fresh herbs do you recommend using?
I confess: I bought a brined turkey from HEB (Texas grocery store chain). As for the rest, I followed directions and it was a great success. I'd include the aluminum shielding over the drumsticks, too, not just the breast, next time. Maybe half the chopped vegetable/herb packing wouldn't fit, wound up in the pan, and along with the packing inside the turkey were the basis of the most exquisite gravy I've ever made. Put everything in and under the completed turkey into a pan, added about a box of chicken stock, simmered 20-30 min to soften everything more, and completed by using an immersion blender (regular blender would've been better but too much mess and I was out of time). The gravy of the gods.