Ingredients:
- 12-pound fresh or frozen turkey
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, slightly softened
- 1 Tablespoon Nashville Spice Company Poultry Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Nashville Spice Company Kosher Salt
- 1 teaspoon Nashville Spice Company Black Pepper Medium Grind
- 1 stalk celery, roughly chopped
- 1 carrot, roughly chopped
- 1 onion, quartered
- If brining:
- 1 pound Nashville Spice Company Classic Brine Seasoning
- 2 gallons water or a combination of water and vegetable or chicken stock
Instructions:
- Remove fresh or thawed turkey from refrigerator. Preheat oven to 500°F.
- Remove neck and giblets from turkey and dispose or set aside for later use.
- Place the onion, carrot, and celery in the cavity. Do not overstuff, as this will make the cooking time longer.
- Mix Nashville Spice Company Poultry Seasoning with butter. Massage the butter all over the outside of the turkey. Season with Nashville Spice Company Kosher Salt and Nashville Spice Company Black Pepper.
- Place turkey in roasting pan, and roast uncovered for 30 minutes at 500°F.
- Remove turkey from oven, and reduce temperature to 350°F. Cover only the breast portion of the turkey with foil. If you're using a digital probe thermometer, insert it into the deepest part of the breast and place the temperature readout on your counter. If you're using an instant-read thermometer, check on turkey temperature periodically but do not leave the thermometer in during cooking time.
- Place turkey back in 350°F oven and roast until the thermometer reads 161°F.
- The temperature will raise a few degrees even after its out of the oven, going past the target temperature of 165°F. This should take approximately 2 1/2 to 3 hours. The cooking time will vary depending on the size of the turkey you are roasting.
- Once meat thermometer reads 161°F, remove from oven and let rest for 30 minutes before carving.
Recipe Tips:
This recipe is based on roasting a 12-pound turkey. Cooking times will vary depending on the size of your bird.
If you're brining, immerse it in brine the day before you plan to cook. Use 1 pound of brine to 2 gallons of water, for a medium turkey (up to 14 pounds). Keep the turkey in a cool place--the refrigerator, or in a cooler, surrounded by ice--as it brines, to impede any bacterial growth. When turkey is finished brining, throw the brine out. Rinse, pat dry, and cook as usual.
If you are roasting a turkey that's larger than 12 pounds, increase the amount of carrot, onion, and celery. Use 2 carrots, 2 onions, and 2 stalks of celery in an 18-pound bird. Do not overstuff, as this will increase cooking time, and could dry out your turkey. This goes the same for the amount of butter and Nashville Spice Company Poultry Seasoning as well.
We do not recommend filling your turkey with any kind of stuffing as it both increases the cooking time and could put you at risk of salmonella poisoning. Instead, bake your stuffing separately in a pan.