Pickle-brined Thanksgiving turkey
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“The turkey looks dry!”
My late grandmother Tina would say this as she was walking in the front door of our home for Thanksgiving dinner, even though she was nowhere near the kitchen. Then she’d peek into the oven, tap me on the shoulder and say: “See? It looks dry. You should take it out.” In reality, the 14-pound turkey had only been in the oven for 45 minutes.
To be fair, some years, the turkey was a little dry. Never one to shy away from a challenge (and, because all those years of dry turkey accusations gave me a turkey complex), I became determined to serve grandma the juiciest turkey in the universe. I started experimenting with different brining techniques. I soaked cheesecloth in butter and blanketed the skin. I basted. I flipped the turkey halfway through cooking and basted some more.
I finally came up with a grandma-approved turkey recipe that doesn’t require eight different methods of brining, cooking and basting. I combine buttermilk, pickle brine and my favorite hot sauce to make the brine. Then I add seasoned butter both underneath and on top of the skin. The turkey comes out juicy, beautifully golden brown, and reminds me of excellent pickle-brined fried chicken.
This will be my first Thanksgiving without my grandmother. Grandma, this one’s for you. I promise it won’t be dry.
Brine the turkey: Pull out the neck and any gizzards from inside the turkey. Reserve if you are making gravy. Trim off any excess bits of skin or fat from around the turkey and discard. Put the turkey in a brining bag or large pot and cover with the buttermilk, pickle brine, salt, hot sauce, peppercorns and smashed garlic. Brine in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours.
Take the turkey out of the refrigerator 1 hour before applying the seasoning butter. Remove the turkey from the brine and place it breast side up on a roasting pan’s rack insert set in a roasting pan. Pat the skin dry. Set aside to temper.
Season the turkey: Heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the butter with the spices and mix well.
To prepare the turkey for the seasoning butter, gently separate the skin from the meat of the breasts: Using your fingers or the rounded tip of a small silicone spatula, slide under the skin of the breast. Enter at the neck and on both sides of the breast bone. Break the clear membrane and separate the skin from the meat, careful not to tear the skin. Do this for both sides of the breast of the turkey.
Lift up the openings you made over the breasts and use a spoon to transfer the butter under the skin and onto the breast meat. Try to cover as much of the breast meat as possible and repeat until half of the butter is used. Use your hands to massage the butter through the skin to evenly cover the meat.
Spread the remainder of the butter over as much of the turkey skin as possible.
Roast the turkey: Cover the turkey with a loose foil tent. Roast the turkey until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 160 degrees. This will be about 10 to 13 minutes per pound, depending on the size of the turkey.
For crisper skin, remove the foil tent about 30 minutes before the turkey is finished roasting. Remove the turkey from the oven and cover in a loose foil tent. Let the turkey rest for at least 30 minutes before carving.
Transfer the turkey to a cutting board and carve. Serve with canned jellied cranberry sauce and toum (from Zankou).
