So, if you’ve got one, I encourage you to use a scale to measure out your salt to ensure a balanced brine. Let's give a holiday shout-out to grilled turkey. This is the one for you. Recipes: Buttermilk-Brined Roast Turkey | Buttermilk-Brined Turkey Breast | Buttermilk-Brined Roast Chicken. I also know that different salts have different levels of salinity by volume, but not by weight. And I once took an impromptu call from the famed rancher Bill Niman. We fixed both problems by braising the bird's dark meat in a robust pan sauce. The seasoned butter on this bird is a bright and herbal mix of chopped sage leaves and fresh orange and lemon zest, which bathes the breast with the essence of the Thanksgiving. She decided to find out. With a little bit of spice from the Sichuan peppercorns and deep smokiness from the grill, this turkey breast recipe gives you all the flavor you need—minus the whole-bird problems. Furthermore, laying the bird out flat means there’s greater surface area for browning — more of that dark, lacquered skin for everyone. To revisit this article, select My Account, then View saved stories. Inspired by the Chinese technique of red-cooking, this turkey recipe from Chef Anita Lo spotlights star anise, cinnamon, and ginger. Next, marinate the turkey with the spices and yogurt in an oven roasting bag overnight. For a totally over-the-top decadent centerpiece, roast your holiday bird with truffle butter under the skin. While I’ve finally, grudgingly, admitted that turkey isn’t chicken, it has occurred to me that I might be able to adapt my favorite roast chicken recipe for Thanksgiving. It's excellent stuffed into Cornmeal Bao With Black Pepper Sauce. All rights reserved. The secret to this succulent bird is the kind of old-fashioned oval roaster found in most supermarkets. All of the variations yield incredibly tender meat that’s seasoned through and through, enveloped in that showstopping caramel-brown skin that’s such a pleasure to eat. Follow NYT Food on Twitter and NYT Cooking on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Pinterest. I set about tinkering, and the first thing I changed was timing. "-Xanaeq Here are hundreds of our best Thanksgiving recipes from NYT Cooking to help.]. It’s just about the trickiest part of the recipe, and I promise you won’t regret it. NYT Cooking is a subscription service of The New York Times. Bake in preheated oven 1 hour and 10 minutes. It's the best way to cook Thanksgiving turkey and still free up your oven. Linda Pugliese, food styling by Diana Yen, Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Megan Hedgpeth, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, Gieves Anderson, food styling by Anna Hampton, Salted Roast Turkey with Herbs and Shallot-Dijon Gravy, Quick Thanksgiving Turkey with Lemon-Garlic Butter, Cider-Brined Turkey with Star Anise and Cinnamon, Stuffed Turkey Breast With Butternut Squash, Kale, and Sausage, Garlic-Aioli Roasted Turkey with Lemon-Parsley Pan Sauce, Spatchcocked Turkey with Anise and Orange, Brined Roast Turkey Breast with Confit Legs, Boudin Blanc–Stuffed Turkey Breasts with Chestnuts, Gravy-Braised Turkey Legs With Cipolline Onions, Peking-Style Roast Turkey with Molasses-Soy Glaze and Orange-Ginger Gravy, Stuffed Turkey with Lemon, Oregano, and Red Onions, Salt-Roasted Turkey with Lemon and Oregano, Porcini Mushroom Turkey with Mushroom Gravy, Lemon-Herb Turkey with Lemon-Garlic Gravy, Citrus-Sage Roast Turkey with Gravy: Large Crowd, Quick-Roasted Turkey with Parsley-Caper Sauce, Roast Turkey with Black-Truffle Butter and White-Wine Gravy, Roast Turkey Breast with Potatoes, Green Beans, and Mustard Pan Sauce, Sage Butter-Roasted Turkey with Cider Gravy, Pancetta-Sage Turkey with Pancetta-Sage Gravy, Clementine-Salted Turkey with Redeye Gravy, Juniper-Brined Roast Turkey with Chanterelle Mushroom Gravy, Butterflied Turkey with Fennel, Sausage, and Ricotta Stuffing. You know how sometimes the meat is dry and there's not enough gravy? Rubbing it with an herbal, citrusy salt mixture and chilling it that way overnight is the way to go. Citrus salts are perfect when it comes to turkey, which has a red-eye gravy (that's a rich coffee-based gravy to all you non-Southerners). This gets a delicious lift from lemon in the butter, in the gravy, and under the skin, plus a shortcut for "preserved" lemons. I figured why not, and threw myself into the challenge, roasting all of the breasts and right legs, and braising all of the left legs. Dark meat lovers, this one's for you. For this Italian-inspired roast, just think of your turkey as a larger roast chicken. Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson, Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Billingskog, Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Ali Nardi, Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Laura Rege, Photo by Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell, Photo by Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott, Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Astrid Chastka, Food Styling by Anna Hampton, Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio, Food Styling by Michelle Gatton, Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Anna Surbatovich, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson, Photo by Alice Gao, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Diana Yen. The meat retains so much of its juice that it just falls off the bone. So let’s stop wishing our turkeys could be chickens, and let’s stop making ourselves unnecessarily miserable by complicating the cooking process. Credit...Romulo Yanes for The New York Times. Pushing a buttery spice paste underneath the turkey's skin allows the flavor to perfume the meat—and gives it extra juiciness. This spatchcocked, one-hour turkey is full of smoky flavors with a hint of spice. (Though if it was underseasoned or overcooked, it was certainly less exciting to eat.). Steam it for 30 minutes, make a glaze with molasses and soy sauce, and then roast it—the payoff is real. Unlock the cure for the common roast turkey with a host of Indian spices. No more bland turkey! Unlike the original chicken recipe, which leaves things to chance, I decided to specify the turkey brine’s ideal salinity — no one wants a bland holiday bird. The last and most obvious change was my decision to spatchcock the turkey. With no basting or babysitting, it's the path of least resistance to juicy, flavorful meat, impressive enough to earn applause but foolproof enough to supplement a whole bird. Basting with a simple garlic-herb butter gives the turkey an extra depth of flavor that will complement any Thanksgiving side dish. If the idea of pulverizing butter, pancetta, and herbs into a thick paste excites you, then this recipe's for you. A crisp skin and moist texture you can't get any other way. This method isn't just faster—it's also easier to carve and serve. If the weather permits and there's a family member who loves the outdoors, grilled turkey is a great choice. Romulo Yanes for The New York Times. Every November, people ask Samin Nosrat if her beloved roast chicken recipe works with turkey. The payoff: a perfect, evenly cooked turkey. Since 1995, Epicurious has been the ultimate food resource for the home cook, with daily kitchen tips, fun cooking videos, and, oh yeah, over 33,000 recipes. 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