Turkey – Best in the World!
I usually brine my turkey but I decided to go a different route this time. I love the results of a brined turkey but I am trying to cut back on salt and the whole brine process is time consuming. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family did. The leftovers were amazing and I was able to make 4 quarts of broth from the carcass. I did not have fresh celery therefore I used my old standby of celery salt. If you have celery on hand just substitute 1/2 cup diced. I prefer the celery salt in this case because it is a rub. Give it a try and adjust as needed.
- 1- fresh 15lb turkey
- 1 leek sliced
- 1 granny smith apple (remove if Keto)
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 tsp celery salt
- 2 tsp white pepper
- 1 tbl minced garlic
- 1/2 cup shredded carrots
- 1 tsp basil, oregano, black pepper and sea salt
- 2 tbl olive oil
Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl and toss until coated. Loosen the skin of the turkey by placing your hand just under the skin and separating it from the meat. Stuff 1/3 of the mix underneath the skin on the breast and legs. Rub 1/3 of the mix on top of the bird and all around on the skin. The rest of the mix should be placed inside the cavity. Then drizzle a little olive oil on top of the bird.
Bird can be cooked in a roaster or in the oven @ 350 degrees. I prefer the roaster as it keeps my oven open for other fixings plus it always seems to cook faster this way. My turkey took under 3 hours but make sure you follow the specifications that came with your bird or follow the guidelines on your roaster. Below are some guidelines:
Unstuffed– This would be our recipe
8 to 12 pounds 2 3/4 to 3 hours
12 to 14 pounds 3 to 3 3/4 hours
14 to 18 pounds 3 3/4 to 4 1/4 hours
18 to 20 pounds 4 1/4 to 4 1/2 hours
20 to 24 pounds 4 1/2 to 5 hours
Stuffed
8 to 12 pounds 3 to 3 1/2 hours
12 to 14 pounds 3 1/2 to 4 hours
14 to 18 pounds 4 to 4 1/4 hours
18 to 20 pounds 4 1/4 to 4 3/4 hours
20 to 24 pounds 4 3/4 to 5 1/4 hours