Recipe: Roast Brined Turkey

Roast Brined Turkey

2/3 cup salt

1 gallon water

1 (12- to 14-pound) turkey

Combine salt and water and stir until salt dissolves to make brine. Pour brine over turkey in pot just large enough to hold both. If turkey is completely covered, don’t worry about using all of brine. Cover with foil and refrigerate 6 hours or overnight, turning 2 or 3 times to make sure turkey is totally submerged.

Remove turkey from brine and pat dry with paper towels. Refrigerate, unwrapped, 6 hours or overnight.

Pat turkey with paper towel si it’s free of moisture, then place on its side on rack in shallow roasting pan. Roast at 450 degrees 15 minutes. Turn turkey to other sdie and roast another 15 minutes. Turn breast-side up and roast another 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees and roast until meat thermometer inserted in center of thickest part of thigh registers 165 degrees, about 2 hours. Remove from oven and set aside 20 minutes before carving.

10 to 12 servings. Each of 12 servings:

394 calories; 792 mg sodium; 236 mg cholesterol; 12 grams fat; 1 gram carbohydrates; 65 grams protein; 0 fiber.

CARVING

Even expert carvers need a properly cooked turkey to do their best; overcooked turkey meat crumbles when it’s sliced. And remember to let the bird stand at room temperature 20 minutes after removing it from the oven so the juices set and the meat firms.

Use a chef’s knife to remove the legs and thighs, then switch to a very sharp carving knife for slicing the breast meat--the sharper the blade, the more attractive the slices. A serrated knife should not be used because it tends to tear the meat.

To remove the drumstick and thigh, press the leg away from the body. The joint connecting the leg to the backbone will often snap free, but if it doesn’t, it may be severed with the point of a knife.

Cut the thigh from the body by following the contour carefully with the knife. Place on a separate plate, then cut through the connecting joint between the drumstick and the thigh.

Tilt the drumstick to a convenient angle and slice the meat away in a downward motion toward the plate. Hold the thigh firmly on the plate with the fork and cut it into even slices parallel to the bone.

Wings are typically left in place to keep the bird stable while the breast meat is carved in downward slices, across the grain. Begin each slice slightly higher up on the breast, keeping the slices thin and even.

Inexperienced carvers may find it easier to tackle the bird in the kitchen rather than at the dining table. The sliced meat may then be arranged on a platter for serving.