The Royal Chef At Home: Easy Seasonal Entertaining

TECHNIQUE SPOTLIGHT Turkey Brining & Roasting

I have teenagers in my house these days, so to take a page from their questionable musical choices and because I fancy myself quite hip, I give my turkey the moniker “the notorious GBD”—cue the eye roll from my son. GBD is short for “golden, brown and delicious” and that is exactly what you want from a turkey on Thanksgiving. Now while I’ve had turkey prepared all sorts of ways—smoked (very nice), deep fried (terrifying), and grilled (a bit fiddly)—I do think a roasted turkey is best. Done right, you get juicy succulent meat, incredible kitchen smells and a lovely photo op before everyone sits down. Here are some tips I use when roasting up a bird.

• I’m partial to a Kosher bird which comes presalted, is always juicy and tender and doesn’t require any further brining. However I know there are lots and lots of turkey choices out there and if you can’t find a Kosher bird, find one that is listed as “natural” turkey with 4-5% juices. Butterball usually sells a natural bird and isn’t hard to find. Words like “organic,” “free range” and “heirloom” are all good, but the level of juiciness may vary, so check with your butcher and see what he recommends.

• Dry Brining. If you do decide to give you turkey a little flavor boost, dry brining is simple and yields great results. For a 15 pound turkeymake a quick herb salt of 3 tablespoons of salt, 1 tablespoon of dried crushed sage, 1 teaspoon of crushed thyme and 2 teaspoons of crushed rosemary. Place your turkey in a large plastic bag and sprinkle the herb salt all over, include a good bit inside the cavity. Close up the bag and place the turkey in the fridge, breast side down. Let it stay that way for 12-18 hours and flip the bird, breast side

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