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SPICED AND SUPERJUICY ROAST TURKEY

SPICED AND SUPERJUICY ROAST TURKEY

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Serves: 8-12

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For me the only turkey is a brined one. Not only does it tenderize and add subtle spiciness, but it makes carving the turkey incredibly much easier. You have only to try this method to be utterly convinced. And I mean to say: how hard is it to fill a pan or large plastic bin or bucket with water and spices and lower a turkey into it? At this time of year, it’s fine just to leave it in a cold place. I sit mine by an open window in the kitchen. It means everyone freezes, but who am I going to put first – my turkey or my family? Out in the garden if you’re lucky enough to have one would also be fine, though the pan must be securely covered: if I’ve got a bucket or bin out in the open, I cover it twice with foil and then put my son’s skateboard on top to prevent foxy foraging.

And, though you might find it hard to believe sight unseen, a raw turkey covered in brine – with its oranges, cinnamon sticks, and scattering of spices – looks so beautiful as it steeps that I can never help lifting the lid for quick, blissfully reassuring peeks.

Look no further for other perfect recipes for Christmas.

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Ingredients

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for the turkey brining

  • approx. 6 litres water
  • 1 large orange or 2 smaller (quartered)
  • 1 x 250 grams packet Maldon salt (or 125g table salt)
  • 3 tablespoons black peppercorns
  • 1 bouquet garni
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 tablespoon caraway seeds
  • 4 cloves
  • 2 tablespoons allspice berries
  • 4 star anise
  • 2 tablespoons white mustard seeds
  • 200 grams caster sugar
  • 2 onions (unpeeled and quartered)
  • 1 x 6 cm piece of fresh root ginger (unpeeled and cut into 6 slices)
  • 4 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 4 tablespoons runny honey
  • stalks from 1 bunch fresh parsley
  • 1 x 5.5 kilograms turkey

for the basting glaze

  • 75 grams goose fat (or butter)
  • 3 tablespoons maple syrup
NIGELLA CHRISTMAS

As featured in

NIGELLA CHRISTMAS

Method

  1. Put the water into your largest cooking pot or a bucket or plastic bin. Squeeze the juice from the orange quarters into the water before you chuck the husks in, then add all the other ingredients, stirring to combine the salt, sugar, syrup and honey.
  2. Remove any string or trussing from the turkey, shake it free, remove the giblets, if not already done, and put them in the fridge (or straightaway set about making the stock for the gravy), then add the bird to the liquid, topping up with more water if it is not completely submerged.
  3. Keep covered in a cold place, even outside overnight or for up to a day or two before you cook it, remembering to take it out of its liquid (and wipe it dry with kitchen paper) 1-2 hours before it has to go into the oven.
  4. Read the Important Note below, and preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6.
  5. Melt the goose fat (or butter) and maple syrup together slowly over a low heat. Paint the turkey with the glaze before roasting in the oven, and baste periodically throughout the cooking time.
  6. Roast for 2½ hours. When you think it’s ready, pierce the turkey with the point of a sharp knife where the body meets the leg, and if the juices run clear, it’s cooked; if still pink, cook it for longer until they run clear, or use a meat thermometer.
  7. Then take the turkey out of the oven, and let it sit, tented with foil, for 20–40 minutes or even longer if you like, as I do.

IMPORTANT NOTE:


Turkey cooking times tend to seem quite short if you are used to the "standard" formula for calculating cooking times for poultry. However we have all been overcooking turkeys for years and complaining how dry and sawdusty they are. The table below gives my suggested timings for turkey. 


The timings in the table are for a free-range turkey - these tend to have more fat than a lean mass-produced bird and the marbling of fat in the free-range turkey tends to conduct the heat faster meaning that it cooks more quickly. It also assumes that the turkey has been allowed to come up to room temperature before cooking (take the turkey out of the fridge 1-2 hours before you want to cook it) and that the turkey has no stuffing and is not trussed. If you are stuffing your turkey, then you must weigh the already-stuffed bird, and cook according to the table below.



When the turkey has had its allotted time in the oven check that it is cooked by piercing the turkey with the point of a sharp knife where the meat is thickest, behind the knee joint of the thigh, if the juices that run out are clear then the turkey is cooked. If they are still pink then let the turkey have another 15-20 minutes in the oven and test again.

You can also use an instant-read thermometer to check if the turkey is cooked - this will be at 74ºC/165ºF. When the turkey is ready, remove it from the oven, tent it with foil and let it rest for 30 to 60 minutes, out of a draught. If you are still nervous about turkey timings then we would also suggest that you consider brining your turkey as this will keep the bird moist even after longer cooking times. If you are brining your turkey then do cook your stuffing separately.

We would like to mention that in the US the FDA recommends that turkeys are cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 165ºF.


Turkey cooking times - oven fully preheated to 200ºC/400ºF

Weight of Bird        Cooking Time

2.25kg/5lb                     1 ½ hours

3.5kg/8lb                       1 ¾ hours

4.5kg/10lb                     2 hours

5.5kg/12lb                     2 ½ hours

6.75kg/15lb                   2 ¾ hours

7.5kg/17lb                     3 hours

9kg/20lb                        3 ½ hours

11.5kg/25lb                   4 ½ hours

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  • I love this recipe and have been making my turkey like this for several years now. The flavour is amazing! I wouldnt make it any other way now. If you usually find turkey meat a little dry, try this recipe, you won't be disappointed!

    Posted by Genga on 5th Dec 2012 at 16.59

  • THIS IS THE RECIPE I WAS LOOKING FOR THANK YOU I WILL DO IT ON THIS XMAS I'M PRETTY SURE IT WILL BE A HIT ON MY FAMILYS DINNER THANK YOU AND MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF YOU!

    Posted by SUSANAREYES on 13th Dec 2012 at 3.04

  • I've made this turkey this Christmas. We've brined it for almost 24 hours. We used an biologic free-range turkey of weighing 4.5 kg. It only took 1.5 hours in the oven at 200 degrees, although we did turn the temperature down after 45 minutes to 160 degrees Celsius. We didn't bother using foil and our turkey turned out crisp, succulent, juicy and very very tasty! Thanks for the superb recipe!

    Posted by inekestolp on 28th Dec 2012 at 11.28