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Roasted Thanksgiving Turkey with Caramelized Onion Gravy

By: Nadia Aidi
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Servings: 8 servings
This roasted Thanksgiving turkey is brined overnight, then roasted with melted butter and white wine injected into the breast and thighs to keep the meat juicy and seasoned all the way through. The caramelized onion gravy is built on giblet stock and pan drippings and finished with whole milk.
Prep 45 minutes
Cook 2 hours 45 minutes
Brining Time 12 hours
Total 15 hours 30 minutes
Close up of a roasted turkey breast and wing with deeply browned skin, with a halved pomegranate and sage leaves on the platter

Equipment

  • Large Pot, or container
  • Brining Bag
  • small saucepan
  • Kitchen twine
  • Meat injector
  • Roasting Pan with rack
  • Heavy-duty aluminum foil
  • Meat Thermometer
  • fine mesh strainer
  • Skillet
  • fat separator
  • blender
  • medium saucepan

Ingredients

Brine

  • 1 gallon water
  • 1 pouch Original Turkey Brine The Spice Hunter
  • 1 turkey 11 lb, fresh or fully thawed, not kosher, enhanced, or self-basting
  • 1 gallon cool water

Turkey

  • ⅓ cup unsalted butter melted
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 1 onion quartered
  • 1 orange sliced
  • 1 carrot chopped

Gravy

  • 1 onion quartered
  • 1 leek chopped
  • 6 garlic cloves peeled
  • 2 stalks celery chopped
  • 2 carrots chopped
  • reserved turkey neck and heart
  • ½ cup white wine
  • 8 cups water
  • reserved turkey liver
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 2 onions sliced
  • pan drippings from the turkey
  • 4 tbsp cornstarch
  • ¼ cup cold water
  • ¾ cup whole milk

Instructions

Brine

  • Make the Brine: Bring 1 gallon water to a boil in a large pot. Add the brine pouch and stir until the salt dissolves. Remove from heat, cool, and refrigerate until fully chilled.
    1 gallon water, 1 pouch Original Turkey Brine
  • Brine the Turkey: Remove the neck and giblets from both cavities of the turkey, cover, and refrigerate. Place the turkey breast side down in the brining bag and set the bag in a large pot or container. Add the chilled brine and 1 gallon cool water, adding more cool water if needed to fully submerge the turkey. Tie the bag closed and refrigerate for 12 hours.
    1 turkey, 1 gallon cool water

Turkey

  • Prep the Turkey: Adjust an oven rack to the bottom third, remove any racks above it, and preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Warm the butter and wine together in a small saucepan over low heat until the butter melts. Keep warm. Remove the turkey from the brine and discard the brine. Rinse the turkey with cold water, pat very dry inside and out, and place it breast side up on the rack in the roasting pan. Fill the cavity with the onion, orange, and carrot. Tuck the wing tips underneath and tie the legs together with kitchen twine. Inject the butter mixture into the breast, then the thighs, angling the needle in several directions through each hole.
    ⅓ cup unsalted butter, 1 cup white wine, 1 onion, 1 orange, 1 carrot
  • Roast the Turkey: Tent the turkey loosely with foil and roast for 1 hour. Remove the foil and continue roasting for a total of 13 to 15 minutes per pound, about 2 hours 25 minutes to 2 hours 45 minutes for an 11 lb turkey. Begin checking the temperature 30 minutes before the shortest estimated time. Cover the breast with foil if the skin browns before the turkey is done. Roast until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 180°F (82°C) and the thickest part of the breast reads 170°F (77°C), without touching bone.

Gravy

  • Make the Stock: When the turkey goes into the oven, combine the quartered onion, leek, garlic, celery, carrots, neck, heart, wine, and 8 cups water in a large pot. Bring to a simmer, skim the foam, and simmer partially covered for 2 hours. Add the liver for the last 15 to 20 minutes. Strain the stock, reserving the neck and liver and discarding the remaining solids. Pull the meat from the neck and reserve half the liver. Measure 5 cups stock.
    1 onion, 1 leek, 6 garlic cloves, 2 stalks celery, 2 carrots, reserved turkey neck and heart, ½ cup white wine, 8 cups water, reserved turkey liver
  • Caramelize the Onions: During the last hour of roasting, melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sliced onions and cook 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until deep golden brown and soft, 30 minutes to 1 hour.
    2 tbsp unsalted butter, 2 onions
  • Rest the Turkey: Tilt the turkey so the juices in the cavity drain into the pan. Transfer the turkey to a cutting board, tent loosely with foil, and rest 30 minutes. Discard the onion, orange, and carrot from the cavity. Pour the pan drippings into a fat separator and remove most of the fat.
  • Finish the Gravy: Blend the 5 cups stock, caramelized onions, neck meat, reserved half liver, and drippings until smooth, filling the blender no more than halfway and working in batches with the center cap removed and a towel held over the lid. Strain into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Whisk the cornstarch and cold water until smooth, whisk into the gravy, and simmer 1 minute until thickened. Whisk in the milk and heat through.
    pan drippings from the turkey, 4 tbsp cornstarch, ¼ cup cold water, ¾ cup whole milk

Nutrition

Calories: 302kcal, Carbohydrates: 16g, Protein: 19g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 0.4g, Cholesterol: 91mg, Sodium: 138mg, Potassium: 501mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 4413IU, Vitamin C: 16mg, Calcium: 108mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info