Ingredients
Scale
Turkey:
- 15– pound fresh or frozen turkey at room temperature
- Sea salt & fresh ground pepper
- 4 cups basting broth (see below)
- Herb Maple Butter (see below)
- Optional: Oiled foil/parchment paper (see kitchen resources section)
Basting Broth
- 2 cups vegetable stock or chicken stock
- 2 cups water
- Giblets & neck
- Bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons sherry (optional)
Herb Maple Butter
- 1/2 pound butter (we recommend grass-fed butter)
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons fresh minced rosemary (fresh adds a lot more flavor, but if using dried, use a bit more)
- 1 teaspoon marjoram (if you prefer you can omit and up the rosemary by another teaspoon)
- 2 small Granny Smith apples (divided)
- 1 medium onion (quartered)
- 2–3 fresh sprigs of rosemary (sage, and marjoram (you can substitute dried spices if you don’t have fresh))
Instructions
Basting Broth:
- Combine all the basting broth ingredients and simmer in a small saucepan for 15 minutes. Discard bay leaf, neck, and giblets. If you’re into giblets, they can be chopped finely and added to the broth or reserved for your gravy.
Herb Maple Butter:
- Bring butter to room temperature and combine all the ingredients.
Turkey:
- Defrost the turkey completely.
- Remove the giblets and neck and make basting broth.
- Preheat the oven to 420F.
- Rub the turkey inside and out with salt and pepper.
- Loosen the skin around the breast with your hand and use your fingers to spread the Herb Maple Butter between the meat and the skin as well as on the inside of the bird’s cavity.
- Fill cavity with cut up apples, onions, and sprigs of rosemary, sage, and marjoram.
- Set a wire roasting rack in your pan.
- Pour the basting broth into the bottom of the pan.
- Place the bird breast side up on the wire rack to lift the bird off the bottom of the pan.
- Tent the roasting pan loosely with foil or a foil/parchment paper combination. If using the combination foil/parchment paper brush with a high smoking-point oil on the parchment paper side (I use organic, pressed, unrefined, virgin coconut oil).
- Roast the bird for 30 minutes at 420F.
- Lower the temperature to 350F and cook for approximately 13 minutes per pound.
- Check and baste the turkey with juices periodically. Add water to the pan if it becomes dry.
- Remove the foil tent when turkey has about 30 minutes left to cook, or keep it in place if it is already well browned.
- There are lots of different opinions on when turkey is done. The USDA says: “A whole turkey is safe when cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 165F as measured with a food thermometer. Check the internal temperature in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast.” I cook my turkey to about 160F, and then the turkey’s temperature will climb to 165F while it rests after I take it out of the oven. You pick the temperature strategy that feels best for you and your family.
- I use an instant read thermometer to gauge my turkey’s doneness. As far as I’m concerned, this is an indispensable tool!
- When your turkey is done, take it out of the oven and let it rest for 15-20 minutes before carving.
Notes
We recommend using organic ingredients when possible.
Make sure you calibrate your thermometer before using it. Even the best thermometers can be off by several degrees. Here’s a link that shares instructions on how to calibrate a thermometer at different altitudes.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours 15 minutes
- Category: Holiday Dishes
- Cuisine: American
