Giving Thanks Turkey | Dry brined, simple and fast

Gluten-free | Sugar-free | Dairy-free | No Added Fat

Why it’s delicious

Don’t just wait till Christmas or Thanksgiving to enjoy this easy to roast dry brined Turkey. It is a revelation when done well with this recipe, making it not just simple but also tasty, moist, and super quick to roast. 

Helpful hints and tips

I do suggest that you seek out a digital meat thermometer to take the guesswork out of cooking your turkey. You can purchase one quite inexpensively from a kitchen store or online by googling “digital meat thermometer.” 

I cooked a fairly small Turkey (for turkey standards),  weighing in at a respectable 3.5 kg (7.7 lb), but you can purchase a size to suit your needs. 

You will need to start this recipe 24-36 hours before you intend to cook and eat your bird. 

Ingredients 

• 1 Turkey, fresh or frozen 3.5 + kg ( 7.7 lb +) 
• 1-2 tbsp Himalayan salt
• 1 whole garlic bulb, sliced in half through the centre
• 1 lemon, skinned
• 4 bay leaves
• 4 slices ginger

Method

1. Remove the turkey from its packaging, and whether it's fresh or frozen, pat the turkey dry with paper towels, including inside the cavity. Make sure to check the cavity for any giblets as you go along, removing them if they are present. 
2. Sprinkle the salt all over the bird, including inside the cavity, and rub it into the skin. Set the turkey on a wire rack, place it inside a tray, and leave it uncovered in the fridge for 24-36 hours. 
3. On the roasting day, remove the turkey from the fridge and allow it to sit at room temperature for 1-2 hours. When you are ready to roast, preheat your oven to 250C (480F) and place the wire rack on the lowest shelf in the oven. 
4. Into a deep roasting tray, fill with at least 5 cm or 2 inches of water and place the wire rack on top of the tray. Place the turkey, breast side facing up, onto the wire rack and place the garlic, lemon skin, bay leaves and ginger into the cavity, followed by a clean food can. 
5. The food can is there to speed up the cooking process, and the size of your can will depend on how big your turkey is! The bigger the turkey, the larger the can you will need. I was able to put a 400 g ( 14 oz) tin comfortably into the cavity of my bird) 
6. Place the prepared Turkey into the really hot oven and immediately turn the oven down to 160C (320F), allowing the turkey to roast for 1-3 hours, depending on its size, turning the roasting tray around every hour to ensure the turkey browns evenly. 
7. How do you know when the turkey is perfectly cooked? This is where the meat thermometer comes in really handy. The best way to till when your turkey is cooked is to test the temperature of the meat, firstly by inserting the thermometer into the breast meat, as close to the breast bone as you can get. You are looking for a temperature reading of 66C (150F). Next, check the thigh meat where you are looking for a temperature reading of 74C (165F) 
8. My turkey only took 1 hour and 15 minutes to cook completely from raw, so keep an eye on it as the tin helps to speed up the cooking process significantly. 
9. When your turkey is done, remove it from the oven, carefully remove the tin and allow the turkey to rest for at least 30 minutes before slicing. I actually leave mine for a lot longer; usually, as long as it takes to cook is how long I rest my Turkey. This will help make carving easier, but it will also help to serve a more tender bird as resting gives the fibres time to relax, giving the meat a better mouth feel. 
10. Slice or serve whole for dramatic effect!