Ingredients
12 servings
- •4 (32 ounce) containers chicken broth
- •1 cup apple juice
- •1 cup light brown sugar
- •1 cup kosher salt
- •2 tablespoons dried sage
- •4 peppercorns
- •4 red apples, halved
- •5 cloves garlic, crushed
- •10 pounds ice cubes, or as needed
- •1 (20 pound) turkey whole turkey - thawed, neck and giblets removed
- •3 apples, cored and quartered
- •1 onion, cut into 8 wedges
- •3 cloves garlic
- •6 fresh sage leaves
- •3 tablespoons olive oil, or as needed
Instructions
- Gather all ingredients.
- Stir chicken broth, apple juice, brown sugar, salt, dried sage, and peppercorns together in a large stock pot; add apple halves and crushed garlic cloves. Bring the mixture just to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar and salt. Remove from heat immediately.
- Pour enough ice into a large food-safe container to be about half full. Pour chicken broth mixture over the ice; stir to cool liquid completely and evenly.
- Gently lower turkey into the liquid with the breast facing down.
- Brine turkey 24 to 36 hours, adding ice as needed to keep the brine and turkey cold.
- Preheat oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C).
- Remove turkey from the brine and rinse well with cold water. Pat turkey dry with paper towels.
- Mix apple quarters, onion wedges, whole garlic cloves, and fresh sage leaves in a bowl; loosely stuff into cavity of turkey.
- Move the turkey to a shallow roasting pan. Lightly coat the turkey's skin with olive oil.
- Bake the turkey in the preheated oven until the skin on the breast of the turkey is golden brown, about 30 minutes.
- Reduce heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), cover turkey with aluminum foil, and continue roasting the turkey until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 6 hours. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh should read 180 degrees F (85 degrees C).
- Remove the turkey from the oven, cover with a doubled sheet of aluminum foil, and allow to rest in a warm area 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.
Nutritional Facts
Per 12 servings
- Calories: 1320
- Carbohydrate: 36g
- Fat: 57g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 155g
- Sugar: 31g