Stuffed Roast Turkey
By America's Test KitchenPublished on August 21, 2007
Time
5½ hours, plus 8 hours brining
Yield
Serves 10 to 12
Ingredients
Roast Turkey
1 cup table salt 1 (12 to 15-pound) turkey, neck and giblets discarded2 tablespoons butter, meltedStuffing
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed2 pounds onions, chopped coarse4 celery ribs, chopped coarse½ cup bourbon 2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme 2 tablespoons fresh sage leaves 1¼ pounds cornbread, cubed2¼ cups turkey or chicken broth, divided2 eggs, beaten½ cup chopped fresh parsley 1 cup chopped pecans 1 tablespoon butter, plus extra for greasingBefore You Begin
This recipe also works well with our Dried Fruit and Nut Stuffing for Old-Fashioned Stuffed Turkey.
Instructions
- Dissolve salt in 2 gallons cold water in large stock pot or clean bucket. Add turkey and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours.
- Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add sausage and cook, breaking up pieces with spoon, until no longer pink, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove sausage with slotted spoon and transfer to large bowl. If necessary, add butter to rendered sausage fat to equal 3 tablespoons. Add onions and celery and cook until softened, 14 to 15 minutes. Add bourbon, thyme, and sage and simmer until bourbon is almost evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to bowl with sausage and add 2 cups broth, eggs, parsley, and pecans. Stir together until combined and season with salt and pepper.
- Butter medium casserole dish and add half of stuffing. Dot surface with butter, cover with buttered foil, and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Remove turkey from brine and pat inside and out with paper towels. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Set heavy-duty V-rack, adjusted to widest setting, in pan. Spoon 4 to 5 cups stuffing into turkey cavity until very loosely packed. Secure skin flap over cavity opening with turkey lacers or skewers. Loosely tie legs together with kitchen twine. Tuck wings behind back, brush entire breast side with half of melted butter, then place turkey breast side down on V-rack. Fill neck cavity with remaining 1 to 2 cups stuffing and secure skin flap over opening. Brush back with remaining butter.
- Roast for 1 hour. Reduce oven temperature to 250 degrees and roast for 1¾ hours. Remove pan from oven and with wad of paper towel or turkey lifter in each hand, turn turkey breast side up and baste (temperature of breast should be 145 to 150 degrees). Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees and continue roasting until breast registers 160 degrees, thigh registers 175 to 180 degrees, and stuffing registers 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 45 minutes to 1¼ hours longer. Transfer turkey to carving board and let rest, uncovered, for 45 minutes.
- While turkey rests, add remaining ¼ cup broth to dish of reserved stuffing, replace foil, and bake until hot throughout, about 20 minutes. Remove foil; continue to bake until stuffing forms golden brown crust, about 15 minutes longer. Remove stuffing from turkey and carve. Serve, passing stuffing separately.
for brining the turkey
for the stuffing
to stuff and roast the turkey
for remaining stuffing
Time
5½ hours, plus 8 hours briningYield
Serves 10 to 12Ingredients
Roast Turkey
1 cup table salt
1 (12 to 15-pound) turkey, neck and giblets discarded
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Stuffing
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
2 pounds onions, chopped coarse
4 celery ribs, chopped coarse
½ cup bourbon
2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme
2 tablespoons fresh sage leaves
1¼ pounds cornbread, cubed
2¼ cups turkey or chicken broth, divided
2 eggs, beaten
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
1 cup chopped pecans
1 tablespoon butter, plus extra for greasing
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Roast Turkey
1 cup table salt
1 (12 to 15-pound) turkey, neck and giblets discarded
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Stuffing
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
2 pounds onions, chopped coarse
4 celery ribs, chopped coarse
½ cup bourbon
2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme
2 tablespoons fresh sage leaves
1¼ pounds cornbread, cubed
2¼ cups turkey or chicken broth, divided
2 eggs, beaten
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
1 cup chopped pecans
1 tablespoon butter, plus extra for greasing
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Roast Turkey
1 cup table salt
1 (12 to 15-pound) turkey, neck and giblets discarded
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Stuffing
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
2 pounds onions, chopped coarse
4 celery ribs, chopped coarse
½ cup bourbon
2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme
2 tablespoons fresh sage leaves
1¼ pounds cornbread, cubed
2¼ cups turkey or chicken broth, divided
2 eggs, beaten
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
1 cup chopped pecans
1 tablespoon butter, plus extra for greasing
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
We wanted to find a way to safely and successfully roast a stuffed turkey, making sure that the breast meat would be succulent and the stuffing fully cooked. Heating the stuffing for our stuffed turkey recipe in the microwave before placing it in the bird gave it a head start on cooking. Brining the bird added flavor and moisture (without, as we feared, making the stuffing soggy or overly salty). For even more insurance that the easily dried out breast meat would stay moist in our stuffed turkey recipe, we roasted the turkey breast side down for the first three hours to protect it from the direct heat of the oven, then flipped and finished it breast side up until done (and browned).
Before You Begin
This recipe also works well with our Dried Fruit and Nut Stuffing for Old-Fashioned Stuffed Turkey.
Instructions
- Dissolve salt in 2 gallons cold water in large stock pot or clean bucket. Add turkey and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours.
- Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add sausage and cook, breaking up pieces with spoon, until no longer pink, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove sausage with slotted spoon and transfer to large bowl. If necessary, add butter to rendered sausage fat to equal 3 tablespoons. Add onions and celery and cook until softened, 14 to 15 minutes. Add bourbon, thyme, and sage and simmer until bourbon is almost evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to bowl with sausage and add 2 cups broth, eggs, parsley, and pecans. Stir together until combined and season with salt and pepper.
- Butter medium casserole dish and add half of stuffing. Dot surface with butter, cover with buttered foil, and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Remove turkey from brine and pat inside and out with paper towels. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Set heavy-duty V-rack, adjusted to widest setting, in pan. Spoon 4 to 5 cups stuffing into turkey cavity until very loosely packed. Secure skin flap over cavity opening with turkey lacers or skewers. Loosely tie legs together with kitchen twine. Tuck wings behind back, brush entire breast side with half of melted butter, then place turkey breast side down on V-rack. Fill neck cavity with remaining 1 to 2 cups stuffing and secure skin flap over opening. Brush back with remaining butter.
- Roast for 1 hour. Reduce oven temperature to 250 degrees and roast for 1¾ hours. Remove pan from oven and with wad of paper towel or turkey lifter in each hand, turn turkey breast side up and baste (temperature of breast should be 145 to 150 degrees). Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees and continue roasting until breast registers 160 degrees, thigh registers 175 to 180 degrees, and stuffing registers 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 45 minutes to 1¼ hours longer. Transfer turkey to carving board and let rest, uncovered, for 45 minutes.
- While turkey rests, add remaining ¼ cup broth to dish of reserved stuffing, replace foil, and bake until hot throughout, about 20 minutes. Remove foil; continue to bake until stuffing forms golden brown crust, about 15 minutes longer. Remove stuffing from turkey and carve. Serve, passing stuffing separately.
for brining the turkey
for the stuffing
to stuff and roast the turkey
for remaining stuffing
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