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Spice up your festive spread with this Sweet-Savory Maple Turkey. The magic happens during the dry brine step, which keeps everything moist and pushes flavor right through the meat.
INGREDIENTS- Turkey: One 12-14 lb bird, giblets and neck taken out, to feed your crowd
- Black Peppercorns: 1 Tbsp, roughly crushed for kick
- Kosher Salt: ⅔ cup (or 6 Tbsp plus ½ tsp Morton salt), the key to proper brining
- Garlic Powder: 2 Tbsp, for that savory punch
- Light Brown Sugar: 2 Tbsp, to add subtle sweetness
- Vegetable or Olive Oil: 1 Tbsp, for rubbing
- Water: 1 cup, for the roasting pan
- Unsalted Butter: ½ cup (1 stick), for your glaze base
- Pure Maple Syrup: ¼ cup, bringing the signature sweetness
- Soy Sauce or Tamari: 2 Tbsp, for that umami kick
- Unseasoned Rice Vinegar or White Wine Vinegar: 2 Tbsp, to cut through richness
- Worcestershire Sauce: 1 Tbsp, adding complexity
- Thyme: 2 sprigs, for herbal notes
- Step 1:
- Cut off the legs and wings, take the breast apart, and maybe trim the backbone from your turkey. Wipe all pieces completely dry.
- Step 2:
- Stir together roughly crushed black peppercorns, kosher salt, garlic powder, and brown sugar. Rub this mix all over turkey pieces and set them on a wire rack above a baking sheet. Let chill up to a day.
- Step 3:
- For your glaze, put butter, maple syrup, soy sauce, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and thyme in a pot over medium heat. Keep cooking until it gets thick.
- Step 4:
- Heat your oven to 425°F. Put your brined turkey on a wire rack over a sheet with 1 cup water inside. Cook for about 20-30 minutes.
- Step 5:
- Turn down the oven to 300°F and keep cooking another 50-70 minutes. Brush your turkey with the glaze every 20 minutes.
- Step 6:
- When done, let the turkey sit a bit before you carve it up and dish it out.
- Put it out hot on a big platter with some fresh herbs to make it look fancy.
- Keep what's left in your fridge for 3-4 days, or stick it in the freezer if you want it to last.
- Warm it up slowly so it doesn't dry out.
- Use more or less glaze depending on how sweet and rich you want it.
- Throw in a few smashed garlic cloves while cooking if you want even more flavor.
Tips from Well-Known Chefs
- Chef Brown says you should baste often to get that dark, tasty crust.
- Chef Lee thinks tamari works great if you can't have gluten but still want all the flavor.
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