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Made with Garrison Brothers Texas Bourbon
Bourbon Brined & Roasted Turkey
Bourbon brined turkey, stuffed with orange slices and fresh herbs, slow roasted to perfection and basted with bourbon butter.
Time
About 15 hr with brining
Method
Brined and roasted
Glass
Bourbon
Small Batch
Flavor: Maple · Herb butter · Citrus
Season: Holidays
Make the Bourbon Brined & Roasted Turkey
Ingredients
1 whole turkey
Brine¾ cup Garrison Brothers Small Batch Bourbon Brine2 quarts water, ¾ cup salt, ¾ cup maple syrup, 1 tbsp black pepper Brine1 orange, thinly sliced, 2 thyme sprigs, 2 bay leaves Butter2 tbsp bourbon, 1 cup unsalted butter, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tbsp minced garlic Butter3 tbsp parsley, 2 tbsp each sage and thyme, chopped; 1 tbsp salt, 2 tsp pepper 1Whole turkey ½ cupGarrison Brothers Small Batch Bourbon Cavity2 lemons and 1 onion, halved; 2 carrots and 2 celery stalks, sliced ¼ cupButter, melted, and a double layer of cheesecloth 6 cupsChicken broth, divided
Instructions
1Simmer the brine ingredients with 1 pint of the water for 5 minutes, until the salt dissolves. Add the rest of the water and cool. 2Brine the turkey, covered and refrigerated, for 8 to 12 hours. 3Heat the oven to 350°F. Blend the butter ingredients, rub the butter under and over the skin, and stuff the cavity. 4Soak the cheesecloth in the melted butter and ½ cup bourbon and drape it over the breast. Pour 2 cups of broth into the pan. 5Roast about 13 minutes per pound, basting with broth every 30 minutes. Remove the cloth for the last 30 minutes. 6Roast until the thigh reaches 165°F, then rest 30 minutes before carving.
About the Bourbon Brined & Roasted Turkey
This bourbon brined & roasted turkey is juicy all the way through. It soaks overnight in a Garrison Brothers bourbon and maple brine with orange, thyme and bay, gets rubbed with a bourbon herb butter, then roasts under a bourbon-and-butter-soaked cheesecloth that bastes the breast as it cooks.
Questions, answered
Why brine the turkey?
Salt in the brine helps a bourbon brined & roasted turkey hold onto moisture as it roasts, and the bourbon and maple season it all the way through.
What does the cheesecloth do?
Soaked in butter and bourbon, it keeps the breast from drying out and bastes it as it roasts. Take it off for the last 30 minutes so the skin browns.
How do I know it's done?
Use a thermometer. The thickest part of the thigh should read 165°F. Let it rest 30 minutes before carving so the juices settle.
