Cider-Brined Roast Turkey

Ingredients

• 1 whole turkey, 13 lb, thawed, giblets removed
• 1 cup kosher salt
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 gallon apple cider
• 1 gallon cold water
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons black peppercorns
• 6 whole cloves
• 2 heads garlic, halved crosswise
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Before you cook

• Combine 1 quart of the cider with the salt, brown sugar, bay leaves, peppercorns, cloves, and garlic in a large pot.
• Heat that mixture just until the salt and sugar dissolve, then cool it completely.
• Stir in the remaining cider and the cold water to make the finished brine.

Steps

1. Lower the turkey breast down into a brining bag or a clean food-safe bucket.
2. Pour the cold brine over the bird until it is fully submerged.
3. Refrigerate the turkey in the brine for 12 hours, and no longer, or the meat turns spongy.
4. Lift the turkey out, discard the brine, and rinse the bird well under cold running water.
5. Pat the turkey bone dry inside and out and set it on a rack over a sheet pan.
6. Leave the bird uncovered in the refrigerator for 2 hours so the skin dries.
7. Heat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
8. Brush the melted butter over the skin and grind the black pepper across the breast.
9. Roast at 450 degrees for 25 minutes, then lower the heat to 325 degrees.
10. Continue roasting for about 2 hours, tenting the breast with foil if it browns too fast.
11. Pull the turkey when the deepest part of the thigh reads 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
12. Rest the bird for 30 minutes on a carving board before slicing.