Roasted Garlic and Italian Herb turkey

Food Associations:

Cayenne: spicy

Honey: sweet

Brine:salty

Turkey: DRY.

Ever since I was a kid, I've always found turkey to be really dry and very lacking in flavor. I've alway had turkey served one way, a strip of breast drenched in brown gravy with a side of bland mash potatoes. BORING! This next part is going to sound really egotistical and narcissistic but oh well. 

Turkey has never been that appealing to me until I've made turkey for myself. With proper cooking and season, turkey can be damn delicious! 

Why an italian herb bird? Well, if you've tried the deli sliced italian herb turkey at Trader Joes, you will know why! It is delicious and flavorful while the aromaticity of the herbs makes the sandwich utterly delightful! 

As the proverbial fatty kid, it would not be me if I didn't try to recreate that amazing bird for myself.

I plan on making this turkey again for the parents, I was pressed for time the first time making it for thefattykid potluck dinner so I wasn't able to take any pictures =( 

I soaked the bird in a brine used in Thomas Keller's Famous Fried Chicken. I cheated, I had left over brine mix and used that but you can make the brine from scratch! 

Thomas Keller's Brine Recipe

BRINE INGREDIENTS

Makes 2 Gallon

5 lemons, halved

24 bay leaves

1 bunch (4 ounces) flat-leaf parsley

1 bunch (1 ounces) thyme

1/2 cup clover honey

1 head garlic, halved through the equator

3/4 cup black peppercorns

2 cups (10 ounces) kosher salt

2 gallons water

(I added a cup of brown sugar used dried herbs instead because I didn't have any fresh)

Directions

In a very large pot, combine 1 quart of the water with 1 cup of the salt and the honey, bay leaves, garlic, peppercorns, rosemary, thyme and parsley. Add the lemon zest and juice and the lemon halves and bring to a simmer over moderate heat, stirring until the salt is dissolved. Let cool completely, then stir in the remaining 3 quarts of cold water. Add Turkey and marinate in fridge overnight.

Ingredients for Turkey (13.44 lbs):

3 bulbs of roasted garlic 

2 sticks of room temperature salted butter

1/4-1/2 cup of Italian Seasoning

salt

course ground pepper

1 lemon

1 small onion

Directions:

Roasted garlic: chop off tops of the garlic and drizzle with olive oil, put in foil pouch and bake at 400F for 45mins. Let garlic cook, squeeze out of bulbs

Mash the garlic, butter, herb, salt, and pepper to a paste. Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly! 

Take turkey out of brine and rinse with water and dry.

Gently separate and create space between the meat and skin. BE CAREFUL NOT TO TEAR THE SKIN! Create space and gently distribute the butter underneath the skin and meat. Don't forget to save some butter to slather on the outside of the turkey. 

Cut lemon and onion into wedges and stuff into cavity of the turkey. 

Cover turkey tightly with foil and bake at 350F

I baked the turkey (13.44lbs) for two hours at 350F and then baked it uncovered for 30 mins to allow skin to crispy up. If one area browns too quickly, cover the area with foil. 

Pictures to follow after I make the turkey for parents!