When we make our Thanksgiving roast turkey we never make it whole. Our tradition is to brine it, then to debone it, and finally to roast it.
As the bird roasts, it fills the house with a mouthwatering aroma. The all-purpose seasoning we use along with the onion and butter flavors every bite of turkey-- not just the outer skin. This moist turkey isn't dependent on a heavy gravy to give it flavor or to make it moist. We find that even the breast meat is always tender and succulent.
Our 16 ½ pound turkey cooked in just about 1 ½ hours compared to the 4 or more hours a whole turkey would take to reach an internal temperature of 165° F. And we have another little time-saving secret. We made the turkey the day before and then on Thanksgiving we just warmed it up in a large electric skillet set on low.
It turned out to be a perfect roast turkey! It tasted as if it was just roasted and sliced --delicious!! Try our method and see if it's not true!!
For this recipe, you'll need turkey, lemon juice, oranges, kosher salt, brown sugar, onions, jalapeño peppers, cilantro, garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, unsalted butter, white wine.
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How the best Thanksgiving roast turkey started
This method is actually my mamma's way to make a roast turkey. She didn't brine the bird, but she did debone the turkey. She would then use the fleshy bones and neck to make her brodo {broth}.
She'd season the turkey with plenty of salt and pepper, sprinkle the meat with just a bit of rosemary, then smother the meat with onions slivered so thin that when the onions cooked they seemed to dissolve into the turkey pieces.
Finally, she dotted the entire onion-covered meat with thin pats of butter.
A juicy roast turkey evolves
We took my mamma's basic way of deboning, seasoning, and roasting a turkey and added to it. Now we let the bird soak in a wet brine. This is the best turkey brine recipe we've ever made. It has a southwestern flavor with citrus fruits, peppers, and fresh herbs. We let the turkey soak in the brining liquid for 24 hours.
We've photographed each step and written an explanation for it.[ If some of the photos are fuzzy it's because a certain someone is too darn quick with a knife and I couldn't keep up.]
We've included the brine recipe and the All Our Way Seasoning is in a previous post.
Here is our no-fail deboned turkey recipe
1. Remove turkey from brine and pat dry with paper towels.
2. Place turkey breast side down on paper towel covered cutting board. Cut both wings off at the joint next to the body.
3. Cut off both legs and the thighs at the joint next to the body.
4. Remove the lower back by cutting on either side of the rib bones, pulling the bony piece toward you and breaking it off.
5. Split the breast meat in two by slicing down the middle of the breast.
6. Let the knife follow the breast bone on one side.
7. Keep cutting downward following the breastbone until the meat is cut off.
8. Follow the same procedure on the opposite side.
9. This is what the breastbone looks like with the meat removed.
10. Separate the leg from the thigh by cutting through the joint. It should cut right through. Do this for both sides.
11. Lay the thigh skin side down.
12. Detach the meat from the bone by first running the knife on either side of the bone. Do not cut all the way through.
13. Run the knife underneath the bone and continue cutting until the meat is all off the bone.
14. Lay the thigh meat flat -- skin side down.
15. Cut the thigh meat into two pieces.
16. Separate the wing by cutting at the joint. Do this for both wings
17. Run the knife on either side of the bone so that the meat is still attached but the bone is exposed.
18. This is the way both wing pieces look. They will roast like this.
19. These are all the turkey pieces that are ready to be put into a large roasting pan. The legs do not get boned.
20. Thinly slice one onion.
21. Put the turkey pieces into the pan skin side down. Season the side facing up first then sprinkle the onions over the entire meat pieces and finish by placing pats of unsalted butter - about ¾ stick --evenly over the meat. Put in a preheated 350°F. oven.
22. Bake for 30 minutes then add ⅓ cup of dry white wine. Turn over the pieces and season this side with the All Our Way Seasoning. The meat will be skin side up and it will stay this way until done.
23. Using a baster, baste every 15 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165°F with an instant-read thermometer. Our turkey took 1 ½ hours. Cover the turkey with a foil tent and let the bird rest for 20 minutes.
24. The boned turkey is sliced and ready to eat. The pieces still with the bone are for those who like the dark meat and like to pick at the bone -- that was my papa.
Make the Thanksgiving turkey ahead
We made the turkey on Wednesday and we ate it on Thursday.
Just think how wonderful it would be to have room in the oven to make something other than the turkey. And you wouldn't have to make space at the dining room table for a huge platter and bird. that is a win-win.
Right now there are quite a few sales on fresh turkey. We took advantage of the sales and bought three. We've already brined, boned and baked another turkey and froze the meat into dinner portions.
We froze one turkey whole for frying later on and the last one we boned and froze in two portions for roasting at a later date. We simply can't pass up $.49 a pound for meat -- that's cheap eating.
If you have any questions please ask and if you need anything clarified let us know and we'll try to make it clearer. Once you try this deconstructed turkey recipe, you'll never want to go back to roasting a whole bird again.
Tutti a tavola è pronto!
Un caro saluto e alla prossima.
YOU MAY NEED . . .
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Perfect Roast Turkey: Brine it, Debone it, Roast it
This method works equally well with an entire turkey or just a turkey breast. The brine gives the meat plenty of flavor as well as ensuring that it stays moist and succulent. You won't have to drown the meat in gravy just to be able to swallow. This is the best roast turkey recipe we've ever tasted.
This dish would be ideal for any holiday meal and it is so simple to make we've even made turkey breast throughout the year when we had a roast turkey craving. Make it for your family and friends and see for yourself.
A perfect accompaniment to this roast turkey is our savory and spicy Sweet Potato Casserole with Bacon. Along with the perfectly roasted turkey, serve a delicious Cheesy Broccoli Casserole, Caramelized Brussels Sprouts, and Creamy Swiss Chard Gratin that will have your family running to the table. And we can't forget the potatoes. Everyone would rebel if we didn't serve our delicious Potatoes Au Gratin. They won't miss the mashed potatoes, believe me. And if you're looking for a delicious and easy holiday side dish, our Southern Old Fashioned Sweet Onion Casserole is the perfect solution for your upcoming freast.
If you like this recipe, please give it a 5-star rating.
📖 Recipe
Perfect Roast Turkey: Brine it; Debone it; Roast it
Ingredients
BRINE SOLUTION
- 1 ½ cups bottled lemon juice
- 1¼ cups orange juice If you have fresh oranges, put in 1 orange halved with rind.
- ¾ cup kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups packed light brown sugar
- 1 ½ cups chopped yellow onions
- 3 jalapenos minced (with their seeds)
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 3 Tablespoons chopped garlic
- 4 ½ teaspoons chili powder
- 4 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 ½ teaspoon dried oregano
BAKING THE TURKEY
- 12 lb. turkey
- 6 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 onion med. size thinly sliced
- ½ cup white wine dry
- All Our Way seasoning
Instructions
BRINING THE TURKEY
- Combine all of the ingredients with 1 ½ gallons of water in a large nonreactive container, large pot or brining bag and stir to dissolve the sugar and salt.
- First step is to rinse the turkey under cold running water. Make sure everything is out of the turkey's cavity. Trim off all extra pieces of skin and fat, including the wing tips. Discard.
- Add the turkey to the brine and make sure the salt water solution covers the turkey. If necessary add more water.
- Refrigerate for at least 12 hours and up to 24 hours.
- When ready to roast, remove brined turkey from the flavorful solution and pat dry with paper towels. Follow the technique for All Our Way Turkey - Brine it, Bone it, Bake it.
ROASTING THE TURKEY
- Heat oven to 350℉. Place the boned turkey skin side down in a large pan. Make sure the pieces fit snuggly together - you don't want those pan juices to evaporate.
- Generously season the turkey with All Our Way seasoning and rub or your favorite seasoning. Scatter the thinly sliced onions over the top of the meat. Dot the entire turkey pieces with the unsalted butter.
- After 15 minutes, turn the turkey skin side up in the pan. Sprinkle the white wine over the turkey and salt and pepper this side.
- Using a turkey baster, baste the turkey with its juices every 15 minutes. Once the thickest pieces reach an internal temperature of 160 F. remove from oven.
- Loosely tent with aluminum foil and let it rest for 15 minutes.
- Slice the turkey parts and then put them back into the pan. Baste with the juices of the turkey slices.
- ENJOY!! This will be one moist and delicious turkey at your Thanksgiving dinner.
Nutrition
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We'll never share your email or send you spam. PromiseFirst published October 6, 2018. Last updated November 1, 2021. Updated with more information for a better reader experience.
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