This roasted cumin and sage turkey is the perfect showstopper for your Thanksgiving table. Seasoned with sage and cumin this turkey is easy to make, tastes amazing, and most importantly is tender and juicy.
For so many Thanksgiving and turkey go hand in hand. Working in a restaurant that served Thanksgiving dinner every day did leave me a little bit burned out on turkey. However, what I did learn was how to make a really tasty and juicy turkey. While this turkey does take some time, most of it is in the refrigerator, it is a pretty low fuss recipe that is perfect for your holiday table.
In this recipe
There isn’t much to this recipe which is why I love it so much. Most of the ingredients will already be in your kitchen and the rest will be easy to grab.
Turkey: this is the star of the show and the meal for many. You will need to let it completely defrost before you can start.
Butter: it is very important that you use unsalted butter for this recipe. Since the dry brine has a lot of salt in it adding salted butter could ruin all of your work.
Ground peppercorns: the oils from freshly ground peppercorns add a wonderful earthy flavor to the turkey.
Sage: use fresh if you can, to really let the flavors develop.
How to defrost a turkey
The best way to do so is to defrost it in the refrigerator. However, this is going to take some time, so you want to get started about a week ahead of time to defrost this way. You are looking at a defrost time of 4 pounds or 1.8 kilos per day. Because it takes so long to defrost you don’t have to worry about it going bad at that time. A good rule of them is to place the turkey on a platter or sheet pan to prevent any juices that might leak out. This also helps prevent food borne illness.
What if I don’t have 5 days to defrost?
Well, this method isn’t how I would recommend defrosting a turkey but sometimes needs must. You will want to wrap the turkey in cling film. It should still be in its original wrapper, however there may be small holes in it. Then you will want to completely submerge the turkey in cold water. I repeat cold water as it will need to stay below 40F or 4C. This might mean you need to put some ice in the water if your cold water isn’t that cold. Change the water every 30 minutes and it should be defrosted in 6-7 hours depending on the size of the turkey. Hot water will heat up the outside of the turkey and allow bacteria to grow while the inside remains cold. Since it is large trying to rush it won’t workout well.
Give it time to brine.
This recipe calls for a dry brine which is my preferred way to add flavor to a turkey. This is where you will add your seasonings to the salt and place it directly on the turkey. The salt will draw the water out and when the turkey reabsorbs the water it will take all of the flavors with it penetrating deeper into the meat. Ideally you will want to give it at least 24 hours for it to really do its thing, however if you are running short on time then as a rule of thumb brine for 1 hour per pound or .45 kilo.
A nifty little trick
When you are going to add the brine and the butter you want to make sure that you get the brine between the skin and the breast meat. The best way to do that is separate the skin from the breast meat. The fastest way that I have found is by using a rubber or silicon spatula. Gently wiggle it between the skin and the breast and it should begin to separate. Keeping in mind the skin attached to the breastbone might be challenging. It is ok to skip that part.
How to prevent overcooking a turkey
One of the trickiest parts of cooking turkey is to not let it dry out. I am sure everyone has at least one story where they went over to someone else’s house or potluck and the turkey was as dry as a saltine cracker and no amount of gravy could save it. A meat thermometer is going to be your best friend here. For birds at between 10-13 pounds 4.5-6 kilos, you will want to start taking the temperature at the 90-minute mark. For birds that are larger than 14 pounds or 6 kilos check at the 2 hours mark.
You want to check the temperature every 15 minutes going into the largest part of the breast. Once the internal temperature reaches between 160-165F or 71-74C remove it from the oven. It will continue to cook for a few minutes after raising the temperature another few degrees. A rule of thumb is about 15 minutes per pound or .45 kilo.
Most importantly, let it rest.
After you have done all that work to make the perfect turkey the last thing that you want to do is slice it too soon. Since turkeys are so large they need a long time to rest. Most people will let a steak rest for 10-15 minutes. This will need much longer. You want to let a turkey rest for at least 30 minutes to an hour. That will give it time to allow the juices to settle back into the meat. If you don’t you will find most of the juices end up on the cutting board. To help keep it warm loosely tent the turkey with foil to create a dome around it with a couple of air vents. While it is resting it is a good time to pop that mac and cheese and any other baked sides into the nice warm oven.
Looking for other Thanksgiving recipes?
Roasted Cumin and Sage Turkey
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl
- Roasting pan with rack
- Sheet pan with baking rack
- Spatula
- Aluminum foil
Ingredients
- 14 pound turkey thawed (see notes)
- 2 cups chicken broth
- ½ cup butter unsalted, softened
Dry Brine
- 5 tablespoons salt see notes for size conversions
- ¼ cup sage chopped
- 2 tablespoons thyme
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon peppercorns ground
- ½ tablespoon cumin
Cavity Stuffing
- ¾ cup onion chopped
- ¾ cup celery chopped
- 2 tablespoons garlic chopped
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl combine all of the dry brine ingredients.
- Place the turkey on the sheet pan with a baking rack. Using a spatula separate the skin from the turkey breast. Then apply the dry brine between the skin and the turkey breast, the outside of the turkey as well as the cavity.
- Place in the refrigerator to brine for 24 hours. If you are short on time, then at least 1 hour per pound.
Cooking the turkey
- Pull out the turkey one hour before baking to start coming to room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, 177°C or gas mark.
- While the oven is preheating use a spatula and spread the butter between the skin and the breast meat. Then fill the cavity with the celery, onion, and garlic, secure the legs and cover with foil.
- Bake covered for 1 hour, remove the foil and pour half of the chicken stock over the turkey. In 30 minutes pour the remaining chicken stock over the turkey.
- At the 2-hour mark baste the turkey in the juices and check the internal temperature. For birds less than 14 pounds do this at the 90-minute mark. If the internal temperature is between 160-165°F or 71-74°C remove it from the oven. If not, then check back every 15 minutes until it has reached that temperature.
- Allow the turkey to rest for at least 30-60 minutes before slicing. Loosely tent the turkey to keep it warm.
Notes
Use 1 teaspoon per pound of turkey for your dry brine.
Nutrition
