The turkey recipe my family won’t let me stop making

[Read time: 4 minutes]

I’ve been making this turkey for 20 years

I (Steve) discovered this recipe in Sunset magazine in 2005, and my family WILL NOT let me stop making it! It’s savory, herbal, moist, and amazing. You still have time to go shopping for the herbal rub ingredients if you want to try it out! 

The dry rub on this turkey should be applied a couple days before Thanksgiving (the recipe says three, but I’ve done two), and the turkey needs to be thawed when you do that. You’ll need space in the fridge to keep it after applying the rub. So get prepared!

Herbs, Spices, and other Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons sea salt or kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons dried marjoram
• 3 tablespoons dried thyme
• 3 tablespoons dried juniper berries
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 2 teaspoons anise seeds
• 1 turkey (14 to 15 lb.)
• 12 fresh rosemary sprigs (3 in. each)
• 12 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1/2 cup (1/4 lb.) unsalted butter, at room temperature

You’ll often need to go to a high-end grocery store to find the juniper berries. 

How to Make It

• Three days before serving, in a blender or spice grinder, finely grind salt, marjoram, thyme, juniper berries, peppercorns, and anise seeds.
• Remove and discard leg truss from turkey. Pull off and discard any lumps of fat. Remove giblets and neck; save neck for gravy. Rinse turkey inside and out; pat dry. Cut off wing tips to the first joint and reserve for gravy. Rub half the herb mixture all over turkey; sprinkle remaining in body cavity. Cover and chill for 3 days.
• Preheat oven to 325° (convection not recommended). Put rosemary sprigs and garlic inside turkey body cavity. Gently push your hand between skin and turkey breast to separate skin from breast. Spread about half the butter over breast under skin. Melt remaining butter and brush lightly over top of turkey. Coat a V-shaped rack with cooking-oil spray and set in a 12- by 17-inch roasting pan. Place turkey, breast down, on the rack. Roast turkey for 1 3/4 hours.
• Meanwhile, cook turkey wing tips and neck for pan gravy. Remove turkey from oven and turn breast side up. Return to oven. Roast until a meat thermometer inserted straight down through thickest part of breast to the bone registers 160°, 45 to 60 minutes longer.
• Tip turkey to drain juices from cavity into pan and transfer to a platter. Let stand in a warm place, uncovered, for 15 to 30 minutes. Finish gravy (see below), then carve turkey.

Gravy (so good!)

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• Turkey wing tips and neck
• 4 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 clove peeled and minced garlic
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whipping cream

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• Pour 2 tablespoons vegetable oil into a 5- to 6-quart pan over medium-high heat. Add turkey wing tips and neck and brown well, 4 to 7 minutes. Add 4 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth and bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer about 1 hour. Remove wings and neck.
• While roasted turkey rests, pour pan juices into a 1- to 2-quart glass measure. Skim off and reserve fat. Add turkey wing broth to make 4 cups; if you don’t have enough, add water. Return 1/3 cup fat (if not enough, add butter) and 1 clove peeled and minced garlic to unwashed roasting pan; set over two medium-hot burners. Add 1/2 cup all-purpose flour and stir until bubbly and smooth. Stir in the 4 cups broth and 1 cup whipping cream; scrape pan sides and bottom to loosen browned bits. Whisk gravy until smooth and boiling, 4 to 7 minutes. Add salt to taste.

The Key: Don’t Over-Roast It

Use a meat-roasting thermometer, and get it out of the oven when the thickest part of the breast reaches 160 degrees F. DO NOT trust those little pre-installed pop thermometers that come in many turkeys. They’ll often make you over-roast and have dry meat. 

Everyone is amazed at how moist my turkey is, and I think a huge reason for that is watching the temperature. 

Happy Thanksgiving! Send us a note and let us know if you tried this! Or share your favorite way to prepare any part of your Thanksgiving meal. 

That’s it for now. Let us know if we can help you with any real estate needs or questions (including gardening ideas, contractor references, or anything home related).