Dry Brined Herb Roasted Turkey
Cooking a turkey in a brown paper bag creates a super juicy, tender bird. The bag holds all the moisture in but breaths enough to allow the turkey to roast instead of steam. This cooking method also self bastes the bird as it cooks. It is a fail-proof way to get a perfectly cooked turkey every time!Oiling the paper bag will prevent the bag from sticking to the bird, plus it seals some of the pores in the bag to help hold in steam and moisture. You don't have to worry about the bag burning since we are roasting the bird at a low to moderate temperature.
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Servings: 12 Servings
Calories: 230kcal
Ingredients
- 1 whole turkey 14 to 16 pounds
Herbed Garlic Butter Rub
- 12 tablespoons butter softened
- 6 cloves garlic minced (or 2 teaspoons dried garlic)
- 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary fresh or dried
- 1 tablespoon chopped sage fresh or dried
- 1 tablespoon thyme leaves fresh or dried
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
Aromatics to Stuff the Turkey
- 2 onions slice in quarters
- 2 whole garlic bulbs sliced in half
- 2 stalks of celery roughly chopped
- 1 apple quartered
- 3 sprigs each of sage rosemary, and thyme
For the Brown Bag
- ⅓ cup canola oil or peanut oil
- 1 large brown paper bag the kind you get at the grocery store
For the Gravy
- 1-½ cups of the drippings from the roasting pan
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
Instructions
Prep the Turkey and the Bag
- Place the oven rack in the lowest position and preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Remove the neck and the packet of giblets from the cavity of the turkey. Use a spoon to loosen the skin over the turkey breast. Dry the turkey with a paper towel so the herbed garlic butter will stick to the turkey.
- In a small bowl, combine the butter, garlic, rosemary, sage, thyme, salt, and pepper.
- Rub the turkey with the herbed garlic butter. Get under the skin, inside the cavity, and all over the outside of the turkey. If you have a leave-in meat thermometer, stick it into the thickest part of the turkey breast (push down until you hit the bone, then pull it back a bit).
- Pour half of the canola oil into the paper bag. Use your hands to smear the oil all around the inside of the bag. Let the bag sit for a minute or two, so the oil has a chance to soak through the paper bag. If there are dry spots, add a bit more oil until the inside of the bag is thoroughly saturated in oil.
- Slide the turkey into the bag and staple the opening closed (if you are using a leave-in meat thermometer, leave a small gap for the wire to come out of the bag).
Roast the Turkey
- Transfer the turkey to a roasting pan. Cover the outside of the bag with additional canola oil.
- Place the turkey into the oven and make sure the paper bag does not touch the heating element at the top of the oven.
- Roast the turkey for 3 to 3-1/2 hours or until a meat thermometer registers 165°F in the breast meat. Start checking the temperature at about 2-1/2 hours (We have had the turkey cook much faster on a few occasions. A meat thermometer will give you the best results).
- Remove the turkey from the oven and let it rest in the bag for 15 to 20 minutes. Cut the bag open, and be careful that the steam does not burst out and burn your hands. Discard the bag and transfer the turkey to a serving platter or cutting board.
For the Gravy
- Combine the butter and flour in a small bowl and mash the mixture together to create a thick paste (this is called a Beurre Manie, and it is a quick and easy way to thicken gravy without any lumps).
- Skim the fat off the top of the pan juices and pour them into a saucepan. Bring the drippings to a simmer over medium-high heat.
- Add about half of the butter and flour mixture and whisk until it dissolves. Continue cooking, constantly stirring for 1 to 2 minutes. Repeat the process if you want a thicker gravy.
- Stir in the Worcestershire and soy sauce. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if desired.
Notes
- Oiling the paper bag will do several things: prevents the bag from sticking to the bird, seals some of the pores in the bag and helps hold steam in better
- If you have a different size turkey, calculate the estimated roasting time at 13 minutes per pound.
- We are able to fit a 14 to 16-pound turkey inside a large brown bag. If your turkey is much larger than that, you can staple two paper bags together. However smaller turkeys cook more evenly. Also, larger turkeys tend to be tougher so we always purchase two smaller turkeys when we have a large gathering.
- USDA recommends cooking turkey breast to a temperature of 165°F. For a moist, juicy turkey we cook our turkey until the breast meat reaches 157°F and allow it to rest for 20-30 minutes. As it rests, the carry-over cook will bring the temperature in the breast to 165°F or higher.
- Will chemicals leech out of the paper bag? I’m not sure about the chemicals but this is a recipe that has been around for several generations. If you are concerned about it, you can make your own bag out of pink or brown butchers paper. Butchers paper is food safe and can withstand temperatures over 450°F.
- Will the paper bag burn in the oven? We have never had the paper bag catch fire, and we learned that paper ignites and burns at 480°F Since we are roasting the turkey at 350°F it isn’t hot enough to ignite. However, make sure the paper bag does not touch the heating element at the top of the oven. Direct contact with the heating element may ignite the paper bag.
Nutrition
Serving: 4ounces | Calories: 230kcal | Protein: 32g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 93mg | Sodium: 82mg