Living in the Pacific Northwest, with our bounty of berries, tree-ripened fruits, hazelnuts, and wild mushrooms, makes going to the farmers' market feel like a season-long treasure hunt. I'm especially rewarded when I stop at the mushroom forager's stand and see a basket chock-full of chanterelle mushrooms. At the peak of the season, I buy fresh chanterelles and use them as often as I can, as in this golden-hued mushroom gravy accompaniment to the holiday bird.
Ingredients
Serves 12 to 20, depending on the size of the turkey
Step 1
Combine the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, sage, thyme, and a few grinds of pepper in a medium bowl. Mix well and set aside.
Step 2
Position a rack on the second-lowest level in the oven and preheat to 500°F. Have ready a large roasting pan with a roasting rack, preferably V-shaped, set in the pan.
Step 3
Put 1/2 cup of the vegetable mixture inside the neck cavity and 1/2 cup inside the chest cavity of the turkey. Scatter the remainder on the bottom of the roasting pan and add 1 cup water to the pan. Truss the turkey. Using a pastry brush, brush the turkey with half of the melted butter. Place the turkey, breast side down, on the roasting rack. Roast for 30 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Baste the turkey with the pan juices and roast for 30 minutes longer.
Step 4
Remove the turkey from the oven. Using silicone oven mitts, regular oven mitts covered with aluminum foil, or wads of paper towels, turn the turkey breast side up. (It won't be very hot at this point.) Baste with the pan juices and the remaining melted butter, and return the turkey to the oven. Continue to roast, basting with the pan juices again after 45 minutes. At this point, check the internal temperature of the turkey by inserting an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of a thigh without touching bone. (As a point of reference, when the internal temperature of the turkey reaches 125°F, the turkey is about 1 hour away from being done. Of course, roasting times will vary, depending on the size of the bird, its temperature when it went into the oven, whether or not it is stuffed, and your particular oven and the accuracy of the thermostat.) The turkey is done when the instant-read thermometer registers 160° to 165°F when inserted into the thickest part of a thigh away from the bone.
Step 5
When the turkey is done, tilt the body so the juices from the main cavity run into the pan. Transfer to a carving board or serving platter and cover loosely with aluminum foil. Let the turkey rest for 30 to 40 minutes before carving, to allow the juices to redistribute. (The internal temperature will rise 5 to 10 degrees while the turkey rests.)
Step 6
Strain the juices, vegetables, and browned bits from the roasting pan through a fine-mesh sieve set over a large glass measuring cup. Set aside and allow the fat to rise to the top. Spoon off the fat. The pan juices from a brined turkey are usually too salty to add to gravy, so I refrigerate it and add it to the water for making stock from the carcass; the juices provide additional flavor and the salt is diluted by the water.
Step 7
Carve the turkey. Serve, accompanied by the Chanterelle Mushroom Gravy.
How would you rate Juniper-Brined Roast Turkey with Chanterelle Mushroom Gravy?
Leave a Review
Reviews (12)
Back to TopI make this almost every year. Never disappoints...this year I'll try roasting on a bed of leeks as suggested in a previous comment!
Anonymous
Los Angeles, California
12/23/2021
i've mad this recipe probably about 10 times now. Just the brining with the turkey. I do up my own stuffing from my own recipe. The brining process along with baking the turkey on a bed of leeks under the rack reveal a moist, tender and delicious turkey. I get many compliments from my guests!
Anonymous
vancouver bc
12/23/2018
This is my thanksgiving recipe for the past 5 years. My turkey always turns out beautiful and moist! I will always use this recipe. It's by far the best.
cindytyon
Mobile al
11/26/2015
This was absolutely delicious. Everyone was raving about the turkey and gravy. Next time I would use a brining bucket and submerge the entire turkey and not use a bag to brine. Had to order the Chanterelle Mushrooms from Oregon, but they were so worth it. I will make this again for Christmas.
stlcardno9
Roxboro, NC
12/4/2014
For me, the flavors didn't really come through in the finished Turkey. The process was easy, but even then, I'm not sure it was worth it. The cooking process resulted in the turkey being done 2 hours earlier than I expected...not a good thing!
ctivey
Boston, MA
11/26/2010
We used this recipe on a chicken rather than a turkey. We were short on time so we ground up the spices and used them as a rub rather than as base for a brine. We couldn't stop eating it!! The carcus made a wonderful broth base for soup, too.
irene8irene
Seattle, Wa
10/24/2010
Made this for my first ever turkey for thanksgiving. It was pretty easy. It was so good that my Grandmother in law said I have to make the turkeys from here on out
Anonymous
12/8/2009
We just made this for Thanksgiving . . . though without the chanterelle mushroom gravy. It was delicious - not too much work at all. We were a bit low on pan juices, had to add more water to the bottom.
kfobrien
Somerville, MA
11/27/2009
I can't say anything yet . . . but we are trying it for Thanksgiving . . . I'll let you know how it turns out!
kfobrien
Somerville, MA
11/26/2009
我喜欢尝试新事物,无论多么接近Thanksgiving! I was thinking last night about doing a Thai Thanksgiving and using curry paste and spice in a bunch of the food! I like the sound of this recipe. I have brined my own corned beef before and it was HEAVENLY, so I think I will try this with brining the turkey myself. I was wondering if therapeutic grade juniper essential oil would work in the place of juniper berries because I don't know where to get those. I have juniper essential oil from Young Living and it is safe for food use so I think I will use that instead.
Healthymama
Midwest
11/18/2009
Alcohol is at the top of my list for most applications! However, juniper berries, used sparingly, in a brine sounds good with a goose or wild turkey--not a store-bought turkey. Serve it with roasted root vegetables, spiced cranberry sauce and various sides--I'm in.
Anonymous
Albuquerque, NM
11/14/2009
Ah, let's see...no reviews. Could it be that no one wants to try this the first time this close to Thanksgiving? Brining with Juniper Berries? Why not just use Bombay Gin? Very odd choice for the brine.
RoyRogers
Happy Valley, UT
11/3/2009
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