This is my traditional turkey recipe and the one my family insists on year after year, my Maple Bourbon Brined Turkey. Echoing those flavors, I finish with a Maple Bourbon Gravy.

The brining process starts 24 hours before the bird goes into the oven. There are four parts, all of which are necessary, to have the most flavorful, juicy, and tender turkey you’ll ever have, along with a delicious gravy. It’s really all in the planning.

Before starting the whole brining process, the turkey must be completely thawed. My recipe is listed in 4 parts. Part 1 is the brine. Part 2 is the prep of the turkey for the oven. Part 3 is cooking the turkey, and Part 4 is making the gravy.

 

 

Part 1.
The Maple Bourbon Brine
Prep Time: 40 to 45 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 24 hours (1 day) and 35 minutes
Cook Time: 7 to 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 hours and 30 minutes
Equipment: 2 (8-quart) plastic containers with tight-fitting lids, 1 large stockpot, and a vegetable peeler

Ingredients for the Maple Bourbon Brine:
1 (12-pound) turkey
2 quarts of water
2 oranges, the peels
1 lemon, the peel
3 whole cloves of garlic, smashed
1/4 cup of kosher salt
1 1/2 cups of bourbon
1 1/2 (12-ounce) bottles of pure maple syrup
15 sprigs of thyme  (no need to strip leaves)
1 large sprig of Rosemary (no need to strip leaves)
5 bay leaves (dried)
2 tablespoons of tricolor peppercorns
1 1/2 cups of organic apple juice
1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar

Part 1.
Instructions for the Maple Bourbon Brine:
Prep all the ingredients for the brine, including measuring out the water. Place all the ingredients listed above in a large stockpot. Turn the stove on medium-high heat and bring everything up to a boil for 7-10 minutes. Immediately remove from the heat source. Let the brine cool completely, then place it in the fridge, uncovered, to chill for around 30-35 minutes or until completely cool.

Remove the turkey from its packaging. Remove the neck and innards from the cavities of the bird. The only part I keep is the neck to make turkey stock from. I’ll tell you about that in a minute. Wash the turkey inside and out, then pat the turkey completely dry. Place the turkey, ass end up, in an empty 8-quart container, covered.

Once the brine is ready and completely cooled, pour the brining liquid over the container holding the bird. The bird should be completely submerged in the liquid. Place the lid on tightly and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Once again, you will need to dry the turkey completely before moving on to part 2.

Parts 2 and 3:
Prepping and Cooking the Turkey:
Prep Time: 15 to 20 minutes
Cook Time: approx. 2 hours 40 minutes
Total Time: approx. 3 hours
Yields: 8 to 10 servings
Equipment: Roasting pan with rack, 1 (6-quart) saucepot, fat separator, chef’s knife, cutting board, whisk, 2 (1-quart) plastic containers with tight-fitting lids (for the stock), meat thermometer

Ingredients for the Turkey:
Compound Butter for the Turkey:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) of butter, unsalted and softened
1 orange, zested
1 lemon, zested
2 cloves of garlic, freshly-grated
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon of kosher salt
2 teaspoons plus 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper, freshly-ground

Ingredients for the Turkey Continues:
1 (12-pound) brined turkey
1 onion, skin on and quartered
1 head of garlic, cut in half lengthwise
10 sprigs of fresh thyme
4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
1/4 cup olive oil
2 quarts of chicken stock, unsalted (generally 2 cups (enough to fill the bottom of the roasting pan with liquid, the level of liquid about 1 inch high), 1 quart is used to make the turkey stock)

Part 2.
Instructions for Prepping the Turkey:
Preheat oven to 450°F.
Once the bird has come out of the brine and is well-dried, it’s time to make a *compound butter for the turkey. In a medium-size mixing bowl, prepare the *compound butter. Add softened butter, the zest of both the lemon and orange, freshly grated garlic, kosher salt, and fresh-ground black pepper, and mix to combine. Moving on, release the bird’s legs from their packaging position. Refer to the pictures.

With my clean hands, lift the skin on the breast area and slather as much of the butter underneath the skin as possible. Reaching as far around without breaking or tearing the skin. Next, I fill both cavities of the bird with flavorings.

Next, cut the same lemon and orange that have already been zested in half, placing them into each cavity. Same with the halved head of garlic and the quartered onion in both cavities. Finally, divide the sprigs of herbs up and place them into both cavities.

Now I rub the compound butter under the skin, reaching as far as I can without breaking the skin. Next, rub the olive oil all over the outside of the bird. Then sprinkle the kosher salt and fresh-ground black pepper all over the turkey. Finally, add the 2 cups of broth to the bottom of the roasting pan.

Part 3.
Cooking the Turkey:
Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.
Place the turkey on the center rack in the oven. Every 30-45 minutes, remove the turkey from the oven. Close the oven door to keep the heat inside. Baste the turkey with its own juices. About halfway through the cooking process, check the temperature with a meat thermometer.

Place the thermometer between the thigh and the breast meat for the best reading. This allows you to see how the bird is cooking and gauge the time better. If you see the top browning too quickly, place a foil tent over the turkey for the rest of the cooking time. Keep in mind that you still need to baste the turkey every 30-45 minutes. Once the turkey’s temperature reaches 165°F., it takes around 2 hours and 40 minutes.

While the turkey is in the oven, I’m making the turkey stock on the stovetop.

Part 3 continues:
Ingredients for the Turkey Stock:
1 turkey neck
1 quart plus 2 cups of chicken stock, unsalted
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper, freshly-ground
3 sprigs of fresh thyme

Part 3 Continues.
Instructions for the Turkey Stock:
In a large saucepot, add the turkey neck and cover with 1 quart of unsalted chicken stock, kosher salt, fresh-ground black pepper, and 3 sprigs of thyme. Turn the heat up to medium-high, and bring this up to a boil. Reduce it to a simmer, cover, and cook on medium-low heat for 1 /1/2 hours. Once it’s finished, taste for seasoning.

At this point, remove the bird from the pan. I like to tilt the bird slightly over the roasting pan so that any juices in the cavities will fall to the bottom of the pan. Place the turkey on a large board and cover with foil until you’re ready to carve. Leave all the ingredients in the cavities.

Once finished, pour the juices into a fat separator and let sit for 10 minutes, giving the fat time to separate. Pour the liquid into a plastic quart container with a lid.

Now I have a container of turkey stock along with a container of my leftover unsalted chicken stock (remember I only used 2 cups for the bottom of the roasting pan) to make my gravy.

Part 4.
Ingredients for the Maple Gravy:
3 tablespoons of bourbon
1/4 cup of pure maple syrup
12 fresh sage leaves (reserve 4 leaves chopped for the finished gravy)
1 1/2 cups of turkey stock, homemade
1 cup of chicken stock, unsalted
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) of butter, unsalted
3/4 cup of all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon of kosher salt
1 teaspoon of black pepper, freshly-ground

Part 4:
Instructions for the Maple Bourbon Gravy:
First, add 8 sage leaves while the juices are still really hot. Allow the sage to steep in the juices for a couple of minutes, then remove it. I use one of those gadgets that separates the fat from the juices that accumulate in the bottom of the roasting pan. I discard the fat and pour the juices into a quart plastic container with a lid.

I return the empty roasting pan to the stove, over medium-high heat. Add 1/4 cup of the homemade turkey stock I made earlier. Scraping the bits off the bottom (*deglazing) until they all release. I combined these juices with the pan juices in the bowl. Now my pan juices have no fat, but the extra flavor comes from the bits that came off the bottom of the pan.

Start by making a *roux for the gravy.
Working with a clean roasting pan again, over medium heat. Add butter, and melt before adding the flour. Whisk continuously until all the raw flour has cooked out. Next, add the pan juices (I reserved them in the bowl) along with bourbon, maple syrup, chicken stock, and turkey stock. I turn the heat back up to medium-high, still whisking, and let all those ingredients come up to a bubble and thicken. I also add the reserved chopped sage leaves for color and flavor in the gravy.

There you have it, my Maple Bourbon Brined Turkey With Maple Bourbon Gravy.

Notes:
1) Take notice of what time you place the bird into the brine. This will give you an idea of when the bird will be going into the oven. Allow an extra 20 minutes for rinsing the brine off the bird and letting it soak in clean water for 15 minutes. This will remove any residual salt flavor from the bird. Then, once again, you will need to dry the turkey completely before part 2.

2) *Compound Butter is a mixture of butter and other supplementary ingredients, such as herbs, seasonings, acid, or another flavorful and aromatic ingredient. Used to enhance flavor.

3) *Deglazing is a cooking technique for removing and dissolving browned food residue from a pan to flavor sauces, soups, and gravies.

4) *Roux is a mixture of fat (especially butter) and flour used in making sauces.

5) Linda Lou Hamel is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value are important to you, I recommend running the ingredients through the online nutritional calculator of your choice. Calories and values can vary depending on the brands you choose.

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