Buttermilk Roasted Turkey

Helga Glaesel de BlandingDecember 21, 2023

This post is also available in / Esta entrada también está disponible en ESPAÑOL (SPANISH)

By preparing a buttermilk and salt brine, you will get a juicy and flavorful turkey with a beautiful golden color. It is important that you let it marinate for 48 hours. If you leave it marinating less time, you will not get the flavor or golden coloring. It may seem like a lot of salt, but remember it is for a marinade, and the turkey will be removed from it.

When roasting, the most important thing is to make sure your turkey is not refrigerator cold. Take it out of its marinade about 3 hours before roasting, so it comes close to room temperature. This will help achieve even cooking and avoid tearing. When roasting, rotating the position of the turkey inside the oven also helps to get even cooking.

This method does not render enough liquid to make gravy, so you can prepare your gravy using chicken broth and your favorite recipe.

Helga

Buttermilk Roasted Turkey

Serves 12 to 14

Ingredients:
1 cup kosher salt
2 carrots, chopped in large pieces
2 onions, chopped in large pieces
fresh thyme sprigs
4 bay leaves
3 quarts buttermilk*
4 tablespoons butter, room temperature
salt and pepper, to taste, to season the vegetables.
1 fresh turkey, 16 to 18 lb. (8 to 9 kg), neck and giblets removed
2 oven cooking bag

Directions:

Season the turkey with salt liberally, all over. And keep in uncovered in the refrigerator while you prepare the buttermilk.
Place a 2-gallon resealable bag in a large bowl, stock pot or sink. Pour the buttermilk and salt in bag and stir to dissolve salt. Place turkey in bag and seal carefully, expelling out air. Double-bag the turkey as needed to prevent leakage, then squish the inner bag to distribute buttermilk all around the turkey. Place it on a rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate for 48 hours. Turn the bag every 12 hours so that every part of the turkey gets marinated.
Three hours before you plan to start cooking, remove the turkey from the plastic bag and scrape off as much buttermilk as you can, but don’t worry if some is left. Discard buttermilk.
Scatter the chopped vegetables on the bottom of the roasting pan, season with salt and pepper and set the turkey on top and bring it to room temperature.
Before roasting, rub the butter all over the turkey and lightly season with salt and pepper
Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 400°F (200°C). Roast the turkey for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325ºF (165°C) and continue roasting, basting every 30 minutes with the pan juices. If the breast begins to cook too quickly, tent it loosely with aluminum foil. After about 2 hours of total roasting time, begin testing for doneness by inserting an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the breast and thigh, away from the bone. The breast should register 165°F (74°C) and the thigh, 175°F (79°C). The total roasting time should be 3 to 4 hours.
Transfer the turkey to a carving board, cover loosely with foil and let rest for 20 to 30 minutes before carving.

Note:

You can make buttermilk by mixing milk and white vinegar. For every cup of milk add 1 tablespoon of vinegar. For this recipe: 3 lts whole milk + 12 tablespoons vinegar. Let it rest for 20 minutes.

Have you made this recipe?

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