This Roast Turkey with Apple Cider Brine is our family’s recipe for a moist, juicy, and golden roast turkey for our Thanksgiving or holiday table. The secret to this turkey recipe is the Apple Cider Brine and lots of butter.
This post is sponsored by the wonderful people at Honeysuckle White Turkey. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.
For about 362 days a year, I’m all about fast, easy, flavorful recipes. However, for the holidays, or other special occasions, I like to slow things down.
To prepare this Roast Turkey with Apple Cider Brine for Thanksgiving or Christmas or another holiday (or anytime), it requires a little planning.
It is still easy but it takes more time for thawing, brining and cooking to get this beautiful, golden, succulent roast turkey on the holiday table. If it were not easy, then we would not have turkey for the majority of our holidays.
Over the years we have tried Roast Turkey with and without the brine. The family consensus was that we thought the brined turkey had the most flavor. So for the last several years the turkey has always been brined. The Apple Cider Brine is my favorite of the ones I have tried.
The turkey is the centerpiece of the holiday dinner and has to stand out among the other holiday dishes, such as green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, squash casserole, roasted brussels sprouts, cornbread dressing, and pumpkin pie.
How To Choose a Turkey
I recommend Honeysuckle White’s fresh or frozen turkeys for your Thanksgiving or Holiday table. They have a network of over 700 independent family farmers that are committed to producing healthy turkeys that are raised with care. Their turkeys are raised without the use of growth promoting antibiotics.
Having visited one of their farms, I saw that both the company and the farmers are committed to caring and raising their animals in a safe, clean, and humane environment, and I am excited to partner with them. Visit their website to learn more and look for Honeysuckle White (or Shady Brook Farms on the East Coast) in your local grocery store.
How to Thaw a Frozen Turkey
At the store, you have two choices of turkeys to buy: Fresh or Frozen. Each one has their fans. If you can get a fresh turkey, I recommend buying that. However, often due to availability, I buy a frozen turkey. However, that means I have to plan enough time to thaw a turkey. Two recommended methods exist.
- Refrigerator Method: This method takes longer but is generally considered the best and safest method to thaw a turkey. Place the unwrapped turkey, breast side up, on a tray, in the refrigerator several days. Allow approximately 1 day for every 4 pounds. It may need to refrigerate 3 – 4 days or more.
- Cold Water Method: However, if you don’t have the time, you can use a cold water method. Place the unwrapped turkey with the breast side down in a large soup pan or container larger than the turkey, and cover with cold water to cover the turkey completely. Change out the water every 30 minutes to keep the turkey chilled. You may want to add ice to the water as well. Plan on at least 30 minutes per pound. So if you have a 12-pound turkey, it would take 6 hours, or if you have an 18-pound turkey, it would take 9 hours.
After the turkey is thawed, remove the turkey from the package wrapper. Then, Remove the turkey neck and packet of giblets from inside of the turkey.
How To Make An Apple Cider Brine for Roast Turkey
First, you are going to need a large stock pot. Then add the following to the stock pot for the brine:
- 3 cups Apple Cider
- Juice from 4 oranges
- 2 gallons Cold Water
- 4 Tablespoons Fresh Rosemary Leaves
- 1 tablespoon crushed sage
- 2 tablespoons minced onions
- 5 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup Kosher Salt
- 2 cups Brown Sugar
- 2 tablespoons freshly cracked black pepper
- 5 or 6 orange slices
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
Bring the brine to a boil. Then remove the brine from the hot stove and let it cool to room temperature.
Place the thawed, unwrapped turkey in a brining bag or in a large container, and pour the cooled Apple Cider Brine over the turkey.
Seal the bag and refrigerate it for 12 to 24 hours. The larger the turkey, the longer it should remain in the brine.
How To Prepare The Turkey
After you remove the turkey from the brine, be sure to rinse the turkey thoroughly inside and out, and pat dry with a paper towel.
The next step is what gives the turkey its golden skin color. Rub the turkey with softened butter on the outside of the skin all over and under the skin as well.
Some people like to add herbs to the butter. I like to season the turkey with a blend of freshly cracked black pepper, sea salt and garlic powder after rubbing the turkey with butter.
You can also add lemons or oranges, onions, and fresh thyme, fresh sage or other fresh herbs inside the cavity of the turkey.
I don’t recommend stuffing the turkey due to safety reasons.
I do recommend wrapping the wing tips and the ends of the turkey legs with foil to prevent them from overcooking.
How To Cook The Turkey
This is the easiest part of the process in my opinion. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place the turkey on top of a rack in a roasting pan. Cover the turkey with an aluminum foil tent for the first hour of cooking to prevent the turkey from browning too quickly.
How Long to Cook a Turkey
The length of cooking time depends on the size of the turkey. I recommend using this handy chart on the Honeysuckle website that displays the recommended cooking times based on the weight of the turkey.
Cooking a turkey is easier than you think. Follow the guidelines above and the recommended practices on the Honeysuckle website, and you will have a beautiful, tender, juicy turkey on your holiday dinner table!
If you like this recipe, be sure to check out my Turkey Stir Fry with Sesame Ginger Dressing, my Lemon Thyme Pan Seared Turkey Breast Cutlets, and my Greek Turkey Taco Lettuce Wraps.
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- Large Stock Pot
- Brining Bag
- Roasting Pan with Roasting Rack
- 3 cups Apple Cider
- Juice from 4 oranges
- 2 gallons Cold Water
- 4 Tablespoons Fresh Rosemary Leaves
- 1 tablespoon crushed sage
- 2 tablespoons minced onions
- 5 cloves Garlic minced
- 1/2 cup Kosher Salt
- 2 cups Brown Sugar
- 2 tablespoons freshly cracked black pepper
- 5 or 6 orange slices
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper optional
- 1 12-14 lb. Honeysuckle White Turkey either fresh or thawed
- 1/2 cup 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
- Kosher Salt
- Garlic Powder
- 2 cups chicken broth
- In a large stock pot over medium-high heat, add the ingredients listed under the Apple Cider Brine heading. Bring the brine to a boil. Then remove the brine from the hot stove and let it cool to room temperature.
- Place the thawed, unwrapped turkey in a brining bag or in a large container, and pour the cooled Apple Cider Brine over the turkey.
- Seal the bag and refrigerate it for 12 to 24 hours. The larger the turkey, the longer it should remain in the brine.
- After the allotted time, remove the turkey from the brine and rinse inside and out.
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- Rub the turkey with softened butter on the outside of the skin all over and under the skin as well.
- Sprinkle the buttered turkey all over with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Wrap the wing tips and the ends of the turkey legs with foil to prevent them from overcooking.
- Place turkey on a rack inside a roasting pan.
- Pour chicken broth into the bottom of the roasting pan.
- Place a foil tent over the turkey and leave it on for the first hour of cooking.
- Place the turkey in a preheated oven. Cook the turkey for about 15 minutes per pound. For a 12-pound turkey, cook for about 3 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees F.
- Remove the turkey from the oven and let it rest for about 30 minutes.
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Round out your holiday dinner with these recipes
turkey
green bean casserole
easy cornbread dressing
squash casserole
pumpkin pie
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What to Serve with the Roast Turkey with Apple Cider Brine?
Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows
Easy Cornbread Dressing (Stuffing)
Lane & Holly @ With Two Spoons says
I love that gorgeous brine! So flavorful!
Michele says
Thank you!
Megan @ MegUnprocessed says
This presentation is just gorgeous!!
Michele says
Thank you Megan!
Michele says
This is calling my name! The apple cider brine makes it look sooooo good!
Michele says
Thanks Michele!
Karen P. says
I bought a frozen Honeysuckle turkey which is already brined. Do I need to reduce the amount of salt in this recipe?
Michele says
Hi Karen, actually if you bought a turkey that is already brined then you don’t need to make a homemade brine. If you still want to do that, then yes I would reduce the salt by at least half.