For those who want to let the side dishes do the talking, this is the bird for you. It’s incredibly simple—just salt, pepper, a little thyme, and brown sugar, which helps achieve that golden-brown skin—and dry-brined, or heavily seasoned. The turkey is roasted on a sheet pan while chopped onions, garlic, lemon, and herbs are strewn inside and outside the bird to cook it simultaneously. They’re excellent served alongside the turkey, and are instrumental in flavoring the sheet-pan gravy.
My response to your message was blocked for potentially violating safety policies. I apologize for any inconvenience.
Private NotesLeave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.
I get nervous when I cook turkey on a sheet pan because I can just picture it tipping slightly and spilling all the delicious gravy-making goodness. Is there any reason I cant do this recipe in my roasting pan?.
The poor birds will be at 165 degrees, if not much higher, when you take them out of the oven, and they will continue to rise from the residual heat as they rest. So why are we aiming for 160 degrees before turning up the heat and browning? With all of that, wouldn’t the breast meat be as dry as the Sahara and well into the 170s?
a roasting pan isnt nearly as trendy as the ubiquitous sheet pan :-). go ahead, swim against the current, use the roasting pan & save the sheet pan for cookies.
The item in the giblet bag that are being referred to as kidneys is actually the gizzard. It is a muscular organ that is used to grind food, like seeds, so that the bird’s stomach can digest it. The kidneys in birds are two relative diffuse looking structures on the underside of the pelvic bone. They do not look like kidneys from a mammal which are usually bean shaped organs.
How should you adjust the cooking time for a 10-12 pound turkey?
The seasoning on this sounds great. When I first looked at the picture, I thought the turkey had been spatchcocked, but after reading the recipe, I realized that wasn’t the case. However, for those of us who would be extremely uncomfortable handling a whole, upright turkey on a flat sheet pan, this is a great idea. By placing everything but the turkey in a colander set over a bowl, you could capture the cooking juices just as easily and the turkey would cook more quickly and evenly in terms of light and dark meat. I might test this out.
I would use the deep roasting pan, but I would raise the wire rack by supporting each corner of the wire rack with an overturned individual souffle mold, or something similar. That will allow better browning of the turkey while giving plenty of room for the liquid below. (Dont try this with one of those flimsy disposable aluminum pans. ) The kidneys are not in the giblet bag; theyre inside the turkey. Use your fingers to remove them and discard them. They are extremely bitter and are NOT edible.
We celebrated Thanksgiving early yesterday because some family members couldn’t make it on Thursday. I made her turkey AND stuffing and got RAVE reviews. Also made her excellent gravy and it was declared outstanding. Probably the best Thanksgiving meal I have put on the table. Thank you, Alison!.
No. Thanksgiving is fraught enough without shredding our nerves any more than we have to.
It occurs to me that the pan juices from a dry-brined bird would be far too salted for use in turkey broth or gravy. And I agree with other posts that it would be safer to use a roasting pan and rack. I think the sheet-pan cooking is a trademark of Alison Romans.
I followed the preparation and dry brine instructions, but I roasted the two turkey breasts and two turkey thighs for 60 minutes on a sheet pan using a Mark Bittman 450 oven. The turkey and the sheet pan gravy was delicious, as was Alison Roman’s dressing. Her Thanksgiving video is a great watch even if you’re not roasting a turkey.
No. Those self basting turkey products are actually brined, so they contain salt, and a fair amount of it. Check the label carefully. It would be easy to have an over salted disaster. Once you try a good quality fresh, unprocessed turkey, you will never look back.
For those who find roasting a turkey on a sheet pan unbelievable, a large number of people do not possess a large turkey roasting pan. I myself do not own one, and the foil ones sold at the supermarket are flimsy. I appreciate a recipe using materials that everyone has access to. And make it in a roasting pan if you want, I bet Alison doesn’t care!.
13 lb. bird. Spatchcocked (ie butterflied). Dry brined w/ salt & pepper only for 24 hours. On the grill for 1 hour. Finished w/ lemon juice, fresh thyme & sage. Fantastic.
Im a little shocked at how nasty some of the commenters are to the recipe creator. I think its exciting to have new techniques to try and I enjoy trying new tools. Why not? If you have a traditional way you like to do it, fine. But, no need to be disparaging. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
I’ve made this turkey three times in a row, and each time it gets better and better! I’ve developed the habit of making a small amount extra dry rub, adding some onions, lemons, and garlic halves to it, and then stuffing it. Its a small detail, but the turkey has never been more flavorful. I also cook it at 375 for a shorter amount of time uncovered. It gets beautifully brown and doesnt dry out, its amazing!.
I used parts only for a quick dip
I’ve used this recipe 3x and it’s a hit each time. I do take a couple of liberties— I used a rack / roasting pan instead of the sheet. I also skip the vinegar soy and opt for a white wine instead. This gravy is amazing on the turkey and even more so on mashed potatoes.
I have made this twice, once with a sheet pan and once with a deep roasting pan. The sheet pan time was much better because there are so many pieces of garlic, onions, and other vegetables that caramelize beautifully thanks to the sheet pan’s larger surface area.
Best turkey I ever had. My turkey had no legs(!) so I was worried about dry breast meat. I even overcooked it where the internal temp was past 170. I used a Gordon Ramsey tip to let it rest as long as I cooked it. The result was so moist, tender and flavorful breast meat. Prior to baking, I removed the spine and back bones and used them to create a delicious stock for the gravy. If I was gonna slice the bird before bringing to the table, it didn’t need those bones. I loved the dry brine.
Ive never tried dry-brining before. I usually use turkey backs to make a large amount of turkey ahead of time, but this year I haven’t found any! I also like my turkey spatchcocked! Will dry brining a spatchcocked turkey yield comparable results, and have people ever experienced the drippings being overly salty?
Spatchcocking should not change the recipe. I essentially did that and had perfect results. I did not find the drippings too salty. Be sure to use kosher salt. A lot of brown liquid comes out after dry brining for 24 hrs. You dump that. I bet it has a lot of the salt and sugar. My stock had no added salt. That helped.
Im a little shocked at how nasty some of the commenters are to the recipe creator. I think its exciting to have new techniques to try and I enjoy trying new tools. Why not? If you have a traditional way you like to do it, fine. But, no need to be disparaging. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
Thank you for saying this. I was thinking the same thing!
Had a 17 1/2 pound turkey. Cooked longer than it says here. Excellent! Didnt use gravy recipe — but it was very very good. Used gluten free flour mix and xanthan gum and chicken broth. The scrapings added a fabulous touch.
I loved this recipe, while it was salty is was delicious when paired with the uberly rich sides.
I followed the instructions and used the sheet pan to make a delicious and moist bird that was highly appreciated by my peanut gallery. Could you use Gravy Master instead of soy sauce for the gravy? This is a question I have for a friend. S. I really miss Alison Roman on NYT Cooking. So glad her recipes are still available.
Took out just shy of 4.5 hours- registered closer to 170
For those who find roasting a turkey on a sheet pan unbelievable, a large number of people do not possess a large turkey roasting pan. I myself do not own one, and the foil ones sold at the supermarket are flimsy. I appreciate a recipe using materials that everyone has access to. And make it in a roasting pan if you want, I bet Alison doesn’t care!.
I made this and adjusted the times because I had a smaller bird. Ive never had a turkey come out so evenly browned. Perfect turkey skin! Definitely let your turkey REST because it needs it. I made the mistake of cutting it after only 15 minutes and the juices still ran out.
Turkey was good. Go easy on salt given all the other seasonings. Gravy was a bit salty – would do more vinegar/ less soy sauce next time.
I baked this turkey for Thanksgiving this year and it was the best turkey Ive ever made. Thank you, Alison!Private notes are only visible to you.
or to save this recipe.
Ratings4 out of 5987 user ratingsYour rating
or to rate this recipe.Have you cooked this?
or to mark this recipe as cooked.
A Turkey Recipe That Solves All Your Turkey Problems | Home Movies with Alison Roman
FAQ
Does the entire turkey need to be submerged in brine?
Do you have to refrigerate while brining a turkey?
Do you rinse a turkey after brining?