As mentioned in another thread, wifey wants to try something new. Like usual, this involves something nerve wracking like being bound, wrapped in plastic, and suspended in a mysterious liquid. Unlike usual, it's a turkey and not me this time. It pains me to do something other than deep fry (which is fantastic, as I'm sure you've heard) but in the interest of avoiding a divorce before I get my airplane, I'll roast this year.
We made a brine last night out of water, kosher salt, apple cider vinegar, rosemary, etc. Cooled it to room temperature, then put the turkey in a double plastic bag and poured the brine in. We flipped the bird (ho ho) a couple times so the brine would get other parts soaked and left it overnight.
I preheated the oven to 500, drained the brine and patted the turkey dry, then chucked it into the oven.
My plan is to 500 it for 30 minutes to seal in the juices so they don't drain out, then 350 until the breast is like 150-155 degrees. I figure that it'll continue to heat for a little after I take the turkey out of the oven to rest (never cut into meat immediately after coming out of the oven, that river of liquid pouring out is the moistness you crave) and that in all this, the dark meat should probably be about 140 for at least 15 minutes, which I think is enough to kill the bad stuff.
Any thoughts? I haven't roasted in a while, and my old secrets for good juicy birds have been replaced by things like the "GOOSE A CAT" acronym for VFR airworthiness and the subtly wrong version of ohms law that threatens to send me to the emergency room every time I decide to install a new electrical component in my workshop or car.
