Whole Roast Turkey

THAW THE TURKEY:
Make sure the turkey is at least half way thawed, if it was frozen. In the fridge a 5kg turkey will take 2 days to get half thawed or submerge it in a leak proof bag in a sink of water. Change the water every 30 minutes for 3-4 hours and it should be good to go.
DRY BRINE THE TURKEY:
Pat the turkey dry all over and inside with paper towel.
Drizzle about 1 teaspoon of the oil onto the turkey and use your hands to massage it all over.
Sprinkle over the salt patting it on as you go to stick it to the turkey. Push the herbs into the cavity.
Use a skewer to poke small holes all over the breast and leg about 2 inches apart.
Place the turkey onto a large baking tray or baking dish, uncovered and chill for 48 hours.
ROAST THE TURKEY:
Take the turkey out of the fridge 1 hour before you want to begin cooking (this takes the chill off and helps it cook more evenly).
Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F. Place a large rack over a large baking sheet or casserole dish. Make sure you have enough room in the oven to fit your turkey on a baking sheet.
The turkey skin will look darker and dried out now and will be tighter on the turkey.
Tuck 1 quarter of onion inside the turkey. Twist and tuck the wing tips underneath the back and tie the ends of the drumsticks together with kitchen twine.
Transfer the turkey to your prepared baking sheet and tuck the remaining onions around the turkey. Pour 2 cups of chicken stock into the pan. Gently rub the remaining oil all over the breast, wings and legs without rubbing away any salt that’s there.
Make a large tent of aluminium foil to cover the turkey and rub some oil over the underside. Place it over the turkey, sealing it at the edges of the tray but keeping it as loose as possible over the turkey.
Carefully transfer it to the oven and roast. It will need around 23 minutes per kilogram (~2lbs) total. For my 5kg turkey, a total of 1 hour 55 minutes.
When there is approximately 60 minutes to go, remove the foil and insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the breast without touching the bone. Continue cooking and remove it from the oven when the thermometer hits 72C / 160F. The temperature is more important than roasting time. If any parts of the turkey are darkening too quickly, cover them with foil.
REST:
Rest the turkey on a platter for 45-60 minutes before serving. This will help redistribute the juices and don’t worry, it will still stay hot inside. If your house is very cold, you can cover it with aluminium foil but keep in mind this could cause the skin to soften. Any drippings in the pan can be used to make gravy.
This is a good time to add anything to the oven that needs to roast.
FOR THE GRAVY:
Measure all the pan drippings by straining them through a sieve into a measuring jug. Top the jug up with chicken stock to make 3 ½ cups total.
Add all the juices to a large saucepan, including all the onions from the roasting pan. Add the garlic clove, if using and you can even add the herbs from inside the turkey if you like.
Place over high heat and bring to a boil, pressing the onions down with a spatula to crush their flavour into the gravy.
Scatter over the flour and whisk until fully incorporated. Continue at a high-simmer for at least 2 minutes then more until thickened to your liking.
Taste, add pepper if you like (it shouldn’t need salt).
Strain the gravy to remove any solids and serve with the carved turkey.
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Ingredients

FOR THE GRAVY

Equipment

Instructions

Notes