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Spruced-up Turkey




Source of Recipe


from Patrick O'Connell, author of "Patrick O'Connell's Refined American Cuisine"


List of Ingredients




1¼ cups kosher salt

3¼ cups sugar

2 cups honey

2 lemons, cut in half

6 sprigs fresh parsley

6 sprigs fresh dill

6 sprigs fresh thyme

6 sprigs fresh tarragon

6 sprigs fresh sage

3 sprigs fresh rosemary

2 tablespoons mustard seeds

2 tablespoons fennel seeds

2 whole cinnamon sticks

5 whole bay leaves

8 whole cloves

1 tablespoon juniper berries

1 tablespoon whole cardamom pods

2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns

5 whole star anise

1 tablespoon whole allspice



Recipe



One 2-foot-long blue or Norway spruce branch, washed and cut into small pieces

One 1-foot-long piece of sassafras root, washed and cut into small pieces, or 3 to 4 ounces loose sassafras tea

2 gallons boiling water

Turkey

1 fresh turkey, about 18 to 20 pounds

2 pounds (8 sticks) butter, melted and warm

Instructions:

Make the brine by combining all of the ingredients, except the boiling water, in a 5-gallon heat-proof container large enough to hold the turkey.

Pour the boiling water over the brine ingredients and let the mixture cool to room temperature. Submerge the turkey in the brine, cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Remove the turkey from the brine and rinse it off under cold water. Place the turkey in a roasting pan.

Carefully dip one 2-foot-by-2-foot square of cheesecloth into the melted butter and lay it on top of the turkey.

Place the turkey in the oven and roast 3 hours to 4 hours, basting the cheesecloth with melted butter about every 30 minutes.

The turkey is done when a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 160 degrees. Remove the turkey from the oven and allow it to rest for 30 minutes.

Carefully remove the cheesecloth and place the turkey on a serving platter. Surround the platter with spruce branches.

Serves: 12 to 14