The Best Turkey Ever with No-Fault Gravy

This is the best of the best turkey recipes I've ever seen and guess what? It's my adult daughter's creation. Ever since she shared this with us we have enjoyed the moistest and tastiest  turkeys ever. This past Thanksgiving, she was actually in town and we got to taste her version firsthand. The one below is my morph. It's a guaranteed winner. If you need a larger amount of turkey for your feast, cook two instead of one big one. Be sure you have a digital thermometer.

A DAY OR TWO AHEAD OF TIME:
Prepare a brine for your 16-lb turkey. Using a large lobster pot, place your unwrapped turkey (with innards removed) inside and fill with water. Temporarily remove the turkey as you add brine ingredients to the pot.
- 2 cups Kosher salt
- 2 cups sugar
Stir to dissolve, then add up to 2 heads of garlic, roughly chopped (no worry about peeling away skin, you will discard later)
Place the turkey back in the pot and cover. If you live in a cold climate like Minnesota in the winter, you can just chill the pot in the garage. Otherwise, refrigerate. 

A COUPLE HOURS BEFORE COOKING:
Bring turkey to room-ish temp by placing in sink with cold water. Discard the contents of the brine pot. Pat turkey dry and preheat oven to 325. Form a thick ring of heavy duty foil in the shape of a "U" and place in the bottom of roasting pan.

Microwave 1 stick unsalted butter til soft, place in small bowl. Make paste by adding large handful of fresh rosemary and one other fresh herb like oregano or sage. Turn turkey over so breast is on top and carefully insert hand to separate skin. Shove paste between turkey body and skin. Place turkey breast-side down onto foil ring in roasting pan and place 1 & 1/2 garlic heads (cut in half) inside the bird.

Butter the exterior of the bird and salt and pepper to taste.

COOKING:
Place turkey in preheated oven and set timer for 1 hour. At that time, baste with chicken or beef broth (whatever you have on hand) cover entire body to keep wet. Set timer for another 1/2 hour and check to see if bird is browning too quickly. Add foil to wings if necessary and baste again using drippings in pan in addition to broth.  Set the timer for another 20 minutes. When timer dings again, check temperature. You want the turkey internal temp to read 165 when digital thermometer is inserted in the thickest part of the body. Continue to cook in 10+ minute increments and baste until the bird registers 165 in two different spots. It will take under 3 hours - sometimes faster.

Remove the turkey from the oven and let rest up to 20 minutes before carving.

NO FAULT GRAVY
No more cans or jars, you can do this in your large skillet!

Melt one stick unsalted butter with 3 cubes of chicken bouillon (or equivalent) over medium heat. Whisk in up to 1/4 cups Wondra. Enough to make a sand consistency and bring to boil for 1 minute. Add turkey drippings if available, add 1 carton reduced fat chicken broth and stir in 1/4 heavy cream and salt and pepper to taste, return to boil and stir til thickened. Reduce to simmer for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.

You can add all kinds of other fun to the gravy like fresh parsley, sautéed mushrooms or onions. Or... all of the above.

Are you kidding? Spot LOVES this meal cuz she gets all kinds of scraps! Depending on how many eaters, you'll enjoy leftovers for sandwiches or casseroles. When reheating, be sure to drizzle with more broth to keep it moist.