Serves 8

Prep Time – 3 hr | Start preparations 3 days in advance of meal

Ingredients

• 1 (10-pound) whole fresh turkey, giblets and neck removed and reserved for stock

Turkey Stock

• Giblets and neck from 1 turkey
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup port wine
• 1 cup roughly chopped onions
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped carrots
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped celery
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 5 peppercorns
• Water, to cover

To Stuff the Turkey

• 1 stick butter, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves
• 2 apples, quartered and cored
• 1 onion, peeled and quartered
• 2 rosemary sprigs
• 3 sprigs sage
• Olive oil, for drizzling

For the Roasting Pan & Gravy

• 1 cup cubed carrots
• 1 cup cubed celery
• 1 cup cubed onions
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup Madeira wine
• 4 cups turkey stock (recipe follows)
• 1 sprig thyme
• 2 sprigs parsley

Beurre-manie

• (2 ounces butter mixed with 2 ounces flour until it forms a soft dough)
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

Thawing the turkey (four days prior to roasting)

• Place turkey in refrigerator.

Turkey Stock

Used for gravy (two days prior to roasting)

1. Heat a saucepan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the olive oil and heat. Add the neck and giblets and cook until browned all over, about 7 minutes.
2. Remove the pan from the heat and deglaze with the port. Return the pan to the heat and cook until the port is almost completely evaporated, about 10 minutes.
3. Add the carrots, onions, celery, rosemary and peppercorns. Cover with cold water by 4-inches. Bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat to a simmer, and simmer for 2 hours, adding a little more water, if necessary. Skim any scum that rises to the surface of the stock and discard.
5. Strain the stock. Use immediately, or cool and refrigerate for up to 4 days.

Prep Turkey for Roasting

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. In a shallow roasting pan, place the carrots, celery and onions.
3. Rinse off salt and bay leaf brine. Dry thoroughly with plenty of paper towel.
4. Mix together the butter, garlic, chopped rosemary, and sage to make a compound butter. Using your hands, loosen to the skin from the breast by gently inserting your fingers between the skin and the flesh. Rub the compound butter underneath the skin. Insert the apples, onions, and whole rosemary and sage into the cavity of the turkey.
5. Place the turkey on a rack over the vegetables, breast-side up, in the roasting pan. Tuck the wings back and under the turkey. Using kitchen twine, tie the legs together. This will make a compact shape and will create a great presentation.
6. Drizzle the turkey with olive oil and rub it into the skin. Tent the breast and legs with foil.
7. Roast the turkey for 45 minutes at 450º. Lower temperature to 225º and roast for 45 minutes per pound.
8. Turkey is done when it reaches 165º.
9. Transfer turkey to a platter and cover with foil.

Pan gravy

1. Tilt the pan and skim as much fat as possible off the juice with a spoon. Set the pan on 2 burners set on medium heat. Deglaze roasting pan with white wine and Madeira. Scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen any brown bits.
2. Reduce until only a quarter remains.
3. Add the turkey stock, thyme and parsley. Bring to a boil and strain into a saucepan.
4. Bring back to a boil, skim and lower to a simmer.
5. Whisk in the beurre-manie until well incorporated and continue to cook until gravy has thickened.
6. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

By Dad

Adapted from Wolfgang Puck, Martha Stewart

Post I made on Chowhound

I’ve prepared our family turkey for the past dozen years or so. This thread was inspired me to slow roast our (Canadian) Thanksgiving turkey two weekends ago. It turned out super juicy and only after they thoroughly enjoyed it did inform my family of the roasting method.

I started defrosting the frozen turkey (23 pounds) on the Monday. Thursday evening, I opened the package to wash it and dry it completely with paper towel. Giblets were set aside for turkey stock. I then followed Martha Stewart’s dry brining with salt and bay leaves instructions (http://www.marthastewart.com/317581/r…) and left it in the refrigerator for two days uncovered.

I also followed portions of Wolfgang Puck’s recipe (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/br…) for the turkey stock, preparations for roasting and the gravy.

Saturday morning I prepared the turkey stock which forms the base of the the gravy. I doubled Wolfgang Puck’s turkey stock ingredients to produce enough gravy for a large crowd. I slowly reduced the stock until only two cups remained.

Saturday evening I washed the bird again to remove the brine, dried it thoroughly with paper towel and followed Wolfgang’s instructions for seasoning the bird and vegetables for the roasting pan. Into the oven it went at 11:15pm with a small piece of foil over the breast. 

Our bird was 23 pounds. I roasted it at 450º for about 45 minutes, then turned it down to 225º for 45 minutes per pound which worked out to roughly 17 hours. I raised the temperature to 300º for the final hour. I added the pan juices to the stock and reduced it further to thicken the gravy. A 45 minute drive (at about the 12 hour mark) to take it over to my parent’s home didn’t cause a problem. 

We ate the turkey Sunday afternoon at 4pm and happily both dark meat and breast lovers were pleased. 

Thanks everyone for contributing to this thread.