Instructions

Instructions for Turkey Prep

1. Begin by making a butter paste using a diced stick of softened butter, a little salt and cracked black pepper to taste, three cloves of minced garlic, two teaspoons each of freshly chopped thyme, parsley, and oregano, and one teaspoon of rosemary.
2. Add the zest of one lemon or orange if you prefer and using a fork, mash it together into a rough paste drizzle in a couple tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and blend it into a fairly smooth paste.
3. Once your paste is made, remove the neck, and spare parts from the inside of the turkey. Save these for later, it's what will make our gravy so amazing. It's time to rub the turkey down inside and out with some olive oil, which will help it to brown up nicely and help it retain some moisture.
4. Add a little salt and pepper inside the cavity.
5. Using your fingers gently separate the skin from the flesh on about sixty percent of your turkey; at the fronts and backs of the breasts and thighs.
6. Where you separated the skin, begin to take small portions of your paste and liberally pack it inside, using your hands to spread it around. This is going to keep our turkey moist and give it tons of awesome flavor. Don't leave the cavity out, make sure to coat the inside well.
7. And we're ready to chop our aromatics, a little celery, a couple onions, a green apple quartered, one red bell pepper, a few cloves of garlic, and some fresh herbs; some rosemary, sage, and thyme. Stuff whatever will fit, inside of your turkey and the rest will go in your roasting pan.
8. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and place in the refrigerator over night.

   

Instructions for Roasting

1. Pre-heat your oven to 225°F.
2. Place your turkey in a roasting pan, along with aromatics, apple cider and apple cider vinegar.
3. Put your roasting pan in the oven, uncovered and begin to cook at 225°F.
4. After the first 25 minutes, mop the juices over your turkey and then lower the temperature of your oven to 180°F.
5. Continue roasting until the internal temperature in the thickest part of a breast reaches 160-165°F (about 20 minutes per pound); basting every 30-45 minutes.
6. During the last hour of cooking, add in fresh portobello mushrooms or any other vegetables you'd like to add to the flavor of your gravy.
7. Once your turkey reaches an internal temperature of 165°F in the thickest part of the breast, remove from the oven and allow it to rest for 30-45 minutes.
8. Carve the turkey, prepare a turkey gravy if desired and enjoy!