Cheesecloth Herb Butter Turkey Recipe
Want the best roast turkey for your holiday table? This Cheesecloth Herb Butter Turkey Recipe makes a stunning roast turkey. Perfectly crisp on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside.
Ingredients
- 23 lb. Canadian Turkey or the size that is appropriate for your family
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 1 bouquet garni of rosemary thyme and sage
- 1 large celery stalk washed and cut into large chunks
- 1 carrot washed but not peeled, cut into large chunks
- 1 large onion cut into large chunks
Herb Garlic Butter
- 1/3 cup butter salted
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tsp. Kosher salt
- 1 Tbsp. each rosemary thyme, and sage, minced
- Freshly ground black pepper
For the cheesecloth
- 1 bottle of white wine I chose a pinot grigio
- 1 1/2 lb. of unsalted butter melted
- package of cheesecloth
Instructions
Cheesecloth Herb Butter Turkey Recipe
- 1. Remove the giblets and neck and reserve to make gravy. Rinse the turkey in cold water inside and out. Pat dry and let rest in roasting pan for up to 2 hours at room temperature.
- 2. Preheat oven to 450F and move rack to the lowest level in the oven.
- 3. Combine the ingredients for the herb butter. Salt and pepper the inside of the turkey. Add in the bouquet garni, carrots, celery, and onions. Place legs together with the skin provided or tie together with kitchen twine.
- 4. Fold the wings under the turkey. Lightly salt and pepper turkey. Rub with the herb garlic butter.
- 5. Fold the cheesecloth into a 17" square, give or take to fit your turkey. It needs to be 4 layers. Cut if needed.
- 6. Combine the melted butter and white wine in a large pot or bowl. Dip cheesecloth in and let soak. Squeeze is out slightly and leaving it very damp. Drape over the breast of the turkey and halfway down the sides.
- 7. Place turkey in the oven and roast for 30 minutes.
- 8. Remove, lower the temperature to 350F. Baste the turkey with a baster with more of the wine/butter mixture and return to the oven.
Keep on Basting!!
- 9. Remove the turkey every 30 minutes and baste with the wine/butter mixture. After 1 1/2 hours rotate the turkey.
- 10. Continue basting every 30 minutes. At the 3 hour mark remove the turkey, baste and gently remove the cheesecloth; discard. Return to the oven but rotate again.
- 11. Continue basting and now start to check the temperature after the 4th hour. Once the thigh in the thickest part reads 180F, the turkey is done and needs to rest for 20-30 minutes.
- 12. At this time you can make your gravy, finish off your sides and prepare for the final presentation of the turkey. Follow along in my Roast Turkey 101 post to make the stock for the gravy and the actual gravy.
Notes
Also, visit Canadian Turkey for additional tips and recipes.
Nutrition
Serving: 1Calories: 1131kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 130gFat: 60gSaturated Fat: 26gPolyunsaturated Fat: 30gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 565mgSodium: 724mgSugar: 1g
Nutrition calculation is an estimation only. If you need nutritional calculations for medical reasons, please use a source that you trust.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!