Pavo Recipe

Prepare the turkey: remove neck and giblets from the cavity (reserve for gravy if desired). Rinse the turkey inside and out under cold water, then pat dry thoroughly with paper towels.

Make the brine: in a large pot, combine 1 liter of water with kosher salt and brown sugar over medium heat, stirring until dissolved. Remove from heat and add remaining cold water to cool the brine to room temperature. Add bay leaves, peppercorns, crushed garlic, rosemary and thyme.

Submerge the turkey in the brine: place turkey in a brining bag or large nonreactive container and pour the cooled brine over it, ensuring the bird is fully submerged. Refrigerate or keep in a very cold place for 8–12 hours (overnight).

After brining, remove the turkey from the brine, discard the brine, and thoroughly rinse the turkey under cold water. Pat dry completely inside and out with paper towels and let rest on a rack in the fridge uncovered for 1–2 hours to dry the skin (this helps crisping).

Preheat the oven to 170°C (335°F).

Make the herb butter: in a bowl, combine the softened butter, olive oil, chopped parsley, sage, thyme, lemon zest, minced garlic, ground black pepper and 2 teaspoons salt. Mix until smooth and well incorporated.

Apply butter under skin

Gently loosen the skin over the breast by sliding your fingers between the skin and the meat, taking care not to tear it. Spread about two-thirds of the herb butter under the skin over the breast meat. Rub the remaining butter all over the exterior skin and legs.

Truss the turkey: tuck the wing tips under the body and tie the legs together with kitchen twine. Stuff the cavity with the quartered onion, carrot pieces, celery pieces, lemon halves and the extra rosemary and thyme sprigs.

Prepare the roasting pan: pour 500 ml of chicken or turkey stock into the bottom of a large roasting pan and arrange a roasting rack inside. Place the turkey breast-side up on the rack.

Roast the turkey: transfer to the oven and roast at 170°C (335°F). Estimated roasting time is about 13–15 minutes per 500 g (about 3–3.5 hours for a 5 kg bird). Begin checking temperature after 2.5 hours. Baste occasionally with pan juices (every 30–45 minutes) to keep skin moist. If the breast skin browns too quickly, tent loosely with foil.

Optional glaze: during the last 30 minutes of roasting, whisk together honey, orange juice and smoked paprika. Brush the glaze over the breast and legs every 10 minutes until the turkey reaches final temperature and the glaze is sticky and browned.

Check doneness: the turkey is done when an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh (not touching bone) reads 75°C (165°F), and the breast reads about 68–71°C (155–160°F) — the temperature will rise slightly during resting.

Rest the turkey: remove from oven and transfer to a cutting board. Tent loosely with foil and let rest for 20–30 minutes before carving. Reserve pan juices for gravy or serving.