Best Turkey Recipes for Thanksgiving Dinner

Wow your guests this Thanksgiving with the best turkey recipes and preparation ingredients, courtesy of Redner’s Markets.

Best Thanksgiving Turkey

Prep Time: 20 min; Cook Time: 3 ½ – 4 hrs; Rest Time: 15 min; Total Time: 4 hrs, 15 min

Ingredients:

• 2 TBSP butter
• 2 ½ TBSP parsley, dried
• 2 TBSP rosemary, dried
• 2 TBSP sage, dried
• 2 TBSP thyme, dried
• 1 ½ TBSP lemon pepper
• 1 TBSP salt
• 1 turkey (about 15 lbs.)
• 1 lemon, sliced into wedges
• 1 onion, chopped roughly
• 1 carrot, chopped roughly
• 3 celery stalks, chopped roughly
• 1 bottle of Chardonnay
• 1 can chicken broth

Instructions:

1. Before beginning preparation, remove the turkey from the fridge and allow it to rest for about thirty minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°.
3. Place aluminum foil in your roaster with enough overlap to wrap the turkey.
4. Mix your dried seasonings in a small bowl – parsley, rosemary, sage, thyme, lemon pepper, and salt.
5. Rub the butter all over the turkey, especially within the cavity.
6. Rub the seasoning mixture all over the turkey, including the cavity.
7. Place the lemon wedges, onion pieces, chopped carrots, and chopped celery into the cavity and tie the legs with kitchen string.
8. Put the turkey on the foil inside the roasting pan and top with Chardonnay and broth.
9. Wrap the turkey in the overlapped aluminum foil with space between the turkey and the foil.
10. Cook for about 3 hours. Uncover the turkey and cook another half hour to an hour when the juices are clear. Before taking the turkey out of the oven, make sure that the temperature reaches 180° at the thigh near the bone.
11. LET YOUR TURKEY REST for at least 10 minutes before you carve it.

Smoked Turkey Recipe

Active Time: 1 hr, 15 min; Total Time: 5 hrs, 30 min

Ingredients:

• 2 gallons of water (½ gallon + 1 ½ gallon)
• 1 ½ cups salt + 1 tsp salt
• 15 lb turkey (thawed and prepared by removing giblets and neck bone)
• Onion, chopped in large chunks
• 2 garlic cloves, halved
• 2 lemons, quartered
• Sage, a few pieces
• 1 ½ TBSP olive oil
• ¾ cup apple cider vinegar

Instructions:

1. Cook the half gallon of water and 1 ½ cups of salt on medium heat until the salt is completely dissolved. This will take about 2-3 minutes.
2. Pour this mixture into a very large container that will hold the turkey and fit in the fridge. Add the rest of the water. This mixture is the brine for the turkey.
3. Add the turkey and weigh it down with a plate on top of it to bury it in the water.
4. Cover the container and allow it to set in the fridge for at least 14 hours.
5. Take the turkey out of the brine and pat it dry. Let it stand at room temperature for an hour.
6. Prepare for smoking by stuffing the onion, garlic, lemon, and sage in the turkey cavity and rubbing the exterior with olive oil. Sprinkle the bird with salt, and tie the legs.
7. Vent the smoker wide open. Start a charcoal fire with coals on one side until the temp reaches 300°F to 325°F for at least 15 min. Put the soaked chips on the coals.
8. Position the turkey breast side up on the grate on the side opposite the coals, with the legs facing the coals.
9. Smoke covered for about 3 hours, basting with vinegar every half hour. The temp should remain between 300°F and 325°F. Cook until the temp reads 155°F.
10. Before carving, let the turkey rest for at least half an hour.

Go Easy with Chef Tim’s from Redner’s Markets

Chef Tim’s Catering options include a Hand-Carved Turkey Breast Meal for $10 per serving. Please order a minimum of 6 servings.

If you’re ready to begin shopping for the ingredients needed to make the best turkey recipes for Thanksgiving dinner, click here.