CITRUS BRINED ROAST TURKEY & GRAVY adapted from Pioneer woman
Prep Time: 24 hours 45 mins
BRINE
5 bay leaves
5 garlic cloves, minced
Peel of 3 oranges, plus 1 orange, cut into wedges
1 lemon, cut into wedges
1 lime, cut into wedges
3 cups apple cider
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 cups packed dark brown sugar
1 1/2 cups kosher salt
3 tablespoons tri-color peppercorns
- Combine all the brine ingredients in a large pot with 2 gallons cold water stirring until the sugar and salt COMPLETELY dissolve.
- Bring to a boil, then turn off the heat and cover.
- Let cool completely.
- Pour the cooled brine into a large brining bag or pot.
- Add the turkey and refrigerate for 16 to 24 hours.
- When ready to roast, remove the turkey from the brine.
- Submerge the turkey in a pot of fresh cold water.
- Allow to sit in the clean water for 15 minutes to remove the excess salt.
TURKEY
18-20 pound turkey (reserve the giblets and neck for the gravy)
2 oranges, zested and juiced RESERVE zest and 2nd orange
1 lemon, zested and juiced RESERVE zest
2 sticks salted butter, softened
1 tablespoons finely chopped FRESH Thyme leaves, plus 4 to 5 sprigs (2 for garnish)
2 tablespoons finely chopped FRESH Tarragon leaves, plus 4-5 sprigs (2 for garnish)
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper, to taste
3 cups homemade chicken broth
1 cup dry white wine
- Preheat the oven to 275 ̊.
- Remove the turkey from the water, pat dry and place breast-side up on a roasting rack set in a large roasting pan.
- GENEROUSLY season with FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper.
- Add juice from 1 lemon and 1 orange to the turkey cavity.
- Cover with heavy duty foil.
- Roast 10 minutes per pound.
- Remove turkey from oven and increase the heat to 325 ̊. Discard foil. Don’t worry that the turkey is so pale!
- Combine the butter, thyme leaves, tarragon leaves, salt and pepper in a bowl until well blended.
- Smear the butter mixture all over the skin and into the crevices so that the turkey is totally covered.
- Slice the reserved orange into wedges and place in the cavity of the turkey along with 3 each of the thyme and tarragon sprigs.
- Cross the legs and tie them together with kitchen twine.
- Insert a meat thermometer into the thigh behind the leg joint.
- Pour the chicken broth and wine into the bottom of the pan.
- Roast for 5-7 minutes per pound, basting the turkey every 30 minutes, until the thermometer reads 165 ̊.
- Remove from the oven, cover loosely with foil and let rest for 30 minutes before carving.
- Save the drippings for gravy.
GIBLET GRAVY
Giblet pieces and neck, saved from the uncooked turkey
Drippings from roasted turkey
1/2 cup WONDRA flour (more if needed)
4 cups no-sodium chicken or turkey broth
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper
1 tablespoon each FRESH chopped Tarragon and Thyme leaves
- In a small saucepan cover the giblets and neck with water by 2 inches.
- Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1 hour to cook meat and create the broth for the gravy.
- Remove the giblets and neck from the broth and set aside to be chopped into sell pieces when cool enough to touch.
- Set the broth in the saucepan aside for later.
While the turkey is resting pour all the drippings from the turkey roasting pan into a bowl and let the drippings sit and separate naturally, then use a ladle to carefully separate the fat from the liquid drippings (the fat will be on top, while the drippings will settle at the bottom).
- When ready to make the gravy, return the pan to the stove over medium low flame.
- Add 1 cup of the fat to the pan.
- Sprinkle the flour all over the fat and immediately begin whisking it around to make a smooth roux that is not too oily or pasty by adding more fat or flour as necessary.
- Whisk it slowly for a few minutes, allowing it to cook to a deep golden brown color.
- Once the roux is ready, pour in 1 cup of the drippings (the gel from under the fat) and the chicken or turkey broth, whisking constantly, cooking 7-8 minutes until thickened.
- While gravy is simmering, use your fingers to remove as much of the neck meat as you can and chop up the giblets into fine pieces.
- Add as much of the meat to the gravy as you desire.
- If the gravy seems too thick, add more broth and/or a little of the reserved giblet broth (the water used to cook the giblets.)
- Taste and adjust seasoning.
To complete our Thanksgiving meal I also traditionally make Sourdough Oatnut herb dressing, Homemade Cranberry Sauce and our Family Favorite Mashed Potatoes.
This is my Snowman Family arranged from 2 different years. They were so muh fun to make out of second hand store finds. The were also a lot of work. I only made two families, shipping one to a friend who lives in Florida and never sees snow 😀
We made candle yule logs for Advent craft night at church one year and they were a HUGE success and soooooooo easy to do. The decorations below are a few of my all time favorites, several of which I’ve made over the years.
The ornaments below are some of our homemade bulbs. Several years ago I made quite a few and then did them with my girl scout troop also. Hubby liked them so well that we have now donated all our store bought bulbs and made enough of these for the entire tree. 
My cousin that passed away in 2014 made the ornament below for me. It will always be hung by my shooting stars in her honor even though I’m still mad at her for leaving the mess called A HOUSE FROM HELL for me to deal with.
And our handmade ornament by Design Chick Creations.
