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A roasted buttermilk brined turkey on a serving platter styled with orange slices and bay leaves.
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Buttermilk Brined Turkey

An easy-to-follow recipe guides you to make the juiciest of turkeys for a truly triumphant holiday roast. 
Prep Time35 minutes
Cook Time2 hours
Brining Time1 day
Total Time1 day 2 hours 35 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: buttermilk brined turkey, roast turkey
Servings: 12
Author: Julia Frey of Vikalinka

Equipment

Ingredients

For the brine

  • 4½ kg / 10lb turkey
  • 1½ litre / 1½ quart buttermilk or kefir
  • 1 litre / 1 quart cold water
  • 150g / 1/2 cup salt
  • 2-3 This is an affiliate link.bay leaves
  • 1 tsp peppercorns

To prepare the turkey for roasting

  • 50g / 3-4 tbsp chopped herbs a mix of sage, rosemary, thyme and parsley
  • 4-5 cloves garlic
  • 1 lemon zest only

Instructions

  • Start the process a day ahead. You will need a plastic bag large enough hold your turkey in the brine and either a bucket or a large baking pan. 24 hours before roasting your turkey combine the buttermilk, cold water, crumpled bay leaves, whole peppercorns and salt in a large container. Place the plastic bag inside a bucket or a roasting pan, then put the turkey in the bag the breast side down.
  • Now pour the brine over it, seal the bag and make sure most of your turkey is completely submerged in the brine but especially the breast. Place in the fridge overnight. Do not brine the turkey longer than 24 hours.
  • On the day of roasting take the turkey out of the brine and discard the brine, now wipe the brine of the bird with paper towel to ensure the skin as dry as possible. Preheat the oven to its highest temperature-220C/450F.
  • Prepare the herb and garlic butter by chopping by the herbs finely and grating the garlic cloves or using a garlic press. You can also use a small food processor for this task like I do. In a medium bowl mix together softened butter, herb and garlic mix, lemon zest and salt together.
  • Gently Gently back the skin that is covering turkey breast, grab a handful of the herb and garlic butter and spread it all over the breast under the skin, repeat until the whole surface is covered. Use the rest of the herb rub for the surface of the turkey and the cavity if you have any leftover. Cut the lemon you zested in half and place inside the cavity.
  • Slide a piece of kitchen twine under the turkey, bring the legs and together tie them with a twine, you can also run the twine along the side of the bird so the thighs also stay tucked in. (Watch the video in the recipe card for demonstration of this technique.)
  • Sprinkle the surface of the turkey with flaky salt like Maldon or kosher salt. This will season the bird and provide crispy skin.
  • Put the turkey in the oven and immediately turn the temperature down to 350F/180C.
 Roast until the thickest part of turkey breast and turkey thigh reach an internal temperature of 165F/75C. Allow for 20 minutes per lbs/1/2 kg of roasting time. Baste with turkey juices every 30 minutes or so.

Nutrition

Calories: 533kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 65g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 235mg | Sodium: 5213mg | Potassium: 1056mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 443IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 218mg | Iron: 6mg