Easy Roasted Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe

All you need to make roasted herb butter turkey perfectly! This easy Thanksgiving turkey recipe is juicy and flavorful, with crispy skin.

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In a large stock pot large enough to fit the turkey, stir together 2 gallons (7.5 L) of water and 2 1/2 cups (128 g) kosher salt. Submerge the turkey in the brine. Refrigerate for 10 to 12 hours.
When the turkey is done brining, drain the water and pat dry. Place the turkey onto a roasting pan with a roasting rack.

In a small bowl, mash together the softened butter, sage, rosemary, thyme, minced garlic, lemon zest, sea salt and black pepper.
Use your hands under the skin of the turkey to separate the skin from the meat underneath. (Be careful not to tear the skin.)
Spread half of the butter all over the turkey underneath the skin. Spread the other half over the skin all over.

Position the oven rack on a low position, so that there is enough room for the turkey. The top of the turkey should end up just slightly higher than the middle when placed in the oven later. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees F).
Place the turkey in the oven and roast. Check the roasted turkey time chart in the blog post for the amount of time to roast without foil and the remaining time with foil. For a 12 lb turkey, that's 45 minutes uncovered followed by about 2 1/4 hours covered. To cover, tent the top of the turkey with foil, shiny side out, making sure no turkey is peeking out, and return to the oven.
Check that the roasted turkey is done with a meat thermometer - it should read 165 degrees for the safest option. For the most juicy turkey, aim for 150-155 degrees, and then cover in foil immediately after removing from the oven. Let the turkey rest, covered in foil, for about 20 minutes to come up to 165 to 170 degrees before serving.