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How to make a perfectly cooked, moist, delicious Maple Bourbon Brined Roasted Turkey. My favorite turkey recipe ever.

Maple Bourbon Roasted Turkey

How to make a perfectly cooked, moist, delicious, maple bourbon roasted turkey for dinner and holiday celebrations. Perfect recipe for Thanksgiving dinner!
4.67 from 6 votes
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Course: dinner, main dish, Poultry & Chicken Recipes
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 12 hours
Cook Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 15 hours
Servings: 12
Calories: 225kcal
Author: Mel Lockcuff

Ingredients

  • 15 pounds turkey
  • 1 1/2 gallons hot water
  • 1 large yellow onion chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 whole orange peel
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 1/8 cups maple syrup
  • 3/4 cup bourbon
  • 2 tablespoons black peppercorns
  • 1 tablespoon whole cloves
  • 1 cup unsalted butter melted
  • 3/4 cup kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon ground sage
  • 1/4 cup poultry seasoning
  • 4 bay leaves crumbled
  • 4 pounds ice

Instructions

  • Prepare the turkey by removing the neck, gizzards, etc, and rinse with water.
  • To a food grade 5 gallon bucket, add the hot water, onion, garlic, orange peel, brown sugar, 1 cup of maple syrup, bourbon, peppercorns, whole cloves, melted butter, kosher salt, ground sage, poultry seasoning, bay leaves, and ice. Stir well.
  • Place the turkey down in the mixture.
  • Cover the bucket with a lid and place in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours or longer. If you don't have enough fridge room, you can pack the bucket with ice.
  • Once it's brined, remove the turkey from the bucket and rinse with cold water, inside and out.
  • Rub the turkey with a thin coat of real maple syrup (the extra 1/8 cup).
  • Place the turkey in a roasting pan, uncovered, for roasting.
  • Roast at 350° F until the internal temperature of your turkey is 165° F or higher. Base your cook time on the size of your turkey; cook time will differ per turkey.
  • Once the turkey is done, remove from the oven.
  • Carve the turkey and serve! 

Notes

Recipe adapted from Traeger.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 225kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 43mg | Sodium: 7105mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g
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