Brined to retain wetness, then basted with butter and wine while roasting, this turkey, the centerpiece of the Thanksgiving meal, is golden and juicy. The bird is brined for 24 hours, so leave a lot of time for this dish. If you don’t salt water yours, skip steps one and two.

3 cups kosher salt, plus more for flavoring

5 cups sugar

2 medium onions, coarsely chopped

2 medium leeks, white and pale-green parts only, rinsed and coarsely chopped

2 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped

2 celery stalks, coarsely chopped

2 dried bay leaves

3 sprigs fresh thyme

3 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns

Freshly ground pepper

1 entire turkey (18 to 20 pounds), rinsed and patted dry, giblets and neck booked for gravy

Gravy

1 stick ( 1/2 cup )unsalted butter, melted, plus 1/2 stick ( 1/4 cup) saltless butter, space temperature

1/2 cup dry gewurztraminer, such as Sauvignon Blanc

Chestnut Stuffing

Crab apples, fresh rosemary sprigs, and fresh sage, for garnish (optional).

Directions.
Put salt, sugar, onions, leeks, carrots, celery, bay leaves, thyme, parsley, peppercorns, and 10 cups water in a big stockpot. Give a boil, stirring till salt and sugar have dissolved. Remove from heat; let brine cool completely.

Include turkey, breast first, to the brine. Cover; cool 24 hours. Get rid of from brine; pat dry with paper towels. Let stand at room temperature 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees, with rack in least expensive position. Stir together melted butter and white wine in a medium bowl. Fold a large piece of cheesecloth into quarters so that it is big enough to cover breast and midway down sides of turkey. Immerse cloth in butter mixture; let soak.

Location turkey, breast side up, on a rack set in a roasting pan. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper inside turkey. Rub turkey all over with softened butter; season with salt and pepper.

Eliminate cheesecloth from butter mix, squeezing gently into bowl. Reserve butter mixture for brushing. Lay cheesecloth over turkey. Place turkey, legs first, in oven. Roast 30 minutes. Brush cheesecloth and exposed turkey with butter mixture. Minimize temperature level to 350 degrees. Roast, brushing every 30 minutes, 2 1/2 hours more; cover with foil if browning too quickly. If making gravy, include giblets and neck to pan 1 1/2 hours after minimizing temperature level; roast 30 minutes, and reserve.

Baste turkey with pan juices. Roast, rotating pan midway through, until skin is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer placed into the thickest part of the thigh signs up 180 degrees and packing reaches 165 degrees, about 1 hour. Let turkey stand at room temperature at least 30 minutes.

Cook’s Notes.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture suggests cooking the turkey up until the thickest part of the thigh signs up 180 degrees. For a moister bird, we cooked ours to 165 degrees; it will continue to cook outside the oven as it rests.

Martha made this recipe on Cooking School episode 406.