Best Salt And Pepper Turkey Recipes

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SALT-AND-PEPPER ROAST TURKEY BREAST



Salt-and-Pepper Roast Turkey Breast image

A bone-in turkey breast is significantly easier to cook than a whole bird, it takes a fraction of the time, and it still feeds a group comfortably. To ensure succulence, you could apply a dry brine the night before, but when you're cooking just a breast, the greatest insurance against dryness is pulling it out of the oven the moment it's done, and no later. (For that, rely on an electric instant-read meat thermometer; it's the only way to get a truly accurate read on the internal temperature of your meat.) I like to roast turkey the way I roast chicken: unbrined but slathered in butter, showered with salt and pepper and popped into a moderately hot oven to get crispy skin. Once the slices are fanned out on a platter tumbled with lemon wedges, it looks like a veritable feast.

Provided by Eric Kim

Categories     poultry, main course

Time 12h

Yield 6 to 8 servings

Number Of Ingredients 4

1/2 cup unsalted butter, very soft
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 whole (6- to 8-pound) bone-in turkey breast (see Tip)
4 lemons, quartered, for garnish

Steps:

  • Keep the butter nearby. Place about 1/4 cup kosher salt in a small bowl and keep nearby as well, along with a black-pepper grinder. Transfer the turkey breast to a large sheet pan and thoroughly dry all over with a paper towel; get it as bone-dry as you can.
  • Using your hands, very liberally rub the butter all over the turkey breast. (If the butter is difficult to spread, soften it further in the microwave in 10-second intervals.) Make sure to slather the butter on the underside and bones in addition to the entire surface of the skin. Wipe your hands with a towel.
  • Generously season the turkey all over with salt, especially inside the cavity. You don't have to be precise here, but do go heavy on the salt - the turkey can take it. (In general, you should account for about 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt or 3/4 teaspoon Morton coarse kosher salt per pound.) Next, generously grind black pepper all over the turkey; again, no need to measure this. Let the turkey breast sit so the seasoning can penetrate the meat and allow the bird to come to room temperature, about 1 hour.
  • Meanwhile, position a rack in the bottom third of the oven and heat oven to 350 degrees. Place the turkey breast in the oven, then with the oven door still open, carefully pour 1 cup water into the sheet pan with the turkey. Close the oven door and roast until the turkey's internal temperature reaches 150 degrees, 13 to 15 minutes per pound. (To read the temperature, insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of one of the breasts, making sure to avoid the bone, which will give you an inaccurate reading.) Very carefully rotate the pan halfway through roasting and add another cup of water if the pan looks dry. When done roasting (1 1/2 to 2 hours), the skin should be golden brown and crispy.
  • Let the turkey breast rest in its pan, uncovered, until cool enough to handle, at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour. Transfer to a cutting board. Cut along one side of the breastbone with a sharp knife, then the other, cutting each breast off the bone, and keeping the skin intact. Thickly slice each breast crosswise and serve on a large platter scattered with the lemon quarters. Taste the pan juices and, if they're a little salty, stir in a little hot water. If they need more seasoning, stir in salt and pepper. Spoon the pan juices over and around the sliced turkey.

GRILLED SALT-AND-PEPPER TURKEY WITH GIBLET GRAVY



Grilled Salt-and-Pepper Turkey with Giblet Gravy image

Elevate your grill game while protecting your hands and forearms with grilling gloves; we like Eko-grips, available at amazon.com.

Provided by Martha Stewart

Categories     Food & Cooking     Ingredients     Meat & Poultry     Turkey Recipes

Time 4h30m

Number Of Ingredients 15

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 whole turkey (16 to 18 pounds), room temperature, patted dry, giblets and neck reserved for gravy
2 lemons, halved
3 oranges, halved
1 bunch thyme
2 heads garlic, halved crosswise
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc
Small citruses, pecans, and lemon or bay leaves, for serving
1 carrot, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 celery stalk, cut into 2-inch piece
1 small onion, peeled and quartered
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Steps:

  • Turkey:Stir together 1/4 cup salt and 2 teaspoons pepper. Season inside turkey cavities with half of mixture, then stuff with lemons, 2 1/2 oranges, all but 6 thyme sprigs, and 1 1/2 heads garlic. Tie legs with twine. Rub butter evenly over skin of turkey, then season with remaining half of salt mixture. Let stand at room temperature while preparing grill.
  • Open grill vents. Place a chimney starter on small lower grill grate, fill starter with char- coal (75 to 80 pieces), and ignite; let burn until ash gray. Pour charcoal evenly around perimeter of lower grate. Place a 9-by-13-inch disposable aluminum roasting pan on center of grate inside charcoal. Place remaining orange half, 6 thyme sprigs, garlic half, and wine in pan. Place upper grate in grill. Cover grill with vents partially open and preheat to 350 degrees, about 10 minutes.
  • Place turkey on center of grate, directly over pan. Cover and cook, adding 16 to 20 pieces of charcoal around pan every 45 minutes to maintain temperature, until a thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh (not touching bone) registers 165 degrees, 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours, depending on size of bird.
  • Gravy:Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine turkey giblets and neck, carrot, celery, onion, broth, and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 30 minutes. Strain, reserving giblets and neck. (You should have 3 cups turkey stock; if not, add more chicken broth.) When cool enough to handle, shred meat from neck and coarsely chop giblets; reserve, discarding bones.
  • Transfer grilled turkey to a platter; let stand at least 20 minutes before carving. Meanwhile, carefully lift disposable pan from grill. Strain drippings through a sieve into a fat separator or measuring cup; let stand until fat rises to surface. Discard fat.
  • Combine pan drippings and 2 1/2 cups turkey stock in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high. Whisk together remaining 1/2 cup turkey stock and flour in a small bowl. Slowly whisk flour mixture into saucepan. Simmer, whisking frequently, until gravy has reduced and thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. Stir in reserved neck meat and giblets; simmer 1 minute more. Remove from heat and stir in butter.
  • Serve turkey, garnished with citruses, pecans, and lemon leaves, and with gravy alongside.

SALT-AND-PEPPER GRILLED TURKEY



Salt-and-Pepper Grilled Turkey image

A charcoal grill works well for this recipe because the domed lid is able to accommodate the turkey's rather awkward size and shape.

Provided by Martha Stewart

Categories     Food & Cooking     Ingredients     Meat & Poultry     Turkey Recipes

Number Of Ingredients 4

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup coarse salt
2 tablespoons freshly ground pepper
1 large fresh or thawed frozen turkey (about 22 pounds), rinsed and patted dry, neck and giblets reserved for Giblet Gravy

Steps:

  • Combine oil, salt, and pepper to make a paste. Rub over outside of turkey. Tie legs together with kitchen twine.
  • Place about 50 coals in a chimney starter, and ignite; heat until just gray. Place a 9-by-13-inch disposable aluminum roasting pan in the center of the bottom rack. Pour coals onto rack on either side of pan, dividing them evenly. Replace top grill rack. Place turkey on center of rack over pan, and cover. Grill, adding 8 coals to each pile every 45 minutes to maintain heat, until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh (avoiding bone) registers 165 degrees (begin checking after about 3 hours; cooking may take up to 5 hours depending on the exact size of bird). Tent with parchment-lined foil. Let stand 30 minutes. Reserve drippings from roasting pan for Giblet Gravy.

SALT AND PEPPER TURKEY



Salt and Pepper Turkey image

This simple but spectacular roast turkey is filled with our savory Bread Stuffing with Sage. Spreading butter under the skin enhances the flavor of the breast meat.

Provided by Martha Stewart

Categories     Turkey Recipes

Time 3h

Yield Serves 8 to 10

Number Of Ingredients 4

1 whole turkey (about 12 pounds), thawed if frozen, rinsed and patted dry (neck and giblets reserved for Giblet Stock for Salt and Pepper Turkey, liver discarded)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
6 tablespoons butter (3/4 stick), room temperature
Bread Stuffing with Sage

Steps:

  • Make Giblet Stock. Preheat oven to 375 degrees, with rack in lowest position. Tuck wing tips underneath body of turkey. Season inside of turkey with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, mix together butter and 1 teaspoon salt. With your fingers, gently separate breast skin from flesh without tearing skin. Spread butter mixture evenly under breast skin.
  • Loosely fill large cavity and neck cavity with stuffing; fold neck skin over opening. Tie legs together with kitchen twine. Season turkey generously with salt and pepper. Place turkey in an 11-by-14-inch roasting pan. Roast 1 hour. Reduce heat to 350 degrees; tent turkey with foil. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of thigh registers 165, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
  • Transfer turkey to a cutting board, still tented with foil, and let rest 30 minutes. Reserve pan with drippings for Pan Gravy. To serve, carve turkey and scoop out stuffing.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 566 g, Fat 24 g, Protein 83 g

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