Best Salt Pepper Turkey Recipes

SALT-AND-PEPPER ROAST TURKEY BREAST

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

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

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

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.

SALT & PEPPER TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 190C/gas 5/ fan 170C.Wash the turkey inside and out and dry well with kitchen paper. Season inside the bird with salt and pepper.
• Coarsely crush the peppercorns with a pestle and mortar and add the sea salt. Finely grate the lemon rind on top and mix together. Quarter the lemon and put inside the body cavity along with a few bay leaves.
• If you are stuffing the turkey, stuff the neck end only, pushing it towards the breast. Don't overfill, as the stuffing will expand on cooking. Any leftover stuffing can be shaped into walnut-sized balls and cooked around the turkey for the last half-hour. Secure the neck end flap with a small metal or wooden skewer.
• Tie the turkey legs together with kitchen string to give it a good shape.Weigh the turkey and calculate the cooking time at 18 minutes per 450g/1lb.
• Set the turkey in a large roasting tin. Brush liberally all over with melted butter. Sprinkle the salt and pepper mix evenly over the breast and legs.
• Cover the turkey loosely with a large square of foil and roast for the calculated cooking time, basting with the pan juices every hour. Half an hour before the end of the cooking time, remove the foil and string.Re-tie the legs with a rasher of bacon and arrange the rest in a lattice over the breast. Place any stuffing balls around the turkey. Spoon or siphon off 6 tbsp of pan juices into a saucepan for the gravy, then return the turkey to the oven.
• At the end of the cooking time, transfer the turkey to a serving platter. Cover tightly with foil and leave to rest for 15-45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the gravy. Heat the 6 tbsp of pan juices in the saucepan. Whisk in the flour and cook for 3 minutes until golden. Gradually whisk in the turkey or chicken stock and port, cooking until the gravy is no longer lumpy. Stir in the lingonberry preserve (or cranberry sauce) and mustard and simmer for 5 minutes. Then taste the gravy and season if necessary. Skim off the fat from the juices in the roasting tin, then add about 150ml/1⁄4 pint of the pan juices to the gravy. Heat through then transfer to a warmed gravy boat.
• Carve the turkey and serve.