Ingredients:

  • 3 tbsp Kosher salt
  • 1 tbsp coarse black pepper
  • 1 tbsp dried thyme
  • 1 tbsp dried sage
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp fresh sage, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 large yellow onion, quartered
  • 2 large carrots, cut into chunks
  • 2 stalks celery, cut into chunks
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 1 head garlic, halved crosswise
  • 1 lemon, halved
  • 12 lb whole turkey

Instructions:

  1. Pat the turkey completely dry with paper towels. Rub the brine mixture (Kosher salt, black pepper, dried thyme, and dried sage) evenly over the entire skin and inside the cavity. Place the bird on a rack over a baking sheet, uncovered, in the fridge for 24 to 48 hours.
  2. Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C). Mix the softened butter, minced garlic, lemon juice, fresh rosemary, fresh sage, fresh thyme, and salt into a smooth paste. Gently loosen the skin over the breast meat and slide the herb butter underneath, spreading it evenly. Truss the legs with twine.
  3. Place the quartered onion, carrots, celery, white wine, halved garlic head, and halved lemon in the bottom of the roasting pan. Set the turkey on the rack. Roast until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 160°F (71°C).
  4. Remove the turkey from the oven and let it rest for the carry-over cooking process to reach the final target temperature before carving.