Honey Orange Brined Turkey

First off, you need your turkey to be completely defrosted. That being done, you can leave it sitting in the fridge or on the counter while you do everything else.

Quarter two oranges.

Heat the water in the large stock pot until very hot. Then stir in the salt and make sure it is completely dissolved. Pour into a cooler with the vegetable stock, honey, and orange juice. Stir until well mixed and then throw in the orange quarters and ice.

Place the turkey in the cooler, breast side up and allow to brine overnight, or up to 12 hours. This works best in a smaller cooler so that the turkey is completely covered in liquid. You could make double the brine and do two turkeys in one bigger cooler, too.

The next day, zest the other orange and slice into thin slices. Set the slices aside. Mix together the butter, olive oil, zest, and 3 sprigs of sage and 1 sprig of rosemary, both finely chopped. Set the compound butter aside.

Take your turkey out of the brine and pat it dry. Place in a large roaster and discard the brine. Quarter an onion, and take the onion, orange slices, remaining sage and rosemary and stuff into the cavity. Tuck or tie the turkey legs to keep everything inside. Then, take the compound butter and rub it all over the outside of the turkey—this is important, use it all!

Preheat your oven to 500 degrees and place the rack as low as possible in the oven. Cook your turkey at 500 degrees for 30 minutes, and then turn the heat down to 350 degrees and cook for approximately 2 1/2 hours. Every 30 minutes, baste with the juices in the bottom of the roasting pan.

The turkey needs to cook until a thermometer in the thickest part of the breast is 161 degrees. When done, let the turkey rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing.