Duck-Fat-Rubbed Roast Turkey

A true collaboration, this is a hybrid of a recipe from Nov. 08, 08’s New York magazine, and Cook’s Illustrated’s “Best Recipes” cookbook. The former is just the best when it comes to the bolts and nuts of preparation. So, we prepped the turkey according to NY mag, but we roasted it according to the experts at Cook’s.

ingredients

1/4 cup salt
1 tablespoon white wine
1/4 cup melted duck fat (available at D’Artagnan and gourmet stores)
2 shallots, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons chopped thyme
1 turkey, 12 to 14 pounds
1 1/2 sticks softened butter
Salt and ground black pepper
2 medium onions, chopped
5 carrots, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped

directions

1
Prep, 1-2 days before cooking:
2
Combine the salt, wine, duck fat, shallots, garlic, and thyme in a bowl. Rub two-thirds of the mixture all over the exterior of the turkey using your hands; rub the remaining third in the cavity of the bird. Set the turkey in a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap or tin foil and refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days.
3
Cooking:
4
Preheat oven to 400°
5
Place chopped carrots, onions, and celery in a roasting pan. Pour one cup water into the pan and place a V Rack into the pan. Smother breast side of the turkey with butter. Place the turkey on the V rack with the breast side facing down. Smother the back with butter. Place in oven.
6
After 45 minutes, remove the turkey from the oven and baste it with the juices from the roasting pan. Then rotate the turkey onto its side (with a leg sticking up) and brush some more butter on.
7
Return to oven for fifteen more minutes, then baste again and rotate onto other side. Roast for fifteen minutes.
8
Now, rotate the turkey so it is breast side up. Baste again and brush on the remaining butter. Roast for thirty more minutes and then start to check the temperature every ten minutes. The turkey is done when an instant read thermometer thrust into the breast reads 165°F.
9
Remove the turkey and allow it to rest for twenty minutes.