Easy Roasted Turkey With Pan Gravy
My daughter's favorite easy roasted turkey with pan gravy made in cast iron. It's a one-pan solution that goes from oven to stovetop. Simple steps, less clean up, and gorgeous gravy from drippings.
Servings: 12 people
Calories: 804kcal
Equipment
- 13 x 18-inch rimmed baking sheet
- wire rack
- 17 inch cast iron skillet
- roasting rack
- leave-in probe meat thermometer with an alarm
- instant-read thermometer (to double-check the internal temperatures)
- 8-inch chef's knife or boning knife (for carving)
- 2 to 4-quart pot (to warm the stock)
- wire whisk
- fine mesh strainer (to filter the gravy)
Ingredients
For The Turkey
- 18-19 pound whole turkey
- 2 tablespoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil canola, vegetable, or grapeseed oil
For The Pan Gravy
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter if needed, add enough butter so you have 8 tablespoons of fat in the pan
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- 32 ounces homemade chicken stock no salt
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream optional
- kosher salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Dry Brine The Turkey (Day 1)
- Unwrap the defrosted turkey in the sink. Remove the neck and packet of gizzards. If there is a pop-up turkey timer, remove it. Save or freeze the turkey neck to make brown chicken stock.
- Place a wire rack over a 13 x 18-inch rimmed baking sheet. Place the turkey on top of the rack. Sprinkle kosher salt and black pepper evenly over the turkey and inside the cavity. If the legs are not tied together, do so with butcher twine.
- Store in the refrigerator for 24 hours, uncovered.
Cook The Turkey (Day 2)
- To make room for the turkey and thermometer, you may have to remove all oven racks except for one placed on the lowest level of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350℉.
- Pull the turkey out of the fridge and to the countertop. If salt remains crusted on the skin, brush it off with a paper towel. Brush or rub the cooking oil on the turkey skin. Place the roasting rack in the cast-iron pan. Set the turkey on top of the rack.
- Insert your high-temperature thermometer probe in the thickest part of the breast. Make sure it will fit in your oven. The probe tip should not touch the bone. It should be ½ to 1-inch from the cavity. Set the high temperature alert to 160℉.
- Roast the turkey with the legs facing the back of the oven. Every hour, check the bottom of the roasting pan to make sure it is not drying out. If so, prevent burnt drippings by adding 1 cup of water to the pan.
- Cook to an internal temperature of 160℉ for the breast. Cook by the internal temperature of the turkey, not by time alone. For planning purposes, it can take about 2½-3 hours for an 18-pound turkey (roughly 8-10 minutes per pound).
- After your thermometer alarms that the breast is at 160℉, verify the thickest part of the other side of the breast to make sure it is also at 160℉. Then, check the center area on the inside of the thickest part of both drumsticks to be at least 175℉. If less, rotate the pan so the lower temperature parts are facing the back of the oven. Keep roasting until all parts get to temperature.
- Remove the turkey from the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes. Tip the turkey so the juices in the cavity drip down into the roasting pan for gravy.
- Transfer the turkey to a cutting board or serving platter and let it rest another 15-45 minutes before carving.
Make The Pan Gravy (10 Minutes)
- While the turkey is resting, remove the rack from the roasting pan. Bring the chicken stock to a simmer in a pot.
- To build flavor and create a deep amber color, place the cast-iron skillet on top of 1 or 2 burners set at medium-high heat. Use the whisk or a wooden spoon to loosen any pieces from the bottom of the pan. Reduce the liquid down so that all that you have remaining is the fat from the turkey drippings.
- Tilt the pan to observe how much turkey fat is remaining. There needs to be about 8 tablespoons. If not, add unsalted butter to get 8 tablespoons of fat and let it melt until it stops bubbling. You may not need butter.
- While whisking, drizzle the white wine into the pan. Continue whisking until it has evaporated.
- Turn the burner down to a medium setting. Sprinkle in ⅓ of the flour into the turkey drippings. Whisk until combined. Continue adding the flour in ⅓ increments while whisking until the flour is gone. Let it cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Tip: If you still see fat after adding the flour, whisk 1 tablespoon of flour at a time into the skillet until all of the fat has been absorbed into the flour.
- Whisk constantly while you ladle ½ cup of hot chicken stock at a time into the flour and turkey dripping. Once the flour is well combined with about half of the stock, pour the remaining stock into the pan and whisk. Let the gravy simmer for 3-5 minutes to thicken.
- Either strain the gravy into a saucepan or use a hand-held skimmer in the cast-iron skillet to remove the solids.
- Drizzle the heavy whipping cream into the gravy and whisk to combine (optional). Taste to see if salt and pepper are needed. Keep warm until ready to serve.
Notes
Turkey Tips:
- If your turkey is frozen, defrost it on a tray in the fridge. Plan 24 hours of defrost time for every 4 pounds.
- If you buy a turkey that has not been injected with salt, increase the Diamond Crystal kosher salt for the dry brine by 50% or 3 tablespoons.
- 30 minutes: Preheat oven
- 8-10 minutes per pound: Roasting time (use the lower end!)
- 30-60 minutes: Resting (longer is better-it's still 160°F after an hour)
- 10 minutes: Carving time
- Total time needed: 4 hours 8 minutes
- Start preheating at 1:52 PM
Nutrition
Calories: 804kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 107g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 366mg | Sodium: 1814mg | Potassium: 1183mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 465IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 5mg
