Classic Roast Turkey

Ingredients

• 13 lb whole turkey, 12 to 14 lb, thawed, not kosher or self-basting
• ¼ cup Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, soft
• 1 tsp black pepper

For the cavity

• 1 yellow onion, quartered
• 1 lemon, halved
• 1 bunch fresh thyme, small

For the pan

• 1 yellow onion, cut into chunks
• 2 carrots, cut into chunks
• 2 celery stalks, cut into chunks
• 2 cups chicken stock, or water

The salt amounts here are for Diamond Crystal kosher salt. If you have Morton kosher salt, use a little over half as much, because its grains are denser and saltier by the spoon.

Steps

1. One to two days ahead, take the neck and giblets out of both cavities (save them for gravy) and pat the turkey dry. Sprinkle the salt all over, heavier on the breast and thighs, a little inside, and some under the breast skin where you can reach. Set it on a rack over a rimmed sheet and leave it in the fridge, uncovered, on the lowest shelf, so nothing can drip from it onto food that won't be cooked. The skin will look dry and tight by the time you roast it.
2. An hour before roasting, take the turkey out. Heat the oven to 425°F with a rack in the lowest position. Pat the bird dry again, push the quartered onion, lemon and thyme into the main cavity, and tuck the wing tips behind the back. Rub the butter all over the skin and season with the pepper.
3. Scatter the chunked onion, carrots and celery in a large roasting pan, pour in the stock, and set a roasting rack over them. Put the turkey on the rack breast side up.
4. Roast with the drumsticks pointing to the back of the oven until the skin starts to brown, 30 minutes. Turn the oven down to 350°F and keep roasting without basting. Start checking with an instant-read thermometer after 2 hours in all: it is done when the thickest part of the breast reads 160°F and the thigh, near the joint and not touching bone, reads 170 to 175°F. Expect 2 1/2 to 3 hours in all, and a little longer isn't unusual. Lay foil over the breast if it browns too fast, and add a splash of water if the pan runs dry.
5. Lift the turkey with a wad of paper towels in each hand, tilting it so the juices inside pour into the pan, and move it to a board. Rest it, loosely covered with foil, for 30 to 45 minutes; it will stay hot, and the breast will climb past 165°F. Strain the pan juices for gravy while it rests.
6. To carve, cut through the skin between leg and body, pull each leg outward until the joint pops, and cut through it. Separate thighs from drumsticks. Run the knife down along the breastbone and lift each breast off in one piece, then slice it crosswise against the grain.

Notes

Thaw a frozen bird in the fridge and allow a day for every 4 to 5 lb. A kosher, pre-brined or self-basting turkey is already salted: use half the salt or none. Allow about 1 lb of whole bird per person. Bake stuffing in its own dish: inside the bird it has to reach 165°F, and by the time it does the breast is overcooked. For gravy from the drippings, see our Turkey Gravy. Leftover meat keeps 4 days in the fridge or 3 months frozen.