1 (5 kg or 11 lbs) whole turkey, insides removed, unstuffed
1/2 cup cranberry butter + more if desired
1/2 cup butter + more if desired
Slow Cooker Cranberry Butter:
1 (340 g) bag fresh cranberries (3 cups)
1 cup granulated sugar
Juice of half a lime
1 small cinnamon stick
Brine:
32-40 cups water (enough to cover your turkey)
1 1/4 cups salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 large onions
2 celery stalks
2 apples
1 head of garlic
1 large carrot
2 sprigs of fresh sage
3 cups cranberries, divided
Black pepper
Directions
Slow Cooker Cranberry Butter:
Combine all ingredients into a 4-quart slow cooker.
Cover and cook on low heat for 6-8 hours, or until very broken down. Remove cinnamon stick.
Transfer to food processor and combine until smooth (you will see a colour change!)
Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Notes: Cook-time may vary depending on slow cooker. If you prefer a bit of chunkiness to your butter, do not puree until completely smooth.
Brine:
Combine sugar, salt, 1 cup cranberries, and 8 cups water into a large pot over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until salt and sugar dissolve completely. No need to boil! Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
Place turkey into brining bag or large stock pot that does not react to water, salt, etc. Pour sugar-water over top along with onions, celery, apples, garlic, carrot, sage, black pepper, and remaining cranberries. Begin adding water until turkey is submerged (you may need to place a heavy plate or weight on top of the turkey so it does not float.)
Cover and place into refrigerator for 24 hours.
Drain and pat turkey dry. Move to large plate and allow to sit, uncovered, in refrigerator overnight. Note: This is not necessary but helps with nice, crispy skin!
Notes: Don't stress about the brine ingredients! Throw in everything but the kitchen sink (also a great recipe to use up not-so-pretty produce.) Cook & prep-time do not include brining, cranberry butter, resting, or overnight refrigeration times.
Turkey:
Combine cranberry butter and butter into a mixing bowl and whip until combined (a hand-mixer works great.)
Preheat oven to 450°F. Place turkey into roasting pan with elevated rack and pour 2-4 cups water in the bottom of the pan (turkey is lean so drippings can be sparse. Add more throughout cooking if necessary.)
Place into oven, uncovered, and lower heat to 325°F. Cook for 1 hour. Remove from heat and baste with 1/3 of the butter mixture.
Return to oven and continue cooking until internal temperature reaches 170°F. Make sure to baste two more times with your butter! Turkey took about 2 1/2 - 3 hours but brined turkeys cook faster!! Refer to this chart for cook-time. Unstuffed vs stuffed comes into play, too.
Cover turkey in aluminum foil and allow to rest for 20 minutes. Slice and serve with additional cranberry butter if desired!
Bon Appetit! Take a photo and share this recipe #ThinkTurkey
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