In December 2007, Central Oklahoma got hit with a devastating ice storm that left hundreds of thousands of people from Tulsa to Oklahoma City without power for days upon days. Fred had to take a chain saw to a tree that fell across our entryway during the storm so that my daughter, Alexis, and I could head to the Rock and cook up breakfast (fortunately, our grill, oven, and fryer were all gas-fueled).
I offered to make coffee and breakfast for the Red Cross team that had taken over a senior center near the cafe, and somehow, and I’m not quite sure how, that turned into breakfast, lunch, and dinner for 5 days running. Folks came from as far as Oklahoma City once they heard on the radio I was cooking up food. The local McDonald’s, Sonic, and our grocery store all brought cases and cases of food that would have spoiled, what with no refrigeration and such, and even the locals started leaving food from their own freezers and refrigerators at the Rock’s back door. You wouldn’t believe how many frozen turkeys we wound up with!
We ended up feeding more people than even the Red Cross in Oklahoma City. Now, whenever I go to roast a turkey, I can’t help but think of the ice storm of ’07 and the generosity and good intentions that came together at the Rock during that time. I didn’t have time to brine the turkeys then, but under saner circumstances, I always try to make time. Though it’s not essential, I think it makes a big difference.
Ingredients
1 cup + 1 tablespoon salt
1 turkey (10–12 pounds), tail, neck, and giblets removed
1⁄4 cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 lemons)
1 small yellow onion, quartered
2 carrots, trimmed, peeled, and roughly chopped
Leafy tops of 1 bunch celery (save the stalks for another use, such as stuffing)
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley
6 sprigs fresh rosemary
6 sprigs fresh thyme
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Homemade gravy
Brine and air-dry the turkey (optional). Bring 8 cups of water and 1 cup of salt to a boil in a tall, 20-quart stockpot (if you don’t have a stockpot, bring the water to a boil in a large pot), turn off the heat, and set aside to cool. Add the turkey and enough cold water to cover it to within 1″ from the top of the pot. (If you’re not using a stockpot, transfer the salt water to a large cooler and add the turkey and enough water to cover it. Note that if you have to add more than 2 gallons of water to cover the turkey, you need to dissolve extra salt in some warm water: 1⁄4 cup for each extra quart.) Cover the pot and refrigerate the turkey for 12 hours or overnight. Remove the turkey (discard the water), pat dry with paper towels, and place breast-up on a roasting rack set over a rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan. Refrigerate overnight.
Prep the turkey. Take the turkey out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before heating the oven to 325°F. Pour the lemon juice into the cavity of the turkey, and then rub the remaining 1 tablespoon salt into the cavity. Stuff the turkey with the onion, carrots, celery leaves, parsley, rosemary, and thyme, and then plug the cavity with a bunched-up piece of foil. Cross the legs one over the other and use butcher’s twine to tie them together at their base. Tuck the wings underneath the breast and, if you have a trussing needle, stitch the neck opening closed; if you don’t, use wooden toothpicks or small wood skewers to bring the skin together as much as possible. Brush the turkey with the melted butter (sprinkle with an additional 2 teaspoons of salt if you didn’t brine it).
Roast the turkey. Roast the turkey until the thickest part of the thigh reads 165°F on an instant-read thermometer, about 31⁄2 hours. Transfer the turkey to a cutting board (or serving platter if you’re carving it at the table) and let it rest for at least 10 minutes before carving. Serve with the gravy.
