1cupWater (add to the tray and vegetables to bake the whole turkey)
Asian Turkey Brine :
12cupsWater
10piecesStar anise
1teaspoonClove
4sticksGreen onion
1Onion (Medium size)
8 slicesGinger(2 oz, medium thick)
1wholeGarlic
2sticksCinnamon sticks
½cupSoy sauce
1cupKosher salt
6cupsIce
Vegetables mix:
3Potatoes medium
4Carrotssmall
3sticksCelery
1tablespoon Sesame oil (Can use vegetable oil)
⅛teaspoon Salt
⅛teaspoonBlack pepper ( A pinch)
Instructions
Peel off one whole garlic and mash it a little bit.
Cut a piece of ginger (2 oz) into 8 slices.
Peel and cut a medium sized onion into half.
Wash and cut 4 sticks of green onion into strips.
Pour 12 cups of water into a big pot. Then, add 1 cup of kosher salt, 1 onion, 4 sticks of green onion, 8 slices of ginger, 2 sticks of cinnamon sticks, 10 pieces of star anise, 1 teaspoon of clove, 1 whole garlic and ½ cup of soy sauce. Next, turn on medium to high fire to boil them, until it's boiling. Then, turn to a small fire and simmer for 15-30 minutes.
After that, add 6 cups of ice into the brine water and let it cool off. Remember to let the liquid completely cool down. Then, immerse the whole turkey ( I used 11.62 pounds) starting with the breast side for a few hours and turn the other side. Brine the turkey for a day and overnight in the refrigerator.
Take the brined turkey out of the pot, use a paper towel to dry it and put it through the angel fruit cake stand. Cut up 3 potatoes, 4 carrots, 3 sticks of celery and mix them with 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, ⅛ teaspoon of salt and ⅛ teaspoon of black pepper. Then, lay the mixed vegetables around the tray.
Preheat the oven for 425 F. Add one cup of water around the tray and vegetables. Bake the whole turkey at 425 F for an hour. Then, change the temperature to 350 F and bake around 1.5 hours until it reaches 165 F internal temperature.***(The baking time depends on the size of the turkey. Most of the time for non-stuffing turkey is every 13 minutes per pound and stuffing turkey is 15 minutes per pound. In this Asian turkey recipe, the turkey is 11.62 pounds. (11.62 pounds x 13 minutes)/60 minutes = 2.52 hours. I round up to 2.5 hours total bake time. Usually I roast it until the last 30 minutes. Then, I keep checking if it reaches 165 F internal temperature. Remember don’t over bake the turkey because it will be very dry.)
Next, cover the whole turkey and rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting up.
Video
Notes
COOKING TIPS FOR HOW TO ROAST AN ASIAN STYLE TURKEY:
Clean the guts and take out the neck and rinse the turkey well
Boil a pot of water. Then, add kosher salt, soy sauce and Asian spices. Wait until it’s boiling and turn the fire small. Then, let it simmer for 15-30 minutes, so it helps to release the Asian spices aroma.
Add ice to the hot brine water in order to speed up the process of cooling off the brine water.
Wait until the brine water completely cools off and immerses the whole turkey. Start with the breast side first for a day and flip the other side.
Use paper towels to dry off the turkey.
Add vegetables and water on the side of the tray.
Bake at 425 F for an hour, then drop the temperature at 350 F for the rest of the time.
After roasting the whole turkey, cover it with foil for about 5-10 minutes before cutting it up.