Alton Brown's Brined and Roasted Turkey

This brined turkey recipe from Alton Brown has you completely covered—starting with a frozen 14-18-pound bird and ending with a golden brown, succulent, and flavorful turkey, plus a rich gravy.

Brown uses the wet-brine method here but frees you from the hassle of fitting a large stockpot in your fridge—tucking the bird into a cooler saves precious space. A bonus: You can thaw your turkey in the same cooler before introducing the brine. Like all recipes for roasted whole turkey, this one requires some planning, so schedule accordingly.

A few crucial things to keep in mind: First, drying the bird well after brining is key to crispy skin. Brown also starts his turkey on high heat (500°), which helps dry out the skin and get it well on its way to golden. After the initial blast of heat, you’ll tent the breast with foil, turn down the oven, and then totally ignore it for the next hour and a half. That’s right: There’s no basting during the cooking time, leaving your hands free to focus on sweet potatoes, apple pie, and all those other Thanksgiving classics.

The turkey will be a hit (seriously, check the reviews), but if you and your guests haven’t finished the whole bird by the night’s end, put it to work in these Thanksgiving turkey leftover recipes. 

If your idea of the best turkey brine recipe involves brown sugar and sprigs of fresh rosemary, try this dry-brine turkey. If you’re tight on time, Chris Morocco has a genius recipe for a crispy, juicy turkey in parts that can be ready in under two hours.