hey everybody this is Kenji Lopez all from serious eats in the food lab and today we're talking Turkey simple roast turkey to be exact now getting the turkey to cook evenly so that the dark meat is done and the breast meat stays nice and juicy all while the whole thing comes out perfectly golden brown and crisp it's a lot easier said than done and people go through a lot of acrobatics and tricks to try and get it there now the problem is that dark meat needs to cook at least to 165 degrees Fahrenheit meanwhile the turkey breast starts to dry out if it gets much above 150 degrees or so so what's the secret well if you follow me at all you'll know that I'm a big fan of spatchcocking cutting out the turkeys backbone and butterflying it so that the lays flat it helps your turkey cook faster with juicier meat and crisper skin but I gotta admit unless you get your butcher to do it for you it can get a little bit messy and what if you don't want your turkey flat what if you want that picture-perfect Norman Rockwell centerpiece on your Thanksgiving or Christmas table what do you do then well I've got a solution for you it's really easy and all it takes is one of these a baking stone or baking steel now here's how we do it start by combining two tablespoons of kosher salt with 2 teaspoons of baking powder and a teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper mix it all together with your fingertips and then sprinkle it all over a fresh 10 to 12-pound turkey making sure to get the mixture on all surfaces and padding it so that it adheres the baking powder not only helps improve browning by raising the turkey skin's pH but it also creates tiny bubbles that increase the surface area and make for crisper skin now place the turkey on a V rack set in a rimmed baking sheet and transfer to the refrigerator to rest uncovered or loosely covered overnight this step is called dry brining and it gives time for the salt to work its way into the meat loosening muscle fibers and allowing the turkey to remain juicier as it roasts it also helps dry out the skin a little bit to improve crispy about six hours before you're ready to serve place your baking stone or steel in the oven on the lowest rack and then preheat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit about 260 degrees Celsius make sure to let it preheat for at least 45 minutes we'll get back to why in a moment but first let's talk about roasting pans roasting pans can inhibit air flow in the oven which makes it hard for the underside of the turkey to Brown properly aluminum baking sheets on the other hand have better heat conduction and allow for more air circulation around the turkey which means better browning of the skin underneath and faster cooking legs it's also nice that aluminum baking sheets are a fraction of the cost of traditional roasting pans once preheated place the rimmed baking sheet viii rack turkey and all directly on top of the baking stone and lower the oven temperature to 300 degrees Fahrenheit about 150 degrees Celsius you can insert a probe thermometer set to 150 degrees Fahrenheit in the breast now to act as an alarm the massive amount of energy stored in the baking steel will get conducted up through the aluminum and radiated into the legs and thighs of the turkey giving them the speed boost they need to get a head start over the breasts so that the whole turkey finishes cooking at the same time let the turkey cook until the breast meat registers 150 degrees Fahrenheit or 66 degrees Celsius at its coolest point and the legs register at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit in both joints even if you're using a leave-in probe make sure to double check in a few locations to make sure that the turkey is cooked this will take about three to four hours total and while the turkey is cooking you can make a rich gravy using the neck and gizzards and there you've got it a roasted turkey with minimum fuss that comes out perfectly evenly cooked with juicy crisp golden skin all around and you didn't even have to break out the poultry shears to get it there Happy Holidays serious eaters you