Modes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Diamond Crystal Kosher salt or 1/4 cup plus 1 1/2 teaspoons Morton Kosher salt
• 4 Tablespoons medium-grind black pepper
• 2 Tablespoons garlic powder
• 2 Tablespoons onion powder
• 1 Tablespoon paprika
• 1 (14-pound) turkey, thawed completely
• 1 Tablespoon plus 1/3 cup turbinado sugar
• small handful of hardy herbs (such as sage, rosemary, parsley, and/or thyme)
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 teaspoons chopped orange zest
• 2 Tablespoons honey
• 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce or tamari (gluten-free)
• 1/3 cup sherry vinegar
• 6 Tablespoons avocado oil

Instructions

Dry Brining the Turkey

In a small mixing bowl, combine salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and 1 Tablespoon turbinado sugar. Use your fingers to mix the ingredients together.

Place the turkey, back side up, on a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle the seasoning mixture liberally all over the turkey, turning it over and patting it to adhere. You may not need all of the seasoning, but it's good to have extra since some will end up on the baking sheet.

Chill the turkey, uncovered, for at least 24 hours and up to 2 days.

Preparing the Turkey for Roasting

Remove the turkey from the wire rack and clean the baking sheet of any drippings.

Line the baking sheet with several crumpled layers of foil for easy cleanup, then set the rack back inside. Place the turkey back on the rack, breast side up, and let it sit at room temperature for 2 hours if possible. This helps reduce cooking time.

Making the Glaze

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, cook the fresh herbs, garlic, orange zest, soy sauce, honey, vinegar, and remaining 1/3 cup sugar. Stir occasionally until the sugar is dissolved and the glaze thickens slightly (it should just barely coat a spoon), about 10–12 minutes.

Remove the glaze from the heat and set aside.

Roasting the Turkey

Remove the top two oven racks and place a rack in the bottom position of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400°F on "Roast Mode".

Rub the turkey with oil, being careful not to remove too much of the seasoning.

Insert the temperature probe into the breast at the smallest end near the cavity opening, so the tip of the probe is in the thickest part of the breast without touching a bone.

Pour 1 cup of water into the roasting pan to create steam, which helps with cooking the skin.

Cooking and Glazing

Set the oven probe to the desired internal temperature of 160°F.

Roast the turkey until the skin is mostly golden brown, about 25 minutes.

Reduce the oven temperature to 300°F and continue roasting, brushing with glaze every 20 minutes.

Add more water by 1/2 cup as needed to maintain some liquid in the foil-lined baking sheet.

Finishing and Resting

Continue roasting until the temperature probe reaches 160°F. The skin should be a deep golden brown and shiny.Transfer the turkey to a cutting board and tent loosely with foil. Important: Let the turkey rest for 30–60 minutes before carving.

If you're concerned about the turkey cooling too much, you can use the oven's "warm" feature set to 155–160°F once the oven has cooled down.