Buttermilk-Brined Turkey Recipe with Onion Butter & Potato Slayer

Directions

1. A day or two before you plan to cook, use heavy-duty kitchen shears to snip along both sides of the backbone to release it. Turn the turkey over, breast-side up, and splay out the legs.  Use both hands to press hard on the breastbone (you’ll probably need to put your weight into it) until you hear the cartilage pop and the bird lies completely flat.

2. Combine the Potato Slayer, Onion Butter, and salt in a small bowl. Use your hands to season both sides of the turkey and distribute the spices evenly.

3. Place a 2-gallon resealable bag in a stock pot. Carefully folk the turkey in half, skin-side out, and tuck the turkey into the bag. Pour the buttermilk into the bag, expel excess air and carefully seal. If you’re worried about leakage or sharp bones, double- bag the turkey, then place it on a rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate overnight, or up to 48 hours. Turn the bag every 6 or so hours, to ensure every part of the turkey gets marinated.

4. Three hours before you plan to cook, remove the turkey from the plastic bag, allowing excess moisture to drip off (discard buttermilk), and place the turkey on a wire cooling rack placed inside a rimmed baking sheet.

5. Prepare your grill for two-zone cooking and build a medium-high fire. When the coals are glowing red and covered with a fine gray ash, use tongs to arrange the coals into a crescent moon shape and add a couple chunks or hardwood to the fire. When the fire begins to release a steady stream of smoke, place the turkey directly on the grates, with the legs and thighs situated over the direct heat of the coals and the breast toward indirect heat.

6. Cook the turkey until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the deepest part of the breast registers 150 degrees and the thickest part of the thigh without touching bone registers 165 degrees, about 80 to 100 minutes. (You may want to tent the breast or other hot spots with aluminum foil, if it darkens too quickly.)

7. Transfer turkey to a cutting board or platter and allow to rest at least 20 minutes before carving.