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The Sippin' Chef: White Wine Turkey with Gravy
november 15, 2022
This buttery white wine turkey with gravy recipe is sure to become your new favorite with its unconventional twist on the season's traditional dinner table star. Equal parts buttery, rich and intense, you'll be sopping up every last drop of what's left in the pan.
Recipe for White wine turkey with gravy.
Ingredients
Brine
- 1 c maple syrup
- 1 c kosher salt
- 1/4 c brown sugar
- 1/4 c whole black peppercorns
- 4 c cold bourbon
- 1 1/2 gallons of cold water
Turkey
- 1 15-lb turkey, whole
- 2 cups of a dry white
- a handful of fresh herbs; we like rosemary and thyme, but sage also adds a delicious touch
- 12 tbsp of butter, melted
- 4 tbsp of butter, at room temperature
- salt & pepper, to taste
- Optional: chicken stock (to add before roasting)
Gravy
- turkey drippings
- 2 c of cold water
- 3 generous tbsp all-purpose flour
- salt & pepper, to taste
Steps
- Mix your brine ingredients together. Remove the giblets and neck for the gravy, set aside. Place the turkey and brine in a sealable bag and refrigerate for 24 hours.
- The day before you're ready to roast, pat the turkey dry with paper towels and place in a large baking dish. Refrigerate uncovered overnight (this gives the skin a good crispiness!).
- Remove from the fridge about an hour before roasting.
- Preheat the oven to 425 F. Place turkey in a roasting dish, breast-side up. Stuff the turkey if desired. If you're not stuffing, you can throw in a mix of fresh herbs. Tie the legs together loosely with kitchen twine and tuck under the bird.
- Meanwhile, whisk the melted butter and wine together. Salt and pepper. Take a piece of cheesecloth and fold until you have a 1 foot square of 4 layers. Soak it in the wine/butter mixture for about 10 minutes.
- Take the room temp butter and rub it all over the outside of the turkey. Salt and pepper. Remove cheesecloth from the mixture and cover the turkey with it. Roast for 30 minutes. Baste the turkey with the remaining butter/wine mixture.
- Reduce the heat to 350 F. Roast the turkey for another 2 hours, basting every 30 minutes or so with the butter/wine mixture or the drippings in the roasting pan.
- Remove the cheesecloth after 2 hours. Baste the turkey generously. Roast for another hour until the thigh temp registers 180 F. Let the finished turkey rest for 30-60 minutes before slicing.
- Now to make the gravy! Take the roasting pan drippings and pour into a large saucepan. Add cold water to a water bottle, with the flour on top. Shake it like a Polaroid picture until it looks like a flour blizzard inside the bottle. Whisk constantly as you pour the water/flour mixture into the pan over medium heat. Continue stirring until it thickens (about 10-20 min). Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan. It takes a while, be patient!
- Taste test to see if you want to add any herbs, salt or pepper. Reduce heat to low until ready to serve.
And that's it. But be warned: Once you try this buttery white wine turkey with gravy recipe, there's no going back!
If you try it, let us know, send us a pic, tag us, whathaveyou.