MaVie's Brined Turkey

Brine:
2 gal. water
1 cup salt
1 cup brown sugar or 1-1/2 cup granulated [white]
sugar
1 head garlic, crushed
1-1/2 tablespoon whole black pepper
3 bay leaves

In a large pot large enough to hold the turkey,
combine all of the brine ingredients and stir to dissolve salt & sugar.
Add the turkey to the pot, cover. Refrigerate or leave outside in the cold for 8 - 10 hrs.
Remove the turkey from pot, rinse turkey well,
discard the brine.
Pat dry with paper towel. Rub with olive oil or
butter. set aside.

Roast turkey:
1 [10-12 lbs] turkey
1 small onion, quartered
2 celery rib or stalk, cut in 2" length
2-4 parsnips [white carrot], cut in 2" length
2-4 carrots, cut in 2" length

Preheat oven to 400 degrees for 15-20 mins.
Place all veggies inside
baking pan. place baking rock inside the baking
pan. place turkey in
the baking pan, breast facing down. bake for 1
hr. take turkey pan out, turn the breast side up. bake for another hr. watch closely after 45
min. if turkey browning too fast, lower the temp
to 375 degs. baked till evenly brown. Once evenly browned, about 2 hrs. later, take turkey out of the oven.
allow to rest for 30 mins. prior to cutting.

notes:
since my oven is not properly calibrated, oven
door does not close shot,

i leave temp to 400 degs all the way. be mindful
of how ur oven works.
i calculated 20 mins. per lb of turkey for cooking time. it is a good idea to take bones off the
turkey, prior to serving. this way too, u can cut
nice pieces or be able to freeze some for future use.