Equipment: Brining bag or five-gallon bucket for the turkey; roasting pan with a roasting rack; instant-read thermometer
1. Two to three days before roasting: Place the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38°F and allow the turkey to thaw from the deep chill.
2. In a stock pot over medium-high heat add two containers of vegetable broth, salt, sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and crystalized ginger. Stir occasionally to dissolve the sugar and bring to a boil. Immediately remove the brine from the heat and cool to room temperature; refrigerate until ready to use.
3. The night before or early on the day you’d like to eat the turkey: Combine the brine, the additional two containers of vegetable broth, and enough water (up to 1 gallon) to cover the turkey in a turkey bag or a five-gallon bucket. Remove the neck and giblets from the turkey cavity and place the turkey breast-side down in the brine. If necessary, weigh it down to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in a cool area (38° F) for 8-16 hours.
4. When you are ready to roast the turkey, remove all racks from the oven except the lowest rack and preheat the oven to 500° F. Remove the turkey from the brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.
5. Place the turkey on a roasting rack, breast-side up, and pat dry with paper towels. Rub the turkey liberally with olive oil on all sides.
6. Stuff the aromatics (the onion through sage) inside the turkey cavity.
7. Transfer the rack with the turkey to the roasting pan, tucking the wings underneath the bird to prevent them from burning.
8. Place in the oven and roast the turkey for 30 minutes. Remove the turkey from the oven and loosely tent with foil to prevent over browning. Reduce the oven temperature to 350° F and place the turkey back in the oven and roast until done—a 14- to 16-pound turkey should require 2-2 ½ hours total time in the oven. Check the thickest part of the breast meat with an instant-read thermometer after about 2 hours in the oven. Pull the turkey from the oven when the internal temperature is 161° F. Note: It is normal for the turkey to smoke while roasting at 500° F; use the stovetop-overhead fan and open windows as necessary. Once the temperature is reduced to 350° F the smoking will stop.
9. Once the turkey is done, remove from the oven and keep the bird loosely covered with foil for 20-30 minutes before carving.
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