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There are popular recipes on Food Network’s website and then there are extraordinarily popular recipes. Alton Brown’s Good Eats Roast Turkey recipe easily falls in the latter category.

With over 6000 five-star reviews, it’s not difficult to see why.

Food Network star Alton Brown wears a beige jacket in this 2012 photo.
Food Network star Alton Brown | Jude Domski/WireImage

What Brown says not to do when roasting a bird

The chef states on a Food Network video for creating your juiciest turkey ever: “Basting is A-1 useless. Not only does it do nothing for the flavor or texture of the meat but repeated opening of the oven door just slows down cooking.”

Brown observed the sad truth that many a Thanksgiving cook encounters in another FN video: “What do we really know about turkey? Well, it’s got a lot of mass but not a lot of flavor, … and it can go from undercooked to desert dry in the wink of an eye.”

And enthusiastic reviewers who swear by Brown’s approach schooled the more novice home cooks when it came to basting.

“Don’t baste. Will keep it from crisping,” said one reviewer, while another added, “No need to baste it. Highly recommend watching the actual video that goes along with this recipe. Alton Brown is entertaining and gives great tips along the way.”

Brown’s brine is a major secret to the bird’s successful cooking

The nature of a turkey can be transformed, Brown’s video continued, “with a little help from our friends salt and sugar.” He notes that honey or any other sweetener can be used in place of sugar in the brine.

In fact, Brown uses in his classic brine: kosher salt, light brown sugar, vegetable stock, black peppercorns, allspice berries, chopped candied ginger, and what he calls “heavily iced water.”

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Alton Brown’s Roast Turkey recipe has 6000 five-star reviews and counting from Food Network fans

Reviewers didn’t just like Brown’s recipe. They ardently support his way of roasting a turkey and for many, it’s become a family tradition.

“My dad has used this brine every Thanksgiving for as long as I can remember. This year will be my second year using it for my husband. Definitely recommend for a very flavorful and juicy turkey,” one home cook said.

Another fan wrote, “Just wanted to say that I have made this turkey recipe for seven years straight and my family LOVES IT!!!!!! It’s the most moist turkey ever. Full of flavor; I have made this recipe for larger turkey such as 20-24 pounds and did not change anything just added more water to the brine to make sure it’s fully submerged and definitely soak it overnight constantly rotating it. It comes out perfect every time.”

Still another home cook noted it doesn’t have to be Thanksgiving to enjoy Brown’s recipe: “I have made this two years in a row. It is amazing. Thank you Alton. It is now March and we are all staying home and I had bought a smaller turkey on sale in December, so I am making this today.”

Clearly, Brown’s brine and roasting method is that good and worth the effort.

Find Alton Brown’s full Roast Turkey recipe, video, and reviews on Food Network’s site.

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