1 20 pound turkey 8 quarts water 2 cups coarse salt 1 cup honey 2 bunches fresh thyme 8 garlic cloves, peeled 2 Tablespoons coarse ground black pepper 2 lemons, halved 2 Tablespoons olive oil 4-5 cups gf chicken broth for basting
For gravy: 1 cup pan drippings 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter 5 Tablespoons gf flour 4-5 cups gf chicken stock 1/4 cup whipping cream Salt and pepper
Directions
Rinse turkey and place in a large, heavy plastic zip-lock bag. Place turkey, in bag, in a large stock pot.
In a large bowl, add water, salt and honey, mix until salt dissolves. Add 1 bunch of thyme, garlic and pepper; blend. Pour brine into zip-lock bag with turkey. Gather bag up tightly around turkey and secure it so that as much air as possible is removed and turkey is covered with brine. Place pot in refrigerator for 24 hours.
Position a rack in bottom third of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Drain turkey; discarding brine. Pat turkey dry inside and out. Pour freshly squeezed lemon juice into turkey cavity and place squeezed lemon halves along with remaining bunch of thyme inside turkey cavity. Tuck wings under the back and tie legs together with kitchen string.
Place turkey breast-side down on a rack in a large roasting pan. Rub all over with olive oil. Roast turkey for 1 hour and baste with chicken broth. Continue to roast for 1-1/2 more hours then remove turkey from oven and turn turkey breast-side up. Return to oven and continue roasting, basting with chicken broth every 30 minutes until done. Turkey is done when internal temperature of meat thermometer, inserted in thighs, reaches 170-180 degrees F. Remove from oven to a platter, tent with foil and let rest for 30 minutes.
For gravy: Using a baster, remove fat from turkey drippings and heat drippings over medium heat.
Place 1 cup chicken broth and 4 Tablespoons flour in a small container with a lid and shake vigorously until blended. Pour flour mixture into simmering drippings and stir until mixture begins to thicken. Add about 4 cups chicken stock and cream; continuing to stir. For desired consistency, add more flour/chicken stock mixture to thicken, or more chicken stock to thin. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
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