1. The first thing you are going to do is give the bird a quick rinse.
2. Then, you’re going to brine it. Make sure you use a container that is non-reactive. I generally use plastic. Brine for 24 hours. If you have time, the best next step is to remove the bird from the brine and place it uncovered in your refrigerator for another 24 to 36 hours. Allowing the bird to sit breast side up for that amount of time enables the skin to form what we call a pellicle or “the crispy.”
3. When you’re ready to cook the turkey, remove it from the refrigerator for two hours and preheat your oven to 350 F. Stuff it with the lemon, onion, a halved head of garlic, and a few sprigs of thyme.
4. Truss it. Pour a small amount of oil over the breast and rub all over the bird evenly. This will give it a nice even color when it cooks.
5. From there, I season fairly liberally with salt and ground black pepper.
6. Then, it goes into the oven until the temperature of the thickest part of the thigh has a thermometer reading of 160 F. This can take up to three hours or even less than two depending on the oven.
7. Once it has been cooked to temperature, remove it from the oven and allow it to rest. I like to loosely place foil over the turkey and put it aside while I finish other parts of the meal. It needs to be resting for a minimum of 20 minutes. I prefer more like 35.
8. When you’re ready to serve, remove the breast completely, then slice. I like to remove the legs and thighs to slice as well. Everything goes on a warm platter and gets a little chopped parsley and ground black pepper. This is a great way to execute a turkey that is all about flavor and beautiful crispy skin without doing anything crazy.

For the Turkey Brine

1. Place the salt, water, garlic, onion, black peppercorn, sorghum syrup, and lemons in a pot. Bring to a boil for two minutes. Pour over ice. Ideally, all of your brine is cool or, at the highest, room temperature.