Habanero-Brined Roasted Turkey

Ingredients

• For the brine:
• 2 cups kosher salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 10 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 teaspoons coarsely ground pepper
• 8 habanero chiles
• For the turkey:
• 1 turkey
• 1 onion, cut into quarters
• 2 habanero chiles
• 4 tablespoons butter, softened, plus extra
• Freshly ground pepper
• 3/4 cup chicken broth

Directions

1. Combine the salt and sugar with 2 1/2 gallons cold water in a large stockpot with a lid, then stir until dissolved. Add the garlic and pepper. Put on gloves, cut the habaneros almost into quarters while keeping the stem-end attached, then drop them into the brine and give it a stir. Take the giblets out of the turkey and refrigerate them. Rinse the turkey under cool water, lower it into the brine, and make sure it is completely covered. Cover the stockpot with plastic wrap and the lid, then refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours.
2. When you’re ready to roast the turkey, heat the oven to 400 degrees F. With gloves on, lift the turkey from the brine, throw away the brine, and pat the turkey dry. Put the reserved giblets in the bottom of a roasting pan, then set the turkey breast-up on top of them. Add the onion to a bowl. Cut the habaneros almost into quarters, leaving the stem end attached, and add them to the onions. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a small pan, then pour it over the onion and habaneros. Still wearing gloves, gently toss everything with your hands, then place the mixture inside the turkey cavity. Rub the remaining butter over the outside of the turkey and season with pepper. Tie the drumsticks together with kitchen twine, and tuck the wingtips up and underneath the wings. Cover the turkey breast with a buttered sheet of aluminum foil, put it in the oven, and roast for 50 minutes. While it roasts, heat the broth just to a simmer and keep it warm. After 50 minutes, take the foil off the breast and baste with 1/2 cup of the warm broth. Keep roasting, basting with the pan juices every 30 minutes, until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads about 165 degrees. If the pan starts looking too dry, baste with the remaining 1/4 cup broth. The total roasting time should be 2 1/2 to 3 hours. If the legs get too brown, cover them with foil and continue roasting. Take the turkey out of the oven and let it rest for at least 20 minutes. Carve, and serve.