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Carved turkey on a serving platter with orange slices and herbs.

Tini Turkey Recipe

Isabel
With over 50 million views on TikTok, this viral turkey recipe by Tini Younger is a must-try for Thanksgiving.
5 from 13 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 1 day
Cook Time 3 hours
Restin time 45 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 1 10-12 lb. Turkey defrosted

For the wet brine for turkey

  • 8 Cups Water
  • 1 Cup Kosher salt
  • ¼ Cup Honey
  • ¼ Cup Brown sugar
  • 2 Oranges
  • 2 Heads of garlic
  • 2 Onions
  • 1 Bunch Rosemary
  • 1 Bunch Sage
  • 1 Bunch Oregano
  • 1 Bunch Thyme
  • 2 Bay leafs
  • 1 teaspoon peppercorns
  • 8 Cups Ice cold water

Garlic Herb Butter to rub the turkey

  • 1 Cups unsalted butter at room temperature (225grams/ 2 sticks)
  • ¼ Cup Olive oil
  • 8-12 Cloves Garlic
  • 2 Tablespoons Oregano leaves Remove the stems and reserve for the turkey cavity
  • 2 Tablespoons Rosemary leaves Remove the stems reserve for the turkey cavity
  • 2 Tablespoons Thyme leaves Remove the stems reserve for the turkey cavity
  • 2 Tablespoons Chives chopped
  • ½ Tablespoon Lemon zest
  • Juice of half of a lemon
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper

Liquid herb butter for injecting the turkey

  • 1 Cup unsalted butter Melted (225grams/2 sticks)
  • 1 Teaspoon salt kosher salt
  • 1 Teaspoon pepper or to taste
  • 1 Teaspoon Ground thyme
  • 1 Teaspoon Onion powder
  • 1 Teaspoon Garlic powder
  • 1 Teaspoon Paprika

For the Turkey Cavity

  • ½ Onion
  • 1 Bunch Parsley
  • Herb stems
  • ½ Lemon

Vegetables for roasting pan

  • ½ Onion roughly chopped
  • 2 Carrots roughly chopped
  • 2 Celery stalks roughly chopped
  • 2 Cups Chicken broth

Instructions
 

Clean the turkey

  • Remove the bag of innards, the neck bone and any plastic inserts from the turkey cavity. Reserve the neck bones and innards if making gravy from scratch.
    1 10-12 lb. Turkey

Prepare the wet brine

  • Slice the oranges, cut the onions in half and the heads of garlic in half.
    2 Oranges, 2 Onions, 2 Heads of garlic
  • Add all the ingredients to a pot except the ice water. Bring them to a boil.
    8 Cups Water, 1 Cup Kosher salt, ¼ Cup Honey, ¼ Cup Brown sugar, 1 Bunch Rosemary, 1 Bunch Sage, 1 Bunch Oregano, 1 Bunch Thyme, 2 Bay leafs, 1 teaspoon peppercorns
  • Let the brine boil for 2 minutes and remove from the heat.
  • Allow the liquid to cool down and add the 8 cups of ice water.
    8 Cups Ice cold water
  • When the brine is completely cooled down transfer it to a container big enough to place the turkey and brine and that can fit in your refrigerator.
  • You can also use a turkey brining bag for this process.
  • Place the turkey in the brine and refrigerate covered for 12 to 24 hours.
  • Discard the brine and dry the turkey with paper towels.

Prepare the Garlic Herb Butter

  • In a food processor or blender combine the softened butter, herbs, garlic, lemon zest and lemon juice.
    1 Cups unsalted butter, ¼ Cup Olive oil, 8-12 Cloves Garlic, 2 Tablespoons Oregano leaves, 2 Tablespoons Rosemary leaves, 2 Tablespoons Thyme leaves, 2 Tablespoons Chives, ½ Tablespoon Lemon zest, Juice of half of a lemon, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper
  • Use about ⅓ of the garlic herb butter to rub the inside cavity of the turkey.
  • Melt the rest of the garlic butter and use a cooking brush to add the butter to the outer skin of the turkey. It should be completely covered.

Inject the turkey with liquid butter

  • Melt the butter and add the seasonings and salt.
    1 Cup unsalted butter, 1 Teaspoon salt, 1 Teaspoon pepper, 1 Teaspoon Ground thyme, 1 Teaspoon Onion powder, 1 Teaspoon Garlic powder, 1 Teaspoon Paprika
  • Inject the turkey with the liquid butter. Add it to the tights and breast poking different spots along the bird.
  • Add herbs and lemon to the turkey cavity.
    ½ Onion, 1 Bunch Parsley, Herb stems, ½ Lemon
  • Place the turkey in a roasting pan. Add some chopped onion, celery and carrots to the bottom and about 2 cups of chicken stock.
    ½ Onion, 2 Carrots, 2 Celery stalks, 2 Cups Chicken broth
  • Roast the turkey at 330F until the internal temperature of the breast reaches 160F (it will keep rising out of the oven to 165F). It will take 2-3 hours depending on the size of your turkey.
  • Baste the turkey with the drippings every 30 minutes and also inject some of the liquid back every 30 minutes.
  • Allow the turkey to rest for 30 to 45 minutes before carving it.
  • Slice and enjoy.

Notes

Important tips
RECIPE UPDATE
Originally the recipe called for 2 cups of butter to make the compound garlic butter. Amount has been updated to only 1 cup (2 sticks).
  • Thaw your turkey 2-3 days in the fridge.
  • For this recipe, buy a natural turkey (not brined).
  • Brine turkey in the fridge for 24 hours.
  • When cooking the turkey baste it and inject it with butter every 30 minutes.
  • Cover the turkey with foil or a cheese cloth to prevent burning the skin.
  • Cook the turkey until internal temperature is close to 165F, the temperature will continue to rise as the turkey rest.
  • Allow the turkey to rest for at least 30-45 minutes before carving.
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