Combine all brine
ingredients, except ice water, in a stockpot, and bring to a boil. Stir
to dissolve solids, then remove from heat, cool to room temperature,
and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. Early on the day of cooking, (or late the night before) combine
the brine and ice water in a clean 5-gallon bucket. Place thawed turkey
breast side down in brine, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area
(like a basement) for 6 hours. Turn turkey over once, half way through
brining.
A few minutes before roasting, heat oven to 500 degrees.
Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and cup of water in a
microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes.
Remove bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard brine.
Place bird on roasting rack inside wide, low pan and pat dry
with paper towels. Add steeped aromatics to cavity along with rosemary
and sage. Tuck back wings and coat whole bird liberally with canola (or
other neutral) oil.
Roast on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F. for 30
minutes. Remove from oven and cover breast with double layer of
aluminum foil, insert probe thermometer into thickest part of the
breast and return to oven, reducing temperature to 350 degrees F. Set
thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees. A 14 to 16 pound bird
should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let turkey
rest, loosely covered for 15 minutes before carving.
