I often encourage people to make the effort to record favorite family recipes before they’re lost, and this is the recipe I talk about. My husband’s Aunt Ida Brody in Kinston, North Carolina, always prepared the Thanksgiving turkey this rather unusual way. It comes out as brown and beautiful as a bird on a magazine cover, with very moist meat. Ida never measured anything, so the family wrangled the recipe from her by standing in the kitchen while she prepared the turkey, asking questions and measuring ingredients before she added them. If cell phones and tablets had existed then, it would have been fun to have a video of that scene.
1 small (10- to 12-pound) turkey
1 cup cola (see Note)
1/2 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Seasoned salt to taste
1 large bay leaf, crumbled
Ample shakes of paprika
1 apple
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery, including the leaves
1 cup chopped carrots
Place the turkey in a container with a cover or in a large, heavy cooking bag and pour the cola and orange juice over it. Turn the turkey to cover it with the liquids. Season the turkey all over with the onion powder, garlic powder, seasoned salt, bay leaf, and paprika. Put the apple inside the turkey, then cover the container or securely close the cooking bag. Place the turkey in the refrigerator overnight, turning it occasionally and spooning the liquid over it, especially the breast side.
When ready to cook, spread the onions, celery, and carrots on the bottom of a roasting pan. Add just enough water to cover the vegetables. Remove the turkey from the marinade and place it on a rack above the vegetables in the roasting pan. Discard the marinade.
Preheat the oven to 350°. Cover the turkey with a lid or foil sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Roast until no pink liquid emerges when the meat is pricked with a fork or an instant-read thermometer registers 180° in the thigh or 165° in the breast. Remove and discard the apple.
Remove the turkey to a serving platter, tent loosely with foil, and let sit for 20 minutes or so before carving. Strain the liquid in the pan to use in making gravy, if you like.
NOTE * Do not use diet or reduced-sugar cola for this recipe. Aunt Ida preferred the cola in the red can. You can also use a whole chicken or a turkey breast instead of a whole turkey.