Soak the bird overnight in brine. Soak the bird overnight in brine.
To make brine, dissolve one pound of salt per gallon of water; it should be as salty as seawater. Put the mixture in a large bucket (use plastic to avoid any metallic taste). Cover and leave the bird outside to keep it cool. If the temperature is above 50° F or well below 32° F, keep it refrigerated instead.
Remove the legs of the turkey before cooking it.
Dark meat takes longer to cook than white meat, so cook the legs separately from the body. If you want to leave them on, cut the skin between the breast and the legs and spread them out, away from the abdomen, to expose more of the leg to heat.
Cook the turkey breast-side down.
Cooking breast-side down will cause the juices to run down the sides and baste the breasts. Flip it over just before removing from the oven to crisp the skin.