1. Do some math:

• Multiply the number of pounds your turkey weighs by 2 ½ tablespoons. This is the amount of ranch salt you’ll need for rubbing your bird. (Hot tip: 16 tablespoons = 1 cup) For example, if your turkey weighs 14.6 pounds, you will use 36.5 tablespoons, or 2.28 cups (just round to 2 ¼ cups).
• Follow the recipe for ranch salt, making enough to yield what you’ll need for your bird!

2. Dry brine your turkey (2 days before roasting):

• Remove the giblets and any other turkey parts that may have been included from the cavity of your turkey.  If turkey is very wet, lightly pat the bird dry and place on a baking sheet, keeping in mind that the turkey and baking sheet will need to fit in your refrigerator.
• Generously season the turkey with your calculated amount of ranch salt, starting on the backside, coating on all sides, rotating and flipping as needed.  Make sure no visible skin is unseasoned. It’s a lot of seasoning– yes! This is because ranch salt is comprised of 50% spices, so don't worry about the saltiness. Do your best to manually pack as much as you can onto the exterior and put a generous sprinkle into the cavity of the bird. The turkey will look very caked in ranch salt– don’t be scared! Scoop and gather as much as you can from the sheet, packing it back on. IMPORTANT NOTE! Expect some of the ranch salt to fall off naturally-- (up to a cup can fall off!) and best not to incorporate that amount or your gravy will be overseasoned.
• Transfer to the fridge, uncovered, for at least 24 hours and up to two days in advance.

3. Prep the bird for roasting:

• An hour before roasting, pull the turkey out of the fridge and let sit at room temperature.
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
• Place the bird on a wire rack set inside a CLEAN roasting pan or large rimmed baking sheet (or just clean the one it was on, rinsing off any excess salt that fell to the surface). You don't want to incorporate that extra 1/3 cup ranch salt that likely fell off the bird while seasoning it, as your pan juices and gravy may take on too much seasoning. If you don’t have a rack, you can roast without, not to worry!
• If you have kitchen twine, tie the turkey legs together. This is optional but helps for skin browning.
• Melt 1 stick butter for basting. Use a pastry brush to dab the bird thoroughly with the butter, being careful not to take off too much of the seasoning. (You won’t use all of the butter at this point.)
• Cut 3 lemons in half (you can use the zested ones from making Ranch Salt) and stuff into the cavity.
• Add 2 cups water to the roasting pan.

4. Cook the bird!:

• Transfer turkey to the oven and bake, until the internal temperature of the breast and thigh read anywhere between 120-130, about 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours total depending on size of your bird. Remove the bird from the oven. You can do this step up to 1 hour before serving.

5. Crisp up the skin:

• Increase oven temperature to 450.
• Add an additional cup or so of water to the roasting pan. (If the water didn’t evaporate too much during the first go-round in the oven,you don't need to add much more here. We're just trying to keep the water level the same throughout the cook.)
• When oven has reached temp, pat the turkey with more butter with your pastry brush and return to the oven. Roast for 45 minutes. Pat with butter one more time and wrap the wing tips in foil if at any point they look too dark to prevent burning. Roast until the skin is deeply golden and crispy and a meat thermometer registers 155-160 in the thickest part of the thigh. Make sure to temp in lots of different places as thigh can temp differently in different parts. We are looking to temp in the deepest part of the thigh behind the joint. By this time, the breast will be done since it cooks faster, but if you want to check, the breast should also be at least 155-160. This process should take about 1 hour to 1 ½ hours more, depending on the size of your bird.

6. Make ranchy gravy:

• Transfer turkey to a cutting board to rest for at least 45 mins and up to an hour and a half. Remove lemons from cavity and reserve for squeezing.
• Pour all pan drippings into a large measuring cup. Be sure to scrape off and include any yummy roasty bits left behind on the pan with the rest of the drippings.
• Let the juices in the measuring cup settle and ladle or spoon off as much fat from the top as you can. Don’t go crazy with this! Totally fine (and good!) to leave a thin layer of yummy butter. Add enough chicken or turkey broth to give you 4 cups total of liquid.
• Transfer pan drippings to a medium pot and squeeze in the juice from the reserved roasted lemons. Place over medium heat.
• Add ⅓ cup flour to a medium bowl. Gradually dribble two big ladlefuls of hot pan drippings into the bowl with flour, whisking continuously and vigorously until smooth and a pourable consistency. (This will be the slurry that will thicken the gravy.)
• Return the mixture back to the pot with the rest of the drippings. Adjust heat to obtain a strong simmer and cook, whisking, until gravy has thickened, about 4-8 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Add 2 tablespoons sour cream, season with more ranch salt, squeeze in juice from a fresh lemon to taste.

7. Carve and serve:

• Carve up the turkey, sprinkling the meat with additional ranch salt and dousing everything in ranchy gravy. Serve, with additional ranchy gravy and cranberry-sambal relish, if making.