Brine or salt your defrosted or fresh turkey a day ahead of time. Allow the moisture to evaporate in the fridge overnight. This will facilitate browning of the skin.

Gather all your ingredients.

Prepare the stuffing by slicing, cubing and toasting good bread. Also, prepare ingredients: Chopped dill, onion, celery, grated carrots, rosemary, sage, thyme, chicken or turkey broth, salt and pepper, and whole eggs. Fry up the onion, celery and carrots until golden. Remove from stove and add the spices, herbs. Whisk the eggs into the broth, and add to the other ingredients.

Once mixed up properly, add the toasted bread cubes and let the liquid soak into the bread. Spray a double-foiled pan with cooking oil, and spread out the stuffing mix. This will be baked covered with foil for about 30 to 60 minutes covered, and 10 to 15 minutes uncovered to crisp the top.

Spice paste rub for inside the cavity, between the skin and the turkey, as well as outside. I used a Peruvian recipe: Salt, pepper, lime juice and zest, cumin, paprika, olive oil, dry oregano and garlic paste. After combining all the ingredients, carefully separate the skin of the turkey, both front and rear cavity.

With gloved hands, insert and spread paste between the skin, in each cavity, and on the entire surface of the bird. Once applied, insert some chopped vegetables into the cavity, such as, onion, celery, carrot, dill, and rosemary. Place the turkey, breast side up on the rack within the roasting pan.

Tightly cover the end of the legs, and wings with foil. Using kitchen twine (cotton, not synthetic) tie legs closed and a loop around the wings. Dust the turkey with some paprika. Add stock, vegetables, and herbs to the bottom of the pan. This will be a basis for gravy. During the cooking cycle, you will need to add water or more broth, as it will evaporate. This is important for preventing burning.

Cover the turkey breast with heavy-duty foil and place into a 500-degree wood fired oven legs first. You want either very small or no flame. I recommend an ilFornino wood-fired oven with one flat cooking surface to accommodate easy positioning and turning of the heavy roasting pan. You should light your oven about 1 hour before inserting to get a good heat soak and temperature reduction.

Based on your available real estate, you can split the wood and coals on the sides to accommodate even cooking, however, I didn’t find that to be mandatory. Set a timer for 30 minutes, check progress and rotate 180 degrees. If you find that the temperature drops below 325 degrees, remove the turkey and add some wood.

Use a blowpipe to resurrect the flames to ignite the newly placed wood. Keeping the flame at one side makes it easy to control the addition of more fuel. Do not insert the turkey until the flame burns clean.

After about an hour to and hour and a half, remove the turkey and flip it over, breast side down and repeat the 30-minute interval rotation.

Check the temperature of the thigh until it reaches about 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the foil, turn the bird breast side up and allow the skin to crisp up. Make sure the skin doesn’t burn.

Once the skin is crisp, make sure the thigh temperature is at 170 degrees. It will be ready to remove and rest for at least 20 minutes before carving.

Sides should be done at the same time, as they will be finished first and allow time for final preparation. Try a variety of potatoes, peppers, squash, roasted garlic, onions and even eggplant for a Middle Eastern flair.

Oh, and don’t forget fresh Cranberry Sauce. I added pineapple to give it another level of flavor. Do this ahead of time to allow cooling, if you prefer.