For every gallon of water used in the brine, use the amounts shown in the ingredients.
Once you've filled your bucket with cold water (and submerged the turkey), remove the turkey and measure the water.
Grab a small pot and scoop about 4 cups of water from the bucket. Bring the water to a small boil and add the salt and sugar. Stir until dissolved completely. Pour the salted water back into bucket and stir in the black pepper and bay leaves. Submerge the turkey completely and place in the fridge for anywhere from 4 to 18 hours.
Remove bird from brine, drain, rinse the turkey completely under cold water.
To Cook the Turkey:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place oven rack so that it's on the lowest level.
Pat the turkey dry with paper towels and then rub the inside cavity of the bird with the cut side of a lemon. Season the inside of the bird with black pepper and then stuff with the carrots, celery, onion, garlic and lemon.
Use half of the melted butter to brush the turkey and season with black pepper. Lay the turkey, breast side down, on a rack in a roasting pan. Pour the chicken broth in the roasting pan.
Insert a probe thermometer into the deepest part of the turkey thigh (avoiding the bone). If you don't have a probe thermometer start checking the temperature with an instant read thermometer after 2 hours.
Bake the turkey for 30 minutes at 425 degrees F, then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F at the deepest part of the thigh. If you want to brown the breast (with 30 minutes remaining) carefully remove the turkey from the oven and roll the turkey over so it's breast-side up. Use the remaining melted butter mixed with the garlic powder and parsley and brush the bird. Return to oven until temperature is reached.
Remove from oven and transfer bird to a platter. Cover with foil and let rest for 30 minutes. Remove the inside stuffing and carve turkey. Enjoy!
Notes
As a general rule of thumb: Each pound of turkey takes 13 minutes to cook.
(12 pounds = 12 lbs x 13 min. = 156 min. (2 hours 36 minutes).
When you brine a turkey though, they cook faster, so keep an eye on the internal temperature for better accuracy.