The day of the turkey is nearly upon us....

[corilannam]

An informal poll for us novice roasters (with our mothers at our house)--

A moist, tender, yummy Thanksgiving turkey: what's YOUR secret?





Also, I'm about to watch Merlin 1.10, which I understand might actually make my head explode and the very atoms of my physical form rend asunder with the sheer force of its slashiness. Perhaps the turkey will be a non-issue.

Comments

[dorothy1901]

There's an interesting article in the LA Times about a technique which involves rubbing the turkey with salt. See How we discovered the be-all, end-all turkey recipe and It's the turkey everyone loves.

[cereta.livejournal.com]

I was about to say, I've found with turkey breasts that salting the hell out of the skin works nicely.

[corilannam.livejournal.com]

That sounds really awesome! Alas, I think it was too late for my turkey this year, but I've bookmarked the links just in case I'm insane enough to do this again. *g*

[thalia]

Brining. It works wonders. We usually brine the turkey overnight and just leave it in the garage--nice of Thanksgiving to be when it's generally cold.

Also, don't overcook--use a thermometer, not the pop-up thingie in the turkey.

Here's Cook's Illustrated's recipe; this is pretty much what I do.

Ingredients
Table salt
turkey (12 to 22 pounds gross weight), rinsed thoroughly, giblets and neck reserved for gravy, if making
4 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted

Instructions

1. Dissolve 1 cup salt per gallon cold water for 4- to 6-hour brine or 1/2 cup salt per gallon cold water for 12- to 14-hour brine in large stockpot or clean bucket. Two gallons of water will be sufficient for most birds; larger birds may require three gallons. Add turkey and refrigerate for predetermined amount of time.


2. Before removing turkey from brine, adjust oven rack to lowest position; heat oven to 400 degrees for 12- to 18-pound bird or 425 degrees for 18- to 22-pound bird. Line large V-rack with heavy-duty foil and use paring knife or skewer to poke 20 to 30 holes in foil; set V-rack in large roasting pan.


3. Remove turkey from brine and rinse well under cool running water. Pat dry inside and out with paper towels. Tuck tips of drumsticks into skin at tail to secure, and tuck wing tips behind back. Brush turkey breast with 2 tablespoons butter. Set turkey breast-side down on prepared V-rack; brush back with remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Roast 45 minutes for 12- to 18-pound bird or 1 hour for 18- to 22-pound bird.


4. Remove roasting pan with turkey from oven (close oven door to retain oven heat); reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees if roasting 18- to 22-pound bird. Using clean potholders or kitchen towels, rotate turkey breast-side up; continue to roast until thickest part of breast registers 165 degrees and thickest part of thigh registers 170 to 175 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 50 to 60 minutes longer for 12- to 15-pound bird, about 1 1/4 hours for 15- to 18-pound bird, or about 2 hours longer for 18- to 22-pound bird.


5. Transfer turkey to carving board; let rest 30 minutes (or up to 40 minutes for 18- to 22-pound bird). Carve and serve.

[sneezer222.livejournal.com]

Heehee, great minds think alike! :)

[thalia]

Because it works! Mmm, juicy turkey....

[corilannam.livejournal.com]

Thanks!! My turkey is now brining happily in the fridge at home (well, I'm not sure how happy the turkey would really be about this development, but hopefully it's past caring).

[sneezer222.livejournal.com]

I really like to brine my turkey the night before. It sounds complicated, but if you have a clean 5 gallon bucket you are pretty much set. :)

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/good-eats-roast-turkey-recipe/index.html

I just roast it in my usual method after brining, because I don't have any fancy alarm thermometers! LOL

[corilannam.livejournal.com]

Sounds good to me! My turkey is now immersed in a big bucket o' brine, and we'll see how it turns out! My brine isn't quite as complicated as Alton's, but hey, baby steps, right?

[sneezer222.livejournal.com]

I skip some of the spices in Alton's {I never have the ginger or allspice!} but it still comes out good.

[mrshamill.livejournal.com]

Always start with a fresh (never frozen!) bird, preferably a kosher one that's minimally processed (hooray Trader Joe's!). Use an old-fashioned deep black roasting pan (I could not live without mine). Coat the bird with melted (real) butter mixed with herbs, white wine and soy sauce just before popping it in the oven. Keep the bird covered until it's just about ready, then uncover it to brown the skin and never over-cook. Let it rest a good long time, too.

I never baste, I've never seen the necessity, and my birds are always so juicy they fall off the bone.

[jacquez.livejournal.com]

note for marzilla: I would not brine if you are using a kosher turkey. Kosher birds are pre-brined already!

[mrshamill.livejournal.com]

This is true, something I'd forgotten, and another reason to love Trader Joe's birds.

[corilannam.livejournal.com]

That sounds... completely delicious. *drool* Sadly, my turkey is not any of those wonderful things ($6 frozen from Bottom Dollar Food, which is why it needs all the help it can get!) I wouldn't have thought of using soy sauce in the mix, but I think I just might have to try that!

[fanofall.livejournal.com]

Brining overnight. Turkey is marvelously moist, golden brown, and the gravy is fabulous.

[corilannam.livejournal.com]

Brining sounds like the big winner, so I'm trying it! Hopefully I got the mixture right!

[noelql.livejournal.com]

I'm boring and old-fashioned but plenty of people have enjoyed my turkey. Rub the bird down with butter before going into the oven. Then baste with melted better every 30 minutes throughout the roasting. If you want an easy-to-do stuffing, the Pepperidge Farms herbed stuffing adds a nice herb flavor to the bird and comes out pretty nicely.

Also, a meat thermometer is key. Not only does it prevent undercooked turkey (eww!!), it prevents overcooked, dry turkey.

Good luck! I'll be cooking our feast on Thursday; call if you run into problems!

[corilannam.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I went out and bought a new meat thermometer, and then my mother found one she had given me buried deep in one of the kitchen drawers (obviously I do not cook things like this often!)

I really want to stuff the turkey, but I keep reading that it can mess up the cooking time and dry out the turkey. But I really love stuffing that's been cooked with the bird. Torn!

[noelql.livejournal.com]

It does change the cooking time, but it shouldn't dry out the turkey at all. Good luck on your adventure!

[lanchid.livejournal.com]

They have these things in the grocery store, called roasting bags, They are usually with the Glad bags and I love roasting with them! Season the bird, insert meat thermometer and run it out of the bag opening, pop the whole thing in the bag, put it in the pan, pan in oven and relax.

Regarding seasoning the turkey: remember what my guru, Alton Brown says: "Skin is usually used to keep outside things out and inside things in. Seasoning the skin makes great skin but doesn't help the meat." So I usually slid my fingers under the skin, above the meat and slide seasoning in there. Not to say that the good recommendations regarding the skin you got above isn't good, just sayin' the meat is good, too. ;-)

[corilannam.livejournal.com]

Well, I make it a point of always doing what Alton tells me! And I've read about that technique in a few places, so I'll definitely be putting some butter and seasoning under the skin.

I also picked up some roasting bags at the store yesterday. My mom said she would never roast a turkey without them, so it seemed both practical and political, if you know what I mean!

This turkey is going to be so darn moist it's going to *dissolve*.