NFT: Thanksgiving Turkey: advice thread

based on taste. But when I used to cook for the family Thanksgiving, I was in charge of the turkey. Regardless of what recipe you opt for, one key step before roasting a turkey is to soak it in a brine solution 24 hours before roasting.

For the flavoring, I would chop 3 lbs of bacon and cook till crisp. Save the fat and set the crisp bacon pieces aside. In the fat rendering, cook onion, leeks, mushrooms and spices. This mixture is not to be eaten but stuffed in the cavity of the bird. Combine the crisp bacon with 1 lb of softened butter. Separate the skin from the meat by sliding your hand between the two. Then take the bacon/butter mixture and spread it between the skin and meat. Roast the damn bird and baste as necessary.

Once you fry a turkey you will be hooked...

In comment 13695516 JCin332 said:

Quote:

Once you fry a turkey you will be hooked...

Frying was the one exclusion...

I got 2 small (12 lb) turkeys. I got the frozen so I had to get them early. I’m going to wet brine one and smoke it (no pink salt, just smoke so it’s not like the store smoked turkey). Of course that’s not in the oven either. For the second, I’m going to dry brine it, spatchcock it, and cook it in the oven according to a Serious Eats recipe I saw. I also just bought a couple fresh wings to use to make some stock today or tomorrow.

of brining. It should also cook a bit quicker if you go that route. Just google turkey brine. It's relatively simple.

And then finish in the oven. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the above directions though.

For my stock I take the gravy pack, turkey stock, celery carrots onions garlic salt and pepper and Italian herb seasonings and let it roll while it’s in the oven. It’s a baster and your gravy base.

No one eats the legs or wings so I put them in the stock.

Blend with a wand blender with some flour and water to thickness

How do you guys make it?

Doing an 'friendsgiving' for a bunch of friends, so getting an early start on some of the prep/recipe testing.

Turkey Stock (essential!):
https://www.bonappetit.com/story/homemade-stock-thanksgiving

-Made this last night and the house smelled amazing, as well as, the stock was so rich and flavorful.

Turkey Brine:
http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/11/quick-and-dirty-guide-to-brining-turkey-chicken-thanksgiving.html

-Great article that breaks down both wet and dry brine. I go with the dry brine because it is way easier and I believe yields better results (and crispier skin).

Spatchcocked Turkey
http://www.seriouseats.com/2017/01/the-food-lab-how-to-roast-a-butterflied-spatchcocked-chicken.html

-+1 on Spatchcocking... turkey cooks faster and more evenly.

With a mixer of
- Thyme
- Rosemary
- Sage
- Balsamic vinegar
- Black pepper
- Olive oil

Then I also rub the same under the skin, and roast in a roasting bag. Infusion syringes can be bought in most stores that sell kitchen accessories.

In comment 13695533 Beer Man said:

Quote:

With a mixer of - Thyme - Rosemary - Sage - Balsamic vinegar - Black pepper - Olive oil Then I also rub the same under the skin, and roast in a roasting bag. Infusion syringes can be bought in most stores that sell kitchen accessories.

I'll second the roasting bag....that's a huge key to quick/moist turkey.

Take it out of the fridge 2-3 hours before you cook it so it comes to temperature. Remove the neck and parts stuffed on the inside. It will cook faster and more evenly. The vegeterian may complain, so find a spot she doesn't mind.

Have a good thermometer on hand so you don't have to guess when it's done. 165 for poultry but I usually go a few degrees higher to be safe. I use one where a probe stays in the bird while its in the oven and displays a constant reading. This way you only open the oven a 2-3 times to baste it and you can let it cook until it's done.

Thanks everyone.

Roasting question - can I get one at my grocery store or do I need to go somewhere more.....Department-store-ish?

Roasting *BAG* question...

In comment 13695529 bigbluehoya said:

Quote:

How do you guys make it?

I do a simple brine
1 Cup Kosher Salt
1 Cup Sugar (granulated or brown)
1 Gallon water
5 lbs ice.

Dissolve the sugar & salt in the water, either use hot tap water, or just bring it to a boil. Then cool the hot water down with the ice, and drop the turkey in the brine overnight. Just rinse and dry the turkey when you take it out of the brine. You can also add any seasonings to the brine that you'd like.

In comment 13695541 BigBlue in Keys said:

Quote:

Take it out of the fridge 2-3 hours before you cook it so it comes to temperature. Remove the neck and parts stuffed on the inside. It will cook faster and more evenly. The vegeterian may complain, so find a spot she doesn't mind. Have a good thermometer on hand so you don't have to guess when it's done. 165 for poultry but I usually go a few degrees higher to be safe. I use one where a probe stays in the bird while its in the oven and displays a constant reading. This way you only open the oven a 2-3 times to baste it and you can let it cook until it's done.

if you use a roasting bag then you don’t have to baste. By holding in the steam, roasting bags will self-baste the bird in its own juices

2 quarts apple juice
1 gal cold water
1 cup kosher salt
6 cloves garlic
3 chopped apples
mixed fresh herbs

I put it in a bag, submerge the turkey, add 1/2 bag ice, tie bag and place in cooler covered in ice 12-20 hrs before cooking.

I do 22-25lb turkey

we hosted Thanksgiving and many years before that before we were married we hosted Thanksgiving and every one of them I had to cook the turkey. I have fried turkeys, smoked turkeys and roasted turkeys many different ways. I like them all.

fried, while delicious IMO is kind of a pain in the ass not worth the effort so good you can't do it.

smoking, while also delicious, requires a lot more prep and care than roasting.

so on to roasting, I agree, brining is a must and it doesn't just cut down cooking time a little, it's a lot, and it keeps the turkey moist.

my favorite recipe is the Alton Brown brine/roasting recipe linked and pasted below:

I used a fresh turkey, not frozen

Quote:

Ingredients 1 (14 to 16 pound) frozen young turkey For the brine: 1 cup kosher salt 1/2 cup light brown sugar 1 gallon vegetable stock 1 tablespoon black peppercorns 1 1/2 teaspoons allspice berries 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped candied ginger 1 gallon heavily iced water For the aromatics: 1 red apple, sliced 1/2 onion, sliced 1 cinnamon stick 1 cup water 4 sprigs rosemary 6 leaves sage Canola oil Directions Click here to see how it's done. 2 to 3 days before roasting: Begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F. Combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate. Early on the day or the night before you'd like to eat: Combine the brine, water and ice in the 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine. Place the bird on roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels. Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add steeped aromatics to the turkey's cavity along with the rosemary and sage. Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with canola oil. Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl for 15 minutes before carving.

Alton Brown on how to roast a turkey - ( New Window )

second this Alton Brown method.

now reccomends a dry brine rather than a wet one

In comment 13695661 PEEJ said:

Quote:

now reccomends a dry brine rather than a wet one

only if you butterfly the turkey from what I read, I've been interested in trying it, but the turkey on Thanksgiving is something I'm always hesitant to experiment with.

salt, fresh thyme, fresh bay leaves(a few), peppercorn, water.

Bake it.

Done.

Cook it in a roasting oven
Apple cider brined turkey - ( New Window )

In comment 13695544 bigbluehoya said:

Quote:

Roasting *BAG* question...

All grocery stores should have them, especially around the holidays

Did it last year. Butterfly, dry brine overnight. Cooks way faster. Tougher to stuff, though, lol. For carving, remove the breast meat intact and slice it like a roast, 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick pieces.

In comment 13695993 Bill in UT said:

Quote:

Did it last year. Butterfly, dry brine overnight. Cooks way faster. Tougher to stuff, though, lol. For carving, remove the breast meat intact and slice it like a roast, 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick pieces.

Hey Bill in Ut, Happy Thanksgiving! I was waiting for you to get on this thread.

Never done it that way.

Anyone with some experiences to share with a dry brine?

In comment 13696007 smshmth8690 said:

Quote:

In comment 13695993 Bill in UT said: Quote: Did it last year. Butterfly, dry brine overnight. Cooks way faster. Tougher to stuff, though, lol. For carving, remove the breast meat intact and slice it like a roast, 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick pieces. Hey Bill in Ut, Happy Thanksgiving! I was waiting for you to get on this thread.

Hey, Drew. Great to hear from you, buddy. I'm in AZ now. Fish still sucks, lol. I was thinking about you recently- I got to see Big Night and made a timpano :) I hope the restaurant is booming. Have a great Thanksgiving.

In comment 13695547 Beer Man said:
Quote:


if you use a roasting bag then you don’t have to baste. By holding in the steam, roasting bags will self-baste the bird in its own juices [/quote]

I have never tried the bag, does the skin still get crispy?



Diver_Down : Then take the bacon/butter mixture and spread it between the skin and meat.

I always rub under and over the skin with butter, this year I'm adding in the bacon!! Thanks DD!

In comment 13696174 BigBlue in Keys said:

Quote:

In comment 13695547 Beer Man said: Quote: if you use a roasting bag then you don’t have to baste. By holding in the steam, roasting bags will self-baste the bird in its own juices

I have never tried the bag, does the skin still get crispy?
[/quote]

I don't think it's possible to crisp the skin in a steamy bag. You'd have to remove it and crisp the skin after.

I didn't realize how many people were so high on brining, but I did it once and felt like it was a total waste: the brine smelled awesome and the turkey tasted like fucking turkey. It's not like it completely changes the flavor to the point where you need to go crazy adding spices and fruits and the kitchen sink. I imagine a sugar salt solution would do the same thing. But I'm not sure it does much anyway.

So I simplified it a lot. I soften a stick of butter and make an herb butter that I spread all over the surface of the turkey which helps keep it moist and helps the skin get super crispy. I like a mix of thyme and rosemary in the butter. I'll throw an apple, a lemon, and an orange in the turkey cavity to help with the moisture also. I'm not a fan of stuffing the bird, but I might end up doing that instead this year. We'll see.

But yeah, herb butter on the whole bird and then salt and pepper the whole thing. That worked pretty well for me.

The side dishes are where it's at anyway. And the gravy...

butter, bacon, oil, etc. on the bird and I do stuff it with aromatics.

brining (wet brining) is not about flavor (mostly) it's about keeping the turkey moist and having it cook quicker.

In comment 13696012 Bill in UT said:

Quote:

In comment 13696007 smshmth8690 said: Quote: In comment 13695993 Bill in UT said: Quote: Did it last year. Butterfly, dry brine overnight. Cooks way faster. Tougher to stuff, though, lol. For carving, remove the breast meat intact and slice it like a roast, 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick pieces. Hey Bill in Ut, Happy Thanksgiving! I was waiting for you to get on this thread. Hey, Drew. Great to hear from you, buddy. I'm in AZ now. Fish still sucks, lol. I was thinking about you recently- I got to see Big Night and made a timpano :) I hope the restaurant is booming. Have a great Thanksgiving.

The Big Night! I just watched it a couple of weeks ago, love seeing the hometown on tv! Fish? I just had a friend drop fresh Blackfish off at my door - 'tis the season! Timpano? really?

to everyone and their families.

One final question here.

I’ve got a 19 lb bird being done in the oven (using Alton Brown’s Good Eats recipe, shout out to pjcas for posting that).

Question is, at what internal temp (deep thigh reading I assume?) should I be pulling the turkey from the oven? Recipe says 161F, but most other things I’m seeing say 180F??

Safety is key, but I’m not trying to dry this fucker out..

Bump

165 - 170, I read on cdc or fda website that bacteria cannot live over 160 (probably where the 161 comes from), but I like to make sure the juices are not pink at all and I usually see that around 165 - 170.

Some people say once you reach 165 you can take it out of the oven and let it rest and the residual heat still increases the temperature some.

Happy thanksgiving to you and the fam.

In comment 13701949 bigbluehoya said:

Quote:

to everyone and their families. One final question here. I’ve got a 19 lb bird being done in the oven (using Alton Brown’s Good Eats recipe, shout out to pjcas for posting that). Question is, at what internal temp (deep thigh reading I assume?) should I be pulling the turkey from the oven? Recipe says 161F, but most other things I’m seeing say 180F?? Safety is key, but I’m not trying to dry this fucker out..

180 is an old metric that results in a dried out bird. Butterball and other companies recommend this because a lot of people are very inexperienced cooks who may be measuring the temperature in the wrong spot, and thus pull the bird when some areas are still undercooked.

For safety you want the bird cooked thru to 165. If you pull it when the coldest spot is 161, carryover heat should bring the temperature up to 165 when the bird rests. But make sure you really have the coldest spot, usually the deepest part of the thigh.

In comment 13701972 bigbluehoya said:

Quote:

Happy thanksgiving to you and the fam.

You too, enjoy.

Sorta by mistake...

This bad boy was 80 bucks...it better be good

Anyone ever eaten a Heritage bird? Worth the money?

Cooking the turkey in the Big Easy oilless fryer later today. And I'm slow cooking a ham. Can't wait.

Just chop onion, celery and carrots and place some in the cavity and around the pan. Then slather butter on the skin and under along with a little sage, salt and pepper.

Our oven has a probe and set to 165. Will check a few spots after the probe reaches 165 to make sure 165 throughout.

In comment 13701984 lono801 said:

Quote:

Sorta by mistake... This bad boy was 80 bucks...it better be good Anyone ever eaten a Heritage bird? Worth the money?

I think they are. Richer, more flavorful meat generally. And more dark meat, which I prefer. Of course it depends on the breed and preparation.

But not everyone’s a fan. Turkeys are naturally about 50/50 white to dark meat. Commercial turkeys are bred to have huge breasts, so the ratio is more like 70/30. The birds can barely walk, much less fly. If everyone wants white meat and wants to drown it in gravy, a heritage won’t be popular,

I pulled it out of the oven. Smells so good

It's just the wife and me...she likes the white and I'm a dark meat fan.

So it's a win-win

Has a deeper turkey smell.

I can't wait to taste it

That came out unbelievable. Excellent.

I am hands down doing the same way next year.

Thanks again, dude.