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So, Let's Talk Turkey.....

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Less than a week away from the big day, so let's have at it...........

 

I never cook a turkey on T-Day, as I usually go to my Mom's, or as in this year, my sister's.....so I let them worry about it (though I do give them advice)

 

Only time I had T-day at MY house, I made

duck.......

 

But I do make turkey sometime around now, as it is so cheap, and will probably do one the Sunday after.....

 

So, what do YOU do? Stuffed or unstuffed? Brined or not? Roaster bag? Deep fried? (YUM!) Grilled? Something else?

 

Mine gets brined for about 24 hours beforehand (This, as well as the cooking times, is for about a 12-14 bird)....1 large can of frozen apple juice concentrate, some bay leaves and pickling spices, enough water to cover, and 1/2 cup of kosher salt per gallon of water. All goes in a big pot or a clean 5 gallon bucket, and stored in my bulkhead (provided the temps are as low as they are today.....if not, it goes in the spare fridge in the basement)

 

Rinse off the brine and pat it dry inside and out.

 

Using the handle of a wooden spoon, seperate the skin from the meat on the breast. Place some pats of butter, slices of garlic, whole fresh thyme sprigs, and fresh sage leaves under the breast skin.

 

Inside (both eneds) gets sprinkled with salt, pepper, garlic powder and poultry seasoning.

 

Then, if stuffing, the stuffing goes in. If not, the cavities get filled with chunks of onion, garlic, celery, perhaps some apple or pear quartes, more poultry seasoning, salt, pepper, and butter pats.

 

Truss the bird up so all stays inside, and place on a V-Rack in a roasting pan, breast side up.

 

Goes in a pre-heated 425 oven for 15 minutes.

 

Take it out, baste a bit with butter, and turn it on its right side.

 

Back in the 425 oven for 15-20 minutes.

 

Baste it some more with butter, and turn it on its other side. Back in the 425 oven for another 15-20 minutes.

 

Baste it some more, turn the oven down to 325, and leave it on it's side. Cover the wing tips with foil to prevent burning. Scatter some carrot chunks, whole garlic cloves, whole or halved mushrooms, and peeled small onions or some onion chunks in the roasting pan. Cook at 325 for 60 minutes, basting twice more. After the second baste, sprinkle on some garlic powder and salt.

 

After the hour is up, turn the bird on its other side, baste and cook at 325 for another hour, again basting twice, and adding the garlic powder and salt after the second baste.

 

When the thickest part of the thigh hits 160-165, turn the turkey breast-side up, baste, sprinkle with garlic powder and salt, and roast for another 15-20 minutes at 325, just to crisp up the breast skin.

 

Remove from the rack, take out the stuffing, and cover the bird with foil and let it rest for 20-30 minutes. Carry-over cooking time will bring the thigh and drumsticks to about 170, and the breast to about 175....

 

Seperate the fat from the juices in the roasting pan in a fat seperator cup (the one that the spout comes from the bottom). Mash up the carrots, celery and onions with a spoon in the bottom of the pan, deglaze with chicken broth and or white wine, add back in the juices, and a very lightly browned roux that you made using the fat from the pan.

 

Slice up the bird, and you are good to go......

 

If you have a very large bird, and all that turning is cumbersome, just cook it breast side down until the last 45 minutes....

 

SO, what's YOUR method?

 

smile.gif

"You know the Bill of Rights is serving its purpose when it protects things you wish it didn't."

 

"You can no longer be oppressed if you are not afraid anymore - Unknown"

 

SOL Member #174

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Sounds like a lot of work.

I just take the cleaned turkey, put it breast down in this big honkin Le Cruset cast iron oval thing I've got - sprinkle w/ poultry seasoning (maybe salt & pepper) - add a little stock to the bottom (so it won't burn before the juices start flowing) and plop on the lid.

 

The cast iron w/ the lid makes it come out real juicy. That LeCruset sure was pricy, but its probably the best kitchen investment I've ever made.

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A little different this year...

 

The tension in the air you can cut with a knife with everything going on right now....but just keeping it to the TG Dinner scenario, I had all my teeth pulled Sept. 5th, and he's still not finished, plus will have to find someone else for the dentures... but long story rolleyes.gif

 

OK, no teeth... that cuts out (once again) my Mom's wishes of me making the TG Dinner with new family of her husband's of 3 years. I just have to draw the line at showing up toothless redface.gif

 

It will be Jenny and myself, and we are going to try one of the boneless/tied breasts. Weighs out at about 3 lbs, and will be brined similar to Steve's, and cooked on the smoker with probably the last of the apple wood I have left. Can't find any around here, so it's cut and cure your own, or use different wood.

 

Paul, if you have a great recipe for stuffing, I'd love to get it from you... in the past I've just used the boxed stuff, so don't have a clue unless you want to stuff a Flounder wink.gif

 

Someone put up a recipe for baking a whole pumpkin a few years back, but wasn't specific enough for me to guess amounts of everything, and expect anything from my knowledge of pumpkins. Have also tried looking on-line without any luck, but then again my HD is going bad on my computer. Have to beat it with a screwdriver handle to get it running, and never know how long it will work each time I start it. Real bummer, seems every time I start it I'm missing more files, and the burner doesn't work either to save things I really hate to lose frown.gif

 

So if anyone knows this pumpkin concoction, it would be much appreciated icon14.gif

 

Any other ideas for the toothless "Wizard" would be nice smile.gif

 

Hope everyone has a "Great" Turkey Day...

 

Wes...

....

"Vaya con Dios"...

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Hey Wes! HappyWave.gif Nice to see you posting more often again, you were missed.

 

Question for you experts:

We're having a big crowd for Thanksgiving, my wife HATES whole turkeys (except for this turkey tongue.gif ), she hates the drumsticks, the wings, the bones etc. After an extended battle, I've agreed (caved) to go with 2 ten lb. turkey breasts instead of one whole 25-30 lb. turkey.

 

Can I cook them together, side by side, same pan, different pan, wrapped in foil together, wrapped separately???? confused.gif

 

Thanks for any assistance. HappyWave.gif

"ALL THE BEST!"
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Use seperate pans.

The airflow around the object will improve the browning of the skin. Also, better to have the bird sticking up out of the pan. A deep pan that surrounds the bird will reduce browning.

Even notice how the skin is crispier from the bottom few inches up?

I give you permission to remind the wife that she doesn't have to eat anything with bones in it, but to allow you your due.

She's missing all the best parts of the bird!!! cwm13.gif

More for you! cwm12.gif

Proud to be a NERB and I have the shirts to prove it!!
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You can go with the "hotel cut", that's what ya call a bone in legless, wingless bird like yer talkin' about. You can put them in the same pan. Do not cover them up with foil. You can even stuff them to a degree. As suggested above however you will not get a real flavorful gravy/sauce. I'd recommend heading back to the market and picking up a package of thigh/leg/wing and cook that seperatly for the juices and gnawing on later!

 

Good luck.

I fish ...therefore I lie
Member #1315
Well onto my way to the next level!
There's not a fish out there I won't target or a technique I won't try! At the very worst I died with my rod in my hands!
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Hey Wes! HappyWave.gif Nice to see you posting more often again, you were missed.

 

Question for you experts:

We're having a big crowd for Thanksgiving, my wife HATES whole turkeys (except for this turkey tongue.gif ), she hates the drumsticks, the wings, the bones etc. After an extended battle, I've agreed (caved) to go with 2 ten lb. turkey breasts instead of one whole 25-30 lb. turkey.

 

Can I cook them together, side by side, same pan, different pan, wrapped in foil together, wrapped separately???? confused.gif

 

 

Thanks for any assistance. HappyWave.gif

 

cwm27.gif Wife waited too long and went to the market to find ONLY whole birds. icon14.gif So she bought a lovely 22 pounder, went in at 7:30AM Thanksgiving morn, took it out at 160 degrees internal, just a little over 5 hours, it got up to 170 sitting on the counter, and then served about an hour later. It was excellent! icon14.gif

And I started the soup that night by boiling the carcass, and adding some of the leftover veggies. I think I made a believer out of my wife.

biggrin.gif

"ALL THE BEST!"
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