Need advice on cooking turkey

[katikate]

JC and I are hosting thanksgiving day for his family. So I'd live to hear advice for a simple tasty bird that won't dry out. I tried to google but got overwhelmed and curled in a fetal ball on the kitchen floor.

Thank you in advance!

[AnglRdr]

Honestly, if you follow the directions on the bird, it won't dry out.

But if you want something seriously good, and really not that complicated (just requires a little advance work), Alton Brown's recipe is what I've been doing the past several years, except I stuff my bird rather than use the aromatics.

[snapdragonfly]

Brine it.

I've done Alton Brown's brining, which was delicious, but kind of expensive as he uses a gallon of broth and a bunch of spices. Wonderful, but not necessary, as a basic brine which is merely the right ratio of salt to water will do the job.

But if you want to do it his way, here it is. I've done it exactly as he writes it and it was fabulous.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/a...ipe/index.html


This much simpler method from Allrecipes works too, I've done it also.

http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/Brining-Turkey/Detail.aspx

The most important thing whether you brine or not, is to get an internal thermometer - the kind that you put in the bird and is attached to a cord that attaches to a thermometer and beeps when it gets to the right temperature. No guesswork and no overcooking which is what makes the breast dry out. Some people are good at just "knowing", or so they claim, but the investment of a good thermometer has saved me so many ruined meals, I see no wisdom in not just getting one and dispensing with the opening of doors and poking around at the thing and either having it too dry or having to put it back in to be rid of gross undercooked meat.

I also cover the breast tightly with foil until about an hour before it's done, so that it won't overcook but will still get nice and brown at the very last.

eta: spanked by AnglRdr. Also I have to disagree slightly with her - because not all directions are the same and there are some out there that do result in overcooking, and if you follow them you'll have a dry bird. So if they are good directions yes, but not all of them are good - which is probably what you are asking about. LOL.

Oh, and those pop up timers that come in some of them - useless, and always pop up well after a turkey is good and chewy.

[purpleiguana]

As others have said... if you want the meat to be moist and tasty--even frozen leftovers--BRINE, BRINE, BRINE. Alton Brown's method is awesome... we have done it multiple times and it always comes out wonderful. The best part, it's not in the oven all fricking day! Of course, turkey being in the oven all day is practically a tradition for some folks, so MMV.

[Nana M]

If you don't want to brine, I have a simple method that producs a moist, well browned, tasty turkey every time. Get a package of bacon, (even the cheapest works, but make sure it's not too lean if you go for good stuff) and cover the breast, thighs and legs with strips butted against each other. Cover the turkey with a 'tent' of foil and roast at 350 degrees until the leg will twist easily away from the body without any red seepage. Remove the foil and continue cooking when the leg starts to come away from the body with only slight resistance. Simple, effective and if you like bacon, extra yummy. Plus it makes the gravy delicious.

[purpleiguana]

Originally Posted by Nana M

If you don't want to brine, I have a simple method that producs a moist, well browned, tasty turkey every time. Get a package of bacon, (even the cheapest works, but make sure it's not too lean if you go for good stuff) and cover the breast, thighs and legs with strips butted against each other. Cover the turkey with a 'tent' of foil and roast at 350 degrees until the leg will twist easily away from the body without any red seepage. Remove the foil and continue cooking when the leg starts to come away from the body with only slight resistance. Simple, effective and if you like bacon, extra yummy. Plus it makes the gravy delicious.

Paging AnglRdr...

[AnglRdr]

OMG, I use bacon in so many other dishes on Thanksgiving that I think I have to keep the turkey pure.

But don't think for a second I am not intrigued and tempted!

[katikate]

Hmmmmmm, Bacon.

Thank you everyone!

I'd actually looked at the Alton Brown recipe, because his food is usually pretty easy, but I also want to get advice from people I know before going off and cooking a big meal. I do want to do the aromatic stuffing and just cook the regular break stuffing on the side.

Does the type of raosting pan matter? Will an aluminum one from the grocery store do just as well as a nicer one from BB&B? Thanks!

ETA: Whoo-hoo! Videos with the recipe! The day should be saved.

[DemonWolf]

There are roasting bags that you can find in the baking goods section of your (or at least my) local supermarket. I hightly recommend them. IIRC, you will not need to baste and the bird comes out very moist and juicy.

[NayShel]

I use this method for both chickens and turkeys:

Coat the bird with olive oil and spices

Stuff with VERY moist stuffing (I use stove top)

Use a roasting pan with a slighly raised rack and fill the bottom of the pan with about 4 cups of water and a large onion, sliced. Add more water as necessary.

Cover the bird with a foil tent until the last half hour or so to allow for browning of the skin.

As for times, I'm one of those who guess-timates. I do check the poultry roasting times table in my cookbook to get an idea of how long but once I pick up the right aroma, I start checking with the meat thermometer and it's usually pretty close to done. Do not trust the plastic pop-up timer! I've seen them pop up much too early and much too late.

I may try that bacon trick this year - that sounds awesome!! And possibly also invest in one of those meat thermometers you can leave in the bird so I don't have to keep checking it towards the end.'

ETA: DemonWolf is right - those roasting bags are great!

[snapdragonfly]

Originally Posted by katikate

Hmmmmmm, Bacon.

Thank you everyone!

I'd actually looked at the Alton Brown recipe, because his food is usually pretty easy, but I also want to get advice from people I know before going off and cooking a big meal. I do want to do the aromatic stuffing and just cook the regular break stuffing on the side.

Does the type of raosting pan matter? Will an aluminum one from the grocery store do just as well as a nicer one from BB&B? Thanks!

If by aluminum you mean the flimsy disposable ones, I'd say, I wouldn't trust them unless you want to be eating turkey off the floor. Supposedly they are strong enough and I'm sure there's plenty of people who have used them with no problem but guess what, that doesn't mean you won't have a problem, and it just is not worth it.

If by aluminum you mean just an ordinary reusable roasting pan, then I think those are fine - you need a *rack* with it or the bottom of the turkey will basically be boiled, not roasted, and that's not good. I don't think the disposable ones come with racks. I don't personally find much advantage in the non stick ones as I spray the rack with non stick spray, and as liquid collects in the bottom so there's no dried out black stuff on it anyway (unless things go quite wrong!)

So I would not worry about getting the most expensive one, but do get a real one, not disposable, and make sure you have a rack of some sort to keep the bottom of the bird from braising in the liquid while the top roasts. That just makes for uneven and not as good results. Been there done that.

~I use my meat thermometer for everything I can. Once you get one you will love it and will probably start roasting chickens for dinner just to have an excuse to use it, which is good because whole roasted chickens are delicious, healthy, extremely low effort, and economical.

[Beachlife!]

If you are going to put out the money for a proper roasting pan, I'd suggest throwing a little more at the problem and getting a turkey roaster. It's easier to deal with the turkey and frees up the entire oven for green bean caserole, yams, rolls, or whatever else you might want to bake. I wouldn't have enough oven space without one.

[AnglRdr]

You can also use a roasting pan for pretty much everything, so it's not something that will only be used a couple of times a year.

And now I think I've talked myself into buying one.

[RCIAG]

I usually wrap the rack in mine in foil, same for the pan, makes for easier clean up.

I use the same pan my grandmother used & wouldn't think of using anything else.

And I will also advise, as Alton Brown did, only in a larger size & bold...
FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD & HOLY, REMOVE THE INNARDS!!!

I'm probably the only person here that will admit this but, I LIKE dry turkey. I generally don't cook it to death just for me, but I like it dry.

[DemonWolf]

Originally Posted by RCIAG

I'm probably the only person here that will admit this but, I LIKE dry turkey. I generally don't cook it to death just for me, but I like it dry.

Dry turkey isn't bad if you drown it in gravy. But for the most part, I prefer no gravy or just a little for flavor.

[RCIAG]

I will now admit that I don't like gravy of any kind.

All I need is a little salt & pepper on it.

[Eddylizard]

Covered roasting tin or open tin with the bird wrapped in tinfoil. If you feel adventurous split the breast skin along the bone and stuff the gap between the skin and the meat with butter. Seasoned butter if you want.

In a preheated oven 20 minutes at 200 celcius then 20 minutes per lb of bird at 180 celcius (whatever that is in fahrenheit). In the last 20 minutes add whatever herbs and seasonings you want for your gravy. If you want stuffing cook it seperately because that will affect the cooking time. Don't stick it into the bird's cavity.

And as someone pointed out, take out the giblets first.

It's impossible to mess up.

[ElectricBarbarella]

Dance with it. My mother swears by it. And yes, I am serious. Take the turkey in your arms and dance with it.

I am not kidding.

[AnglRdr]

It isn't "stuffing" if it isn't stuffing something. I don't care what the Stove Top box says. [/pointless rant]

Eddy, have you tried rather than splitting the meat (and thus risking all the juices flowing out of the bird), just putting the butter between the skin and the muscle?

[Eddylizard]

Originally Posted by AnglRdr

Eddy, have you tried rather than splitting the meat (and thus risking all the juices flowing out of the bird), just putting the butter between the skin and the muscle?

That is what I do and that is what I meant - clearly I misdescibed it. Sorry. I have edited my former post to reflect what I meant.