Best way to cook a Thanksgiving Turkey

[dworkin31]

I've read about brining. I;ve read about just about every other method of cooking a bird. Anybody have great ideas on how to turn out a really juicy bird? Fresh or frozen? Ideas! i need ideas!!!

[The_Jazz]

Fresh turkey
Fryer
About 12 minutes per pound

Makes an awesome bird.

[BadNick]

deep fried is awesome, but you have to do it right or it can be dangerous or won't work. You need a very large vat of very hot oil, like a large drum, sitting very stable on the fire/heater, and a hook apparatus which allows lowering and raising the turkey in and out of the drum/vat without spilling or dropping. If you splash the oil onto the fire, it can flame up into a huge fireball...not good for the holidays.

Otherwise, every single time I do my turkey on a Weber charcoal grill, everybody says it's the best they ever had. It's very easy, using indirect method you set up piles of charcoals on each side under the grill handle openings (so you can add five or six every hour to each side, start with about 26 coals on each side, a drip pan under the middle under the bird; keep it covered with the lid and the slight smokey flavor from the splashed fat on the coals together with the 360 deg. heat makes for a very beautiful even browning of the skin and a tremendously juicy turkey...IMO the best. And surprisingly, it always takes me less time than in the over. (ps: yes, I stuff the bird, too)

[Charlatan]

I don't brine. I don't have a fridge big enough to do. I use a piece of cheesecloth soaked in wine and butter (my basting liquid). I keep the breast covered for a much of the cooking process (basting with more wine and butter regularly) and uncover for the last part. It keeps the breast from drying out and over cooking.

I was just reading Mark Bittman's recipe for braised turkey that I plan on trying for Christmas. I makes the valid point that thighs and legs work best if cooked low and slow. While breasts are best served if cooked quickly to prevent drying the meat out. He suggests braising four thighs over a few hours in a nice braising liquid.
the breast is laid over the works in the last 30 to 45 minutes. If you are willing to forgo the whole turkey thing, it sounds awesome.

[SabrinaFair]

I'm a fan of traditional roasted turkey--I've gotten a lot of praise for my bird, so I feel pretty comfortable in saying I make a pretty damn good one.

First, I brine. I just started doing this in recent years, and it definitely makes a HUGE difference. I prefer the weak-brine/long-soak method. I use a variation of Alton Brown's Good Eats recipe. I use more spices to infuse the meat with more flavor.

After brining, I give the bird a good rinse. She gets rubbed down with herb butter and stuffed with aromatics (an apple, an onion, some celery, some rosemary). I also lift the skin and put herbs under it--usually just rosemary. And then she gets put in the oven--first half hour or so at 500 degrees, then 350 for the remaining roasting time. If necessary, she gets an aluminum foil "bra" to prevent over-browning.

Good luck with your bird--I can't wait to cook mine next Tuesday for my "Friends' Thanksgiving"

[dworkin31]

thanks for the advice! sabrinafair, you're a law student? I've been a lawyer since '85. It sucks. Become a ditchdigger; you'll get a better satisfaction of life.

I've been reading and reading about brining. The LA times printed an article the last couple days about brining. My wife always soaked a fresh bird in white wine and fresh herbs over-night before cooking. AFter 22 years (yes, i am that old) we were looking for something a little bit more different.


I'm scared of deep-frying a bird. I dont own a deep fryer and really havent EVER deep fried anything myself. What we have done before is take a syringe and keep injecting the breast and legs with a mixture of melted butter mixed with fresh herbs. That usually keeps the breast juicy. but we never brined before.

Anybody have additional thanksgiving recipes? Again, we would love to have something different. Thanks!

[snowy]

I don't brine. I rub the thawed bird down with herb butter (I use a mix of herbs, depending on what I can get, usually sage, marjoram, bit of rosemary, maybe some thyme) and season it. We stuff it the traditional way; I've tried to get my family to switch over to Sabrina's method of aromatics but my mother really likes that mushy stuffing that comes out of the turkey. As the turkey roasts, I keep some melted herb butter on the stove and baste the turkey on a regular basis. I use all of this butter within the first couple hours of roasting, clean my utensils appropriately, make a new batch, and baste the nearly-finished turkey with one more layer of butter (I am uber-paranoid about food safety). The herb butter basting results in a browned, crispy skin that can't be beat.

A meat thermometer is essential to the perfect turkey. Remember that a turkey only need reach a temperature of 165 degrees. Measure the temperature in breast and thigh. If you stuff it with a traditional stuffing, the stuffing also needs to reach a temperature of 165, and if your stuffing included any meat ingredients, it ought to be thoroughly cooked separately prior to stuffing. I usually pull my bird out of the oven if it's close to 165, tent it with aluminum foil, and allow it to rest; it will reach the appropriate temperature as it's resting. You have to watch the bird closely as it gets up to temp, as those last few degrees will go very quickly.

[skizziks]

Usiung a previously frozen bird, wihtout brining, you can get a juicy tasty turkey if you baste baste baste and cook at the correct temperature. For an easy recipe that produces a flawless meal, get a Bon Appetite magazine, or the cookbook, or go to the website. I've followed thier recipes and never once have been let down. Seriously, Bon Appetite is the way to go.

[SabrinaFair]

Originally Posted by dworkin31

thanks for the advice! sabrinafair, you're a law student? I've been a lawyer since '85. It sucks. Become a ditchdigger; you'll get a better satisfaction of life.

Haha, I am indeed a law student. I'm not sure that I want to practice, though.


Since you asked for additional recipes, here's what I do for dressing. We've NEVER had stuffing at my house; we always cook separate.

Disclaimer: beware, this stuff's got more fat in it than a liposuction clinic's repository. But it's GOOD.

Sabrina's Cornbread Dressing

The Cornbread:
Fry a package of bacon in a cast-iron skillet. Leave the grease in the pan. Mix up some cornbread batter and add to the pan; crumble bacon and add to the batter. Bake.

The Aromatics:
Saute celery and onion with a touch of butter and garlic until slightly brown. I don't have an exact amount that I use; usually 1 large onion and 3-4 stalks of celery, but this can be more or less to taste.

Putting It Together:
*2 pans of bacon cornbread
*1-2 packages Stove Top Traditional Sage (this makes the dressing go a littler further, and it is already seasoned.
*Aromatics
*1-2 apples (i like Fuji or some type of red apple, but you can use whatever you like)
*chicken broth (at LEAST 24 ounces; I tend to use more)
*1-2 eggs
*Seasonings: Sage, rosemary, salt, fresh pepper, etc. (whatever you like; I use lots of rosemary to compliment my turkey)

All right; so, I add all together in a BIG ASS (that's actual size, BTW) bowl; crumble the cornbread, stir in the stovetop, etc. I like a moister stuffing, so I add a lot of broth, enough to wear the consistency is very runny. If you like less, add less.

Bake for at least an hour; I like to mix it up every 15 minutes or so to keep it from getting too crunchy on the top. If you like it crunchy on top and mushy on the bottom, don't worry about this. Otherwise, give 'er a stir.

I know it's not really a "recipe". I moreso look at recipes as "guidelines" rather than rules, unless baking. But the apple and bacon are really yummy together; this dressing has multiple layers of flavor. Good stuff.

[snowy]

Originally Posted by SabrinaFair

Since you asked for additional recipes, here's what I do for dressing. We've NEVER had stuffing at my house; we always cook separate.

We do both, because while my mom likes the mushy stuffing cooked inside the turkey, everyone else likes the stuffing cooked separately. Plus, my boyfriend is a vegetarian, so he has to be able to eat the stuffing too. We use Pepperidge Farm (not the cubed kind, the kind in the blue package that's all crumbly). I honestly can't imagine Thanksgiving without it; we've been eating it forever, and it's conveniently vegetarian, unlike some other stuffing mixes. My mom doesn't like onion, so we don't add any vegetables, but I do use Imagine No-Chicken Broth:


It does magical things to food, plus I can make a "gravy" out of it for my boyfriend pretty easily. It's my favorite broth/stock because it's vegetarian but it doesn't taste vegetarian.

Some Thanksgivings I also make "Stuffin' Muffins"--shamelessly stolen from Rachael Ray--wherein I put the stuffing mix into muffin tins. It makes it all crunchy and delicious.

[Zeraph]

Heh, is mine the only family skipping turkey? Steak and lobster is so much better. Screw tradition :P

[SabrinaFair]

Originally Posted by Zeraph

Heh, is mine the only family skipping turkey? Steak and lobster is so much better. Screw tradition :P

That's what we do for Christmas.

[The_Jazz]

Frying a turkey is very simple provided you have the right tools and use them apporpriately. First, you need a fryer, not a pot of boiling oil. You also need a stand to put the turkey on while it is in the oil so it doesn't touch the sides.

This should all be done outdoors if possible or in a garage away from kids and flamables. Fried turkeys are wonderful, but the process can be dangerous.

[dworkin31]

Sabrina's Cornbread Dressing

The Cornbread:
Fry a package of bacon in a cast-iron skillet. Leave the grease in the pan. Mix up some cornbread batter and add to the pan; crumble bacon and add to the batter. Bake.

The Aromatics:
Saute celery and onion with a touch of butter and garlic until slightly brown. I don't have an exact amount that I use; usually 1 large onion and 3-4 stalks of celery, but this can be more or less to taste.

Putting It Together:
*2 pans of bacon cornbread
*1-2 packages Stove Top Traditional Sage (this makes the dressing go a littler further, and it is already seasoned.
*Aromatics
*1-2 apples (i like Fuji or some type of red apple, but you can use whatever you like)
*chicken broth (at LEAST 24 ounces; I tend to use more)
*1-2 eggs
*Seasonings: Sage, rosemary, salt, fresh pepper, etc. (whatever you like; I use lots of rosemary to compliment my turkey)

All right; so, I add all together in a BIG ASS (that's actual size, BTW) bowl; crumble the cornbread, stir in the stovetop, etc. I like a moister stuffing, so I add a lot of broth, enough to wear the consistency is very runny. If you like less, add less.

Bake for at least an hour; I like to mix it up every 15 minutes or so to keep it from getting too crunchy on the top. If you like it crunchy on top and mushy on the bottom, don't worry about this. Otherwise, give 'er a stir.

That sounds fantastic but i am confused. Is this all for the cornbread? You have to excuse me- my wife of 22 years (yes i am that old - I'm probably the oldest poster on the entire board) usually does the cooking. But this year i got nominated. You add the cornbread batter (how many boxes of cornbread do you add?) to the aromatics?

[SabrinaFair]

Whoops, I wasn't very clear. Bake the cornbread; it then gets crumbled and added to the Stove Top, etc. to make the dressing.

I make my cornbread the old-fashioned way--in a cast iron skillet, with flour, eggs, and cornmeal. I've never used the kind in a box. I'm sure it would work fine, of course. The recipe I use was my great-grandmother's; I think of her every time I make it. I've included it in case you want to try your hand at it.

Mamaw's Cornbread Recipe
1 cup flour
1 egg
1 cup milk
1 cup corn meal
2 teaspoons baking powder
4 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons melted better

Preheat oven to 400. Melt butter in pan. Mix remaining ingredients and pour over butter. Bake until browned on top.